Decision Support Tool for Motorways of the Sea Intermodal Corridor

Motorways of the sea, or marine highways, is a relatively new concept that is intended to shift freight traffic from the road network to more sustainable maritime links through the establishment of frequent, high-quality sea-based intermodal transportation supply chains. As with any other concept of this magnitude, the realization faces a series of challenges in technical and organizational barriers, market and policy framework support, and socioeconomic acceptance. A decision support tool was proposed for assessing whether a particular transportation supply chain connecting two ports located in different countries could successfully evolve into a motorway of the sea, that is, an intermodal corridor. Three proposed components addressed the three agents whose involvement was essential for implementation: shippers and forwarders, maritime operators, and port and other national infrastructure authorities. These key components were (a) an estimation of the minimum threshold of traffic volumes for use of a specific motorway of the sea for the supply chains served, (b) a socioeconomic and financial analysis leading to prioritization of the required investments in infrastructure and services, and (c) a determination of the service's financial viability. A macro-level application focused on a proposed motorway of the sea that would link the ports of Kalamata, Greece, and Alexandria, Egypt, and would serve their respective hinterlands, southeast Europe and Northern Africa. The proposed decision support tool addressed the need to identify the many stakeholders involved in the chain; this identification assists decision making at various levels and optimizes the motorways of the sea concept.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.3141/2330-01
• Summary URL:
  http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Decision+Support+Tool+for+Motorways+of+the+Sea+Intermodal+Corridor&author=D.+Tsamboulas&author=P.+Moraiti&publication_year=2013
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://www.trb.org/Main/Blurbs/169439.aspx
• Authors:
  • Tsamboulas, Dimitrios
  • Moraiti, Panayota
• Publication Date: 2013

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-8
• Monograph Title: Marine Transportation and Terminal Operations 2013
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board
  • Issue Number: 2330
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Decision making; Decision support systems; Freight transportation; Intermodal transportation; International trade; Ports; Supply chain management; Transportation corridors; Water transportation
• Identifier Terms: Motorways of the Sea
• Geographic Terms: Alexandria (Egypt); Kalamata (Greece)
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Marine Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01492374
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780309263313
• Report/Paper Numbers: 13-0446
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Sep 6 2013 10:48AM