OPTIMIZING SUPPLY OF INLAND WATER TRANSPORT

This paper presents and explores a supply model for inland water transportation. The model is a technologic production function valid for all circumstances. It is used in combination with information about relative prices, to determine optimal configurations of tows. The major conclusions are: (1) The production function has diminishing marginal returns; (2) it has increasing returns to scale for lakes, but generally decreasing returns to scale for rivers, which implies that whereas it is desirable to build as large as possible for lake (or ocean) transport, there is a definite optimal size for any given river; and (3) fixed guidelines, in terms of horsepower/ton ratios, can be developed for lakes and other environments where currents are neglibible, but are generally impossible to determine for river navigation. The optimal design guidelines depend upon relative prices of materials and wages. Total costs are relatively insensitive to additional horsepower beyond that required for the most economical design.

• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Hoffmeister III, J F
  • de Neufville, R
• Publication Date: 1973-8

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 293-308
• Serial:
  • Journal of Waterways, Harbors & Coast Eng Div
  • Volume: 99
  • Issue Number: WW3
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Barge operations; Barges; Economics; Inland waterways; Marine transit; Towboats; Water transportation
• Old TRIS Terms: Barge economics; Barge transportation systems; Inland waterways economics
• Subject Areas: Economics; Marine Transportation; Public Transportation; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00048117
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Society of Civil Engineers
• Report/Paper Numbers: 9926 Proceeding
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 31 1978 12:00AM