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Purpose Container shipping is a standardized business-to-business service market where carriers need to stay customer focused to survive. Market segmentation is an ideal solution to develop customized marketing programs for each segment, but container lines need personalized marketing programs for each customer. Hence, the purpose of this study is to develop a segmentation framework that can help container lines to profile each customer more efficiently considering their needs, strategic importance and demographics. Design/methodology/approach This study has adopted an exploratory approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers of container lines. Findings Segmentation bases are the type of customer, container volume, loyalty, seasonality, decision maker, the industry of shipper, cargo characteristics, container type, destination region and export/import. Market segmentation in container shipping can be helpful in developing effective customized marketing offering, including effective price discrimination and customized marketing communications. Practical implications A port-specific segmentation approach was adopted and a flexible segmentation framework was proposed for container lines to adapt in different hinterlands. Originality/value Unlike the literature, this study suggests market segmentation can be very helpful in customized marketing in business-to-business services like container shipping industry. This study also suggests port-specific market segmentation for container lines instead of route-specific.

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Inland transportation of maritime freight conducted by trucks creates extensive emissions. These emissions can be mitigated by using intermodal-rail transport through dry ports. In that regard, this study evaluated the environmental benefits of dry port usage by using discrete event simulation modelling. The results show that the current level of dry port-based intermodal transportation decreases greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5.79% compared to transportation of all containers on the road. Evaluating the impact of the electrified railway line on the GHG emissions revealed unexpected results; the electrification of the railway line would decrease GHG emissions only by 0.06%. The improvements in empty container movement and scheduling slightly reduced GHG emissions by 0.69% and 0.63% respectively, however, highest GHG emissions reduction resulted from modal shift by 6.56%. This study extended the previous literature by assessing not only the environmental benefits of dry port usage but also its effects on train capacity usage, while taking the empty container movement into account.

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