Coordination problems in container barging in the port of Rotterdam: an institutional analysis

Abstract

Container barging has gained in importance in port-related transport along with the need for sustainable transport. Nevertheless, coordination problems between terminal operator and barge operator exist, and performance lags behind. This paper analyses factors that may hinder or stimulate a better future performance of container barging in the port of Rotterdam. A case study is accomplished and guided by a framework rooted in Institutional Economics. Despite favourable conditions set by governments and the port authority, the share of container barging has hardly grown. The container barging sector in Rotterdam is embedded in a history with many alliances, a high degree of organisation, and a good track record in the development of institutional arrangements to solve coordination problems. However, the present contractual relations in the transport chain form an inadequate condition. From a theoretical perspective, the paper shows the value of studying port-related transport chains by acknowledging their institutional context.

Literature review and comparative analysis of inland waterways transport: “Container on Barge”

“…There are 15 articles that focus on more than one country. Konings (2006), Konings and Priemus (2008), and Konings and Maras (2011) all focus on the development of COB transportation along the Rhine River (France, Switzerland, Berg and De Langen (2015) and Fu et al (2010) 3…”

Let the Game Begin: Enhancing Sustainable Collaboration among Actors in Innovation Ecosystems in a Playful Way

“…This is the standard unit for counting containers of various capacities and for describing the capacities of container ships or terminals. One 20 foot ISO (International Organization for Standardization) container equals 1 TEU") [49]).…”

Cooperation Forms Between Participants of the Inland Waterways Cargo Delivery: A Case Study of the Dnieper Region

“…This circumstance is logically explained by a minor number of IWW ports, where container transportation accounts for a significant share of cargo turnover. In EU countries, for example, COB system is well developed on the basis of container flows on the Antwerp − Rotterdam range [12][13][14]. The experience of container transportation on barges through Le Havre and Marseilles ports is presented in [15].…”

“…Generally, the published papers on cooperation forms, partnership and integration processes that occur during container transportation can be divided into the following groups: works that are studying strategic partnership (alliances) [1,2,3,4,5,11,27], geographically contextual papers [10,13,14,15,17,18,24,25,26], articles devoted to pricing [8,9], overviews and descriptive articles [5,6,7] and those that offer formalised solutions: factor analysis of empirical data, Venn diagram [2], the Multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) [3], the Game theory [10], Mathematical logic on the basis of binary variables [11], tools and software of discrete event simulation model, based on queuing theory [14].…”