Definition of optimal fleets for Sea Motorways: the case of France and Spain on the Atlantic coast

Joint Optimization of Routes and Container Fleets to Design Sustainable Intermodal Chains in Chile

“…From a wider perspective, it can be inferred that studies about intermodal transport based on the resolution of optimization models through heuristics are very scarce [6], especially taking into account the development of multi-objective models and the analysis of Pareto fronts. Among them, two are remarkable due to their high capacities: the models published by Baykasoglu and Subulan (2016) [32] and Martínez-López et al (2015, 2016 and 2018) [19,20,33]. All of them tackle the competitiveness between intermodality through MoS and trucking through multi-objective approaches.…”

“…Despite the fact that the model assumes Ro-Ro vessels' configuration to be a fixed parameter, it evaluates not only the seaborne and road haulage but also the train option. Likewise, the work carried out by Martínez-López et al (2015, 2016 and 2018) [19,20,33] defined multi-objective models to evaluate the competitiveness of intermodality versus the road alternative for a particular MoS in the EU context through the determination of an optimal fleet based on the time, the cost, and the most suitable kind of vessel (Ro-Ro or container vessel [19]). The latter model introduced environmental costs as an additional objective function [20] and additional capacities about the selection of the most suitable propulsion plant, fuels, and abatement systems for the vessels [33].…”

“…The objective equations reflect the advantage of intermodality with regard to unimodal transport in terms of the costs (F1), time (F2), and environmental impact (F3). These optimization criteria have been selected due to their importance for transport decision makers in terms of service performance [4,8,16,17,19,20,32].…”

“…This, along with the good results obtained by a rising number of studies focused on the operation of feeder vessels under Short Sea Shipping conditions [6,7,35,36], led to the model presented in this paper optimizing uniquely container vessels for MoS. In this regard, the model published by Martínez-López et al (2015) [19] has been simplified. The model has been tested for vessels from 85 to 200 m in length between perpendiculars; therefore, it is able to provide the technical and operative features of container vessels (Table 1 shows some of them) for its design in a conceptual step.…”

“…To contribute to filling this knowledge gap, this paper introduces a multi-objective mathematical model to assess a whole 'many-to-many' intermodal chain (that is, many possible origins and many possible destinations) by operating with optimized fleets for the seaborne hauls [18] in terms of costs, time, and the environmental impact in relation to the unimodal alternative. The model presented in this paper is the result of the integration of successive optimization models for vessels into intermodal chains that were previously developed in the EU context [19,20]. In such a way, the current model offers wider capacities through its ability to suggest sustainable solutions for fleets and maritime routes in different frameworks, beyond the EU context, by overcoming partial attachments.…”