The competitiveness of short sea shipping in multimodal logistics supply chains: service attributes

Abstract

Much has been written and spoken about short sea shipping within the European Union (EU) as a means of shifting goods from road to sea and of achieving a sustainable economic development. However, this shift is far from being a general reality, despite the few individual, and success stories that have taken place and the EUROSTAT data suggest that the overall effort has contributed very little towards attaining this desired shift. In the light of this, research was conducted to discover how to put short sea shipping on a more competitive level within European multimodal logistics supply chains. This paper aims at identifying service attributes of short sea shipping operations within multimodal transport chains by means of a questionnaire and, for that, examines the short sea shipping environment and contemporary European logistics trends. The analysis is based on empirical research, involving logistics operators, shippers' associations and intermodal rail operators, and allows an evaluation (based on statistical techniques) of the short sea shipping industry and its competitors. It extends previous work by considering these short sea shipping attributes within a multimodal transport context.

The Integration of RoRo Shipping in Sustainable Intermodal Transport Chains: The Case of a North European RoRo Service

“…This finding reflects that by adopting a unique management approach and developing cooperation with SOL, the shipper Stora Enso efficiently transports its own cargo as well as lowers its costs by selling the capacity to third parties on board its RoRo vessels, eventually leading to an increased integration of RoRo into a multimodal transport chain. This is in line with Zachcial [9] and Paixão Casaca and Marlow [4], who emphasised that cooperation amongst transport chain agents and a different management approach are amongst the key drivers for SSS integration into intermodal transport chains.…”

“…However, integration of shipping into intermodal transport chains has not been achieved until now, despite various initiatives undertaken by stakeholders [3]. Significant differences amongst diverse segments of the shipping industry need to be considered for adoption of effective policies and incentives that could lead to further use of shipping in intermodal transport chains [4]. Roll on-roll off (RoRo) shipping represents a maritime segment that could easily form part of an intermodal transport system, as cargo does not need to be lifted in ports; it is 'rolled' to and from sea.…”

“…Although the development of maritime supply chains has been investigated extensively in the supply-chain management literature, limited focus has been given to the potentially different barriers that prevent different maritime segments from being part of intermodal transport chains [4,[6][7][8][9]. It is exactly this scientific gap that this study addresses: the need to consider various maritime segments separately and research their potential to form part of intermodal supply chains and support sustainable transport operations.…”

A review of Short Sea Shipping policy in the European Union

“…The paradox with the Motorways of the Seas is that the trucking industry needs to be perceived as a reliable partner rather than an adversary and vice versa. A survey conducted in 2005 highlighted that there is a lack of knowledge regarding the characterisation of the SSS and its competitors (Paixao Casaca and Marlow, 2005). This has contributed to SSS being isolated and not developing more collaborative strategies with other modes.…”

Determinants for a Feasible Short Sea Shipping: Lessons from Europe for ASEAN

“…However, they have also identified the advantages of SSS such as its ability to achieve economies of scale, environmental benefits, low energy consumption and the lower costs needed for infrastructure expansion (Paixao & Marlow, 2001). In 2005, the same authors published their article on the competitiveness of SSS (Paixao-Casaca & Marlow, 2005). In this study, they examined the competitiveness of SSS vis-à-vis the other transportation modes from the aspects of the level of service that SSS www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol.…”