The impact of foldable containers on the cost of empty container relocation in the hinterland of seaports

Koichi Shintani*, Rob Konings, Etsuko Nishimura, Akio Imai

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

    2 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    This study analyses the impact of using foldable containers in terms of cost savings of truck drayage operations, of both loaded and empty containers, in the hinterland of a seaport. We model a vehicle routing problem to optimise empty container relocation. A simulated annealing algorithm is developed to solve the problem. Numerical experiments are carried out in realistic empty container relocation scenarios. We find that, under certain conditions, foldable containers can offer higher truck productivity compared with standard containers, hence resulting in substantial cost savings. This paper provides managerial insights into how foldable containers can help reduce the costs of hinterland transport.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)68-101
    Number of pages34
    JournalMaritime Economics and Logistics
    Volume22
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2020

    Keywords

    • Container transport
    • Empty container
    • Foldable containers
    • Hinterland transport
    • Vehicle routing problem

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'The impact of foldable containers on the cost of empty container relocation in the hinterland of seaports'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this