Trade imbalances and global disturbances generate mismatches in the supply and demand of empty containers (ECs) that elevate the need for empty container repositioning (ECR). This research investigated dry ports as a potential means to minimize EC movements, and thus reduce costs and emissions. We assessed the environmental and economic effects of two ECR strategies via dry ports—street turns and extended free temporary storage—considering different scenarios of collaboration between shipping lines with different levels of container substitution. A multi-paradigm simulation combined agent-based and discrete-event modelling to represent flows and estimate kilometers travelled, CO2 emissions, and costs resulting from combinations of ECR strategies and scenarios. Full ownership container substitution combined with extended free temporary storage at the dry port (FTDP) most improved ECR metrics, despite implementation challenges. Our results may be instrumental in increasing shipping lines’ collaboration while reducing environmental impacts in up to 32 % of the inland ECR emissions. © 2023 The Author(s)

Although some movements of empty containers are needed due to imbalances between inbound and outbound goods flows in specific geographical areas, the transport of empty containers could be performed more efficiently. This report outlines results from the project “Increasing transport efficiency through reducing positioning of empty containers” performed during 2020-2023 by RISE and Chalmers, and financed by the Swedish Energy Agency. The purpose of the project was to contribute to increasing transport efficiency by understanding how empty container repositioning can be reduced and made more efficient in the Swedish transport system. To provide increased understanding regarding current practices and possible improvement areas, the report describes empty repositioning of containers in the inland container transport, and highlights drivers and barriers to minimize and make empty repositioning more efficient. Data on empty container movements in ports and by truck provide increased understanding of the current state. However, available data only offer partial views of empty container movements. Therefore, an empty trip model was constructed to help understand the proportion of containers that are transported empty between various origin-destination pairs, drawing on the Swedish road goods transport data from Trafikanalys. Several recommendations are made for how to improve data on empty container movements, for example differentiating between 20 and 40 feet containers. Also, this report details strategies for either reducing the empty container repositioning or making it more efficient within the national transport system, with a focus on: a) increased reutilization of containers and b) an increased share of rail compared to truck transport. Reutilization involves matching import and export containers to a larger degree, for example facilitated by extended storage of containers, and also how demands in various regions can be matched more efficiently, where some geographical areas are import dominated and others export dominated. The improvement potential in terms of cost and emissions have been calculated, simulating transport data in specific case studies. One simulation concerned reducing empty container repositioning locally, comparing the current situation with improvements in terms of street turns and extended storage given different collaboration levels. The extended storage scenario delivered the best results, as it significantly increased the likelihood of finding export cargo for an emptied import container. Another simulation considered empty container movements between Swedish inland terminals, identifying a large potential for both reutilization locally and triangulation between terminals compared to the current situation. The report further outlines the outcome of a Multi-Actor-Multi-Criteria-Analysis, where opportunities to reduce empty container repositioning in the hinterland of a port were considered from several stakeholders’ perspectives: shipping lines, transport operators, inland terminals, forwarders, ports and cargo owners. The scenarios evaluated were a) Time Flexibility, where additional days were allowed to find matching export cargo for an emptied import container, b) Container Sharing, where implications of allowing matching of containers of shipping lines in the same alliance were explored, and c) Data Sharing, where increased transparency regarding containers available for export in the inland was explored. The stakeholders preferred different scenarios, and details explaining their reasoning is provided. Drawing on the insights regarding current practices and possible improvement areas, recommendations to industry and authorities are provided. Widespread collaboration between stakeholders is needed, even so, all stakeholders can take action to create better conditions for empty container repositioning. Smarter tools for planning is one example.

Modern intermodal nodes of the future – Requirements on knowledge and development

The purpose of the project was to compile existing knowledge to analyze the function, design, and organization of intermodal nodes, as well as identify gaps for future research within Trafikverket’s research program and serve as a basis for Trafikverket's strategic work. The project uses both literature reviews and empirical studies through workshops with experts. The project has five main results:

1. Criteria are proposed to define sustainable intermodal nodes aimed at promoting economic, social, and environmental goals for authorities, cargo owners, and carriers. The aim is to identify challenges and areas where nodes can improve their sustainability to avoid sub-optimization.

2. A two-dimensional matrix is proposed to categorize intermodal nodes according to their role in society's goods supply, as well as the local economy and environment.

3. Various organizational forms for nodes are described, including terminals and associated logistics areas that can be owned and managed by public, private, or combined entities.

4. A discussion on how technological innovations such as electrification, digitization, and automation can affect intermodal nodes in the future.

5. Opportunities and needs for further work and research in the field are presented

För att Sverige ska kunna nå målet om att bli ett av världens första fossilfria välfärdsländer krävs en omställning till ett fossilfritt transportsystem såväl som till en cirkulär ekonomi. Sjöfart har potential att matcha de behov som en ökad cirkulär ekonomi ställer och är ett energieffektivt trafikslag. Syftet med rapporten är att förstå hur sjöfart kan nyttjas i ökad utsträckning för att transportera cirkulära produkter och material och hur hamnen kan skapa mervärde i utveckling av cirkulära logistiklösningar. Metoderna som använts är: litteraturstudier, workshops och fallstudier. Rapporten identifierar cirkulära produkter och material med potential att lyfta sig i avfallstrappan och där det är lämpligt att nyttja sjöfart för transport i det cirkulära logistiksystemet. Det handlar om muddermassor, jordmassor, mineralavfall, träavfall, plastavfall, uttjänta däck, uttjänta textilier, sorterade och återvunna textilier, planglas, spillolja och flygaska. Hamnens roll vid hantering av cirkulära material studerades mer specifikt för massor, dissolvingmassa baserad på återvunna textilier, matrester och etanol. Det blev tydligt att hamnen kan skapa värde i form av lagring, konsolidering, lossning och lastning av containrar samt vara en logistiknod som erbjuder omlastningsmöjligheter mellan olika trafikslag. Hamnen känner till de lokala förutsättningarna för effektiva logistikupplägg och är en central kugge i nya aktörsnätverk. Rapporten redovisar även en beskrivning av två cirkulära logistiklösningar med involvering av sjöfart som utvecklats och utvärderats under projektet. Det handlar dels om en demonstration av en sjötransport med kalkstabiliserad lera, dels om framtagning av beslutsunderlag för investering av en tilltänkt sorteringsmaskin av planglas i vilket logistikupplägg från ett antal olika hamnar förslogs och miljöberäkningar genomfördes.

International regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as strong market demand for zero-emission transport calls for a radical change in the shipping industry. Measures such as hull form optimization, use of alternative fuels and efficient machinery systems, new coatings, and smart routing have already improved the energy efficiency of the world fleet and to some extent its GHG emissions. However, it is far from enough. To make the drastic leap that we need in order to meet the climate challenges, we must turn to emission-free energy sources. One such promising and well-proven zero-emission propulsion system for shipping is wind propulsion. Using wind to power cargo vessels restarted on a commercial scale about a decade ago. Currently, there are 25+ wind-assisted vessels in commercial trade. They are equipped with technologies like Flettner rotors, wings or kites, which gives fuel reductions in the magnitude of 1-20 %. Although these are significant fuel savings, this is still not enough to effectively respond to the challenges for zero GHG emissions of the maritime industry. With the goal of demonstrating that even higher energy reduction and drastic reduction of emissions is possible, 11 representatives of the European maritime industry and research community have recently joined forces in the large scale EU-funded project Orcelle, led by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean. The current paper will present the project’s ambition, scope of work and expected outcome. 

Onshore power supply (OPS) reduces emissions from vessels docked in port. Historically, the uptake of OPS has been low, and research indicates that potential OPS adopters face multiple complex barriers. Based on a systematic literature review, this paper presents a framework for categorizing barriers and drivers to the implementation of OPS and identifies potential areas for future research. The review indicates that research on barriers to OPS was limited until 2019, when interest increased considerably, coinciding with mounting stakeholder concerns and regulatory pressure. The suggested framework divides barriers and drivers divided into four key categories: (i) technology and operations, (ii) institutional elements, (iii) economic elements, and (iv) stakeholder elements. The framework then superimposes those categories on three main areas of concern: port, transmission, and vessel. Research has identified potential solutions to specific barriers, but the complexity of OPS highlights the need for a collaborative approach to OPS. Additionally, as regulatory pressure is rising, more research is needed on the systemic implications of OPS as well as the potential use of incentives, pricing, and business models to tackle the high cost of implementation. © 2022 by the authors. 

The purpose of the KAJ-EL project was to offer decision support to ports and shipping companies about the implementation and use of shoreside electricity in Swedish ports. More specifically, this project investigated the following, among other questions related to shore power: • the driving forces and barriers among ports and shipping companies to offer or use shore power; • the decision making, steps and actors involved in the process of adopting shore power; • the costs and business arrangements for installing and operating shore power; • the challenges in the installation and operation of shore power; • the different shore power equipment used in Swedish ports and on board vessels; • the actions and condition to realise OPS adoption to a larger extent. The project group included researchers and experts in shipping, transport, logistics, economics, and human factors from SSPA and the University of Gothenburg, and included industry partners Svensk Sjöfart (Swedish Ship Owners’ Association) and Sveriges Hamnar (Ports of Sweden). In addition, industry and authorities were involved in a reference group with representatives from shipping companies, ports and electricity providers. Interviews were performed with various ports in Sweden, a port in Norway (Kristiansand) as well as the US ports of Long Beach and Seattle to compare the perspectives. Shipping companies were interviewed, as were a number of OPS equipment manufacturers, national grid operators and electricity providers. Two workshops and a final seminar were also conducted. This report presents an overview of the OPS situation in Sweden and provides principles for business models as well as recommendations for ports’ and shipping companies’ OPS work. It can be noted that Sweden is at the European forefront of OPS in the sense that it currently has nine cities offering OPS, with main focus so far on the ro-pax and ferry segment. Actors, in particular ports, perceive that the regulatory pressure to offer OPS is increasing and the knowledge about OPS, especially among non-experienced ports, is still limited. Further guidance on OPS installations and operations is therefore needed, in terms of the financial, business, technical and operational issues that the actors must deal with. One major question is how to secure the electricity supply to the ports. Collaboration between actors is key to successful OPS implementation and a higher level of standardisation can facilitate technical choices. Several areas in need of further research are highlighted in this report, such as investigating possible future power demand scenarios from using OPS, and supply strategies for ports. The project received funding from Trafikverket (The Swedish Transport Administration).

Purpose: There can be many negative effects from a disruption in a central node of companies' supply chains, such as a port conflict that reduces capacity. Strategies for disruption management include flexibility and redundancy. This paper aims to analyse a supply chain disruption from flexibility and capacity perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted of the supply chain disruption caused by the port conflict in 2016–2017 in Gothenburg, in which the port operated at a reduced capacity. Companies importing and exporting goods, freight forwarders, hauliers, train operators, ports, shipping companies and their agents were interviewed. Findings: Various capacity problems (ports, links, container chassis, empty containers) were encountered due to the port conflict. Flexibility measures such as node, mode and fleet flexibility can be used in response to changes in capacity. Difficulties with applying flexibility are discussed. Research limitations/implications: Although based on a Swedish case, findings are relevant for disruptions or other types of disturbances in ports elsewhere and also in other important nodes in companies' supply chains. Practical implications: Actors influenced by disturbances in a port can increase their understanding of potential capacity problems and flexibility measures. Readiness and timely action are important due to competition regarding capacity. Originality/value: The implications on the transport network surrounding a port, including many actors, are explained, illustrating how capacity problems propagate, but there is some flexibility to manage the problems. 

Shifting freight transport from roads to more energy-efficient modes of sea and rail, i.e., a modal shift, is essential to reducing emissions from transport. Two actors influencing the rate of transition to such modes are logistics service providers (LSPs) and shippers. In their relationships, power and trust are vital interorganisational factors that need to be managed. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the existence and use of power and trust and their interplay can facilitate a modal shift in the ongoing relationships between shippers and LSPs. The research is based on an in-depth qualitative case-study of two cases, each consisting of the relationship between a retailer and an LSP. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews, and the analysis was guided by three dimensions of power (resources, processes and meaning) and three types of trust (contractual, competence and goodwill). The results show that power and trust do, indeed, exist and influence modal shift solutions in shipper–LSP relationships. Alignment between shippers and LSPs is found to be vital in terms of the perceptions and values needed to strengthen the power of meaning, and in terms of the processes and participation needed to strengthen the power of processes. Trust is a facilitating factor in both instances, and it also works as a mediating factor in any asymmetry between the power of shippers' resources and LSPs. © 2022 The Authors

Modal shift from road to water is a strategy prioritised by both the European Union and many of its member states. However, inland waterways remain underutilised in most member states, and even the small number of countries in which inland waterway transport is well established, the sector faces fierce competition from road-based solutions. There is potential to develop tools and strategies for expanding the use of inland waterways by better understanding what activities key actors can rely on to facilitate modal shift. In this multiple-case study, we identify activities that actors perform to realise modal shift to inland waterways in five cases from the North Sea Region, by conducting interviews, workshops, and field observations. In each case, the process of modal shift varied depending upon which actor initiated specific activities, the order of performing activities and the number of iterations required to advance. Activities revolved around understanding the current situation, identifying potential solutions, testing solutions and promoting solutions. Getting stakeholders on board and identifying goods flows were integrated in all themes. The structured and emergent approach were outlined, highlighting varying starting points (mature or immature market) and actor engagement (facilitating or initiating roles). Different actors could assume leading roles. Authorities can target initiatives and policies to form relevant alliances and support modal shift by approach, while practitioners can relate and be inspired by the described activities in the varying contexts and adhere to entrepreneurial roles. Realising large-scale modal shift requires multi-actor engagement, openness to emergent solutions and long-term endurance. © 2021 Vendela Santén, Sara Rogerson, Jon Williamsson, Johan Woxenius.