Modelling Dry Port Systems in the Framework of Inland Waterway Container Terminals

Overcoming the global sustainability challenges of logistics requires applying solutions that minimize the negative effects of logistics activities.The most efficient way of doing so is through intermodal transportation(IT).Current IT systems rely mostly on road,rail,and sea transport,not inland waterway transport.Developing dry port(DP)terminals has been proven as a sustainable means of promoting and utilizing IT in the hinterland of seaport container terminals.Conventional DP systems consolidate container flows from/to seaports and integrate road and rail transportation modes in the hinterland which improves the sustainability of the whole logistics system.In this article,to extend literature on the sustainable development of different categories of IT terminals,especially DPs,and their varying roles,we examine the possibility of developing DP terminals within the framework of inland waterway container terminals(IWCTs).Establishing combined road–rail–inland waterway transport for observed container flows is expected to make the IT systems sustainable.As such,this article is the first to address the modelling of such DP systems.After mathematically formulating the problem of modelling DP systems,which entailed determining the number and location of DP terminals for IWCTs,their capacity,and their allocation of container flows,we solved the problem with a hybrid metaheuristic model based on the Bee Colony Optimisation(BCO)algorithmand themeasurement of alternatives and ranking according to compromise solution(i.e.,MARCOS)multi-criteria decision-making method.The results from our case study of the Danube region suggest that planning and developingDP terminals in the framework of IWCTs can indeed be sustainable,as well as contribute to the development of logistics networks,the regionalisation of river ports,and the geographic expansion of their hinterlands.Thus,the main contributions of this article are in proposing a novel DP concept variant,mathematically formulating the problems of its modelling,and developing an encompassing hybrid metaheuristic approach for treating the complex nature of the problem adequately.

The Use of Hydrogen as a Fuel for Inland Waterway Units

Escalating apprehension about the harmful effects of widespread use of conventional fossil fuels in the marine field and in internal combustion engines in general, has led to a vast amount of efforts and the directing of large capital investment towards research and development of sustainable alternative energy sources. One of the most promising and abundant of these sources is hydrogen. Firstly, the use of current fossil fuels is. discussed focusing on the emissions and economic sides to emphasize the need for a new, cleaner and renewable fuel with particular reference to hydrogen as a suitable possible alternative. Hydrogen properties, production and storage methods are then reviewed along with its suitability from the economical point of view. Finally, a cost analysis for the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines is carried out to illustrate the benefits of its use as a replacement for diesel. The outcome of this cost analysis shows that 98% of the capital expenditure is consumed by the equipment, and 68.3% of the total cost of the equipment is spent on the solar photovoltaic cells. The hydrogen plant is classified as a large investment project because of its high initial cost which is about 1 billion US$; but this is justified because hydrogen is produced in a totally green way. When hydrogen is used as a fuel, no harmful emissions are obtained.

A Study on Conversion of Marine Diesel Engines Using Blended Palm Oil for Inland Waterway Vessels in Vietnam

The climate change and limitation of natural resources becomes main obstacle for the global economical development. So, the Vietnamese Government is very much concerned with reduction of harmful gas discharging from the inland-water way ships. To overcome the problems, there are many counter-measures proposed such as： renovation of machinery and equipment, using re-creative energy and so on. The author＇s idea is to find a suitable method which can be applied on board of the inland-water ships to reduce discharging toxic gas by using blended palm oil as alternative fuel for marine diesel engines. Due to some disadvantages of the bended palm oil in comparison with traditional DO （diesel oil）, such as： low freezing point, high viscosity, low stability of blended fue, therefore somehow, the blended palm oil must be made a ship directly on board. With this idea, the author has designed and made agitate mixing equipment working on-line with fuel supply system of a diesel engine. The mixing equipment, then, has been tested at shore-side laboratory as well as on board ships. The research results showed that the fuel mixture （palm oil-DO） made by this mixing equipment is fully usable to replace traditional DO for marine diesel engines installed on board ships of inland water way in Vietnam. The Vietnamese Government accepted the research results as prerequisite to devise specific and practical action plans to reduce the pollution from the inland water way ships in coming years.

A novel approach for navigational safety evaluation of inland waterway ships under uncertain environment

This paper proposes a safety evaluation model of inland waterway ship navigation based on the fuzzy theory and evidential reasoning(ER)approach.The proposed model is a three-level hierarchical system consisting of 18 indicators that are identified and determined through literature review and expert surveys.By using fuzzy theory,the factors of the index level are converted into belief distributions,and the information of indicators within each level is merged by using the ER approach so that the evaluation of the ship’s navigation safety can be realized.This model can deal with multi-source information and both qualitative and quantitative indicators in an integrated framework.Some case studies on the safety status of ships navigating in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River during dry season are conducted to validate the feasibility and practicability of the proposed model.The results show that the risk levels obtained from the proposed model are consistent with the real-life situation to a large extent.The novel model proposed in this study provides a useful reference for maritime safety management and will help managers and decision-makers in the risk prevention and early warning of inland waterway transportation accidents.

Development of an Energy Efficiency Design Index for Inland Vessels of Bangladesh

More than 10000 different types of ship ply the waters of Bangladesh all year round,but the performance of these ships in terms of CO2 emission is not known and regulations related to energy efficiency of inland waterway ships remain nonexistent.This paper attempts to assess the present situation of inland class vessels in terms of Energy Efficiency Design Index(EEDI).With the use of a developed database of inland vessels in Bangladesh,EEDI reference lines for different types of inland vessels in Bangladesh were established and then compared with those of other countries.The present EEDI of existing inland vessels was investigated.Results indicate that most of the existing vessels do not meet the current EEDI baseline.Hence,new guidelines are necessary to achieve EEDI compliance in the near future.Some recommendations were proposed for improving CO2 emissions,with the socioeconomic and technical factors in Bangladesh taken into consideration.

Study on the Embedded Mode of Large Diameter Steel Tube and Concrete Combined Pile

As the stiffness discontinuous of large diameter steel tube and concrete combined pile, the complicated stress state is caused by the combination of the pile foundation and the base rock, the steel casing and the bedrock structure. It is needed to put forward a scientific basis to determine the pile foundation effective depth of embedded. For this purpose, the physical model and the numerical model of single pile with large diameter steel tube and reinforced concrete combined force are established. Through numerical simulation and contrast test of a large number of variable parameters, the various factors that affect the lateral bearing capacity of the embedded piles are discussed in detail, the mechanical properties of the foundation under the action of the steel tube and the pile foundation are obtained.