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Port loading automation systems can improve the efficiency of cargo transfer, save port operation time and create greater economic benefits. The recognition of ship hatch is the basis and premise of building an automatic loading system, it is a major time cost in the loading system meanwhile. How to identify the hatch quickly and accurately is an important problem that needs to be solved urgently under the actual production needs of ports. In order to save the time of ship hatch recognition, this paper proposes a fast hatch recognition algorithm based on point cloud contour extraction. The ship point cloud model generated by lidar scanning is preprocessed to remove the noise and isolated points in the model. Projecting the preprocessed point cloud on the XOY plane, converting the three-dimensional point cloud into a two-dimensional image, extracting the outline further getting the point cloud pixels with linear features of the two-dimensional image by α − shape algorithm. Projecting the feature point cloud to the X-axis to classify the hatches. According to the center point of each class of point cloud, searching for the nearest neighbor hatch edge feature points to calculate hatch coordinates in the world frame. An experimental study was carried out on the scan data of actual docked ships at Guoneng Tianjin Port. The results show that the algorithm can realize the hatch recognition quickly which the speed is increased by 424% compared with the previous algorithm and the identification accuracy meets the actual production needs of the port. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International attentions on offshore platform for containerized cargo redistribution (OPCCR), an open-water platform for ship-to-ship cargo transfer, have been growing due to the increasing demand for dangerous cargo handling and the increasing difficulties of constructing special terminals. However, the coupling of discharging and loading operations within limited space and tight schedule makes it a great challenge to achieve a high operation performance. In this paper, a series of discrete event simulation models have been developed to test the performance of the two alternative layout designs. The efficiency of the platform, the turn-around time of ships, and the utilization of the equipment are selected as the three major key performance indicators (KPIs) and are compared between different designs and configurations. Based on the results, the better design is suggested. The findings of this work could be useful references for the designers and end-users of the OPCCR during both designing and operation processes. This article is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled 'Floating Dangerous Liquid Bulk Cargo Redistribution System: A New Concept and Simulation-based Performance Study' presented at IAME 2019 conference, Athens, Greece, 25–28 June 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the freight transport sector, competing companies horizontally collaborate through establishing Collaborative Transport Networks (CTNs). Fruitful implementation of CTNs will leverage environmental and socio-economic goals of sustainable development in the freight transport sector. The benefits of CTNs in horizontal collaborative settings have been widely demonstrated through several modelling approaches. However, in practice, the real applications of CTNs have been challenging and most did not achieve satisfactory performances. Some studies have addressed this issue by identifying different barriers to CTN implementation. However, a conceptual framework for the barriers is not well-established. In addition, the literature lacks a decision-making framework for the CTN implementation which considers the different barriers. To address this gap, this paper conducted a literature review of the barriers to CTN implementation. In total, 31 different barriers were identified. A conceptual barrier framework is developed by grouping the 31 barriers into five categories: the business model, information sharing, the human factors, the Collaborative Decision Support Systems (CDSSs), and the market. The paper additionally proposes a stage-gate model integrating the conceptual barrier framework into the CTN implementation decision-making process. The current work contributes to the existing literature by developing both theoretical and practical understandings of the barriers to implementing CTNs and will support decision makers in CTN implementation to maximize the CTN benefits and minimize the risk of CTN failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing air pollutant emissions and energy consumption, as a necessary step to make ports more sustainable, is one of the crucial tasks and challenges of port management. Some of the port strategies to meet the term “green port” usually include reducing fuel consumption from vessels and vehicles in ports. This paper estimates the emission inventory of maritime traffic for the cargo Port of Zadar. For this research, emissions from cargo ships are estimated in the period from January 01. 2018 until October 01. 2019. The “bottom-up” methodology has been applied for estimating emissions, which includes detailed data on the ship’s characteristics (engine power, the load factor, fuel type, the emission factor) and time spent cruising and hotelling. The emissions from cargo ships have been estimated for three ship’s activities: cruising in the reduced speed zone, hotelling (time spent at berth), and maneuvering. The emission results (tons/year) refer to the pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx), particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and carbon dioxide (CO2) which represents greenhouse gases. Estimating emission inventory is the first step for planning effective port air quality control. Some recommendations for reducing emissions in port areas are emphasized in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service network design is a typical tactical planning problem faced in freight railway transportation. In this paper, we propose an integer linear programming model for the rail freight service network design problem in the context of the China railway system. The model aims to minimize the overall costs (including train costs and car costs) while satisfying a set of practical restrictions and operational requirements. Our model also considers a distinct operational feature in Chinese railway transportation practice, i.e., the tree-shaped path. A numerical experiment as well as a real-life case study from the China Railway Jinan Group (CR Jinan) is conducted to demonstrate the proposed solution approach. The real-life problem size reaches as many as 139 stations, 473 alternative train services and 562 shipments. Computational results show that our proposed approach is able to obtain quality solutions within a reasonable time frame. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulation and computer modeling have a key role in understanding transportation systems. Focusing on the main system, real-time retrieval of outputs based on mutual interactions of the whole autonomous entities makes the agent-based simulation very promising. This paper deals with an agent-based simulation to investigate and evaluate the potential impacts of implementing Shared Public Transports (SPT) in urban areas. Such a system is intended to integrate the two flows of passengers and containerized freights in Public Transportation (PT) patterns towards more sustainable, efficient, and socially suitable mobility. The proposed model is coupled with a stochastic process in order to provide a range of real-world data of Casablanca city (Morocco) based on institutional surveys. In this respect, two urban transportation systems of freight are tested: (1) the conventional transportation system, (2) the SPT system with heterogeneous fleets. In an effort to sustain efficient and safe movements, this paper examines SPT performances according to a set of key evaluation metrics. Results show that PT stopping remains the most relevant factor when evaluating metrics of the number of waiting containers and waiting time of demand by rates of 82.440% and 62.580%, respectively. Such a waiting containers metric is significantly affected by the volume of demand to transport per time slot by a rate of 78.140%. Under SPT, traffic congestion is the main factor to consider in managing PT with a rate of 65.690% in order to reduce potential accidents. However, demand volume could increase the on-street illegal parking metric by 90.070%. More details are provided below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To improve the distribution methods of freight flows on the railway network under conditions of capacity constraints. Methodology. Methods of railway operation theory and operations research were used. The problem of cargo flow distribution on the railway network was solved as a multi-product (interchangeable cargoes) transport linear programming problem with capacity constraints in the network form. The average cost of freight transportation is established by the methods of probability theory. Findings. In the course of the research the methods of cargo traffic calculation on the railway network are improved. The proposed approach to the formalisation of the task makes it possible to take into account the presence of different cargoes to be transported, capacity constraints of some railway network sections, as well as non-linear nature of dependence between the volume and cost of transportation. To meet the requirement of consignors’ equal access to public carrier services, the method for calculating the cost of transportation for an individual consignor is improved. Originality. Scientific novelty of the paper consists in improvement of methods of cargo traffic distribution on the railway network and tariffing of cargo transportation services in conditions of restricted supply capacity of separate sections. Practical value. The extractive industries have a steady flow of goods. The main logistic tasks in this case are to ensure transportation of the given volume of cargo and reduce the cost of transport services. Using the proposed mathematical methods of optimization allows you to get higher-quality solutions compared to the method of technical-economic comparison of options, which provides an overall cost reduction for cargo transportation. The improved method of tariffication of transportation can reasonably allocate the savings from reducing the cost of transportation among cargo consignors and thus reduce their logistics costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, supply chains have emerged as one the most important elements in the global economy, spurring national and global economic growth and facilitating international trade (MacCarthy et al., [6]). This special issue aims at reviewing the relevant literature on freight transport security and the robustness of global supply chains. Another approach to strengthening the security and resilience of supply chain transportation systems is provided by Zamparini ([18]) in "A Review of Models for Transport Security and of their Relevance for Supply Chains". The set of papers that emerged from the review process provide ideas, arguments, policy implications and hints for future directions of research on the vital topic of freight transport security and global supply chains. [Extracted from the article]

Short sea shipping is an important research topic and is of practical interest for the shipping and transport industries in many regions across the globe. However, it is important to consider that short sea shipping cannot operate in standalone mode as it requires other modes of transportation to cover the first and last mile. The benefits of this form of transportation have been significantly discussed in the literature, but there is still the need to involve the relevant stakeholders in this discussion, listening to their specific concerns when dealing with transport decisions and taking the opportunity to disseminate the advantages of short sea shipping, often combined with other transport modes, as has been carried out in paper [[2]] in this Special Issue. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractBuilding on the success of e-bikes, sales of e-cargo bikes are rapidly increasing in several countries. Cargo bikes fill an important gap in the urban transport market by combining the advantages of cycling with the greater transport capacity of a family car. Whereas most research on cargo bikes has focused on logistics, this paper addresses their use for personal transport. It is based on a large-scale survey in Switzerland among both proprietary cargo bike owners (CBO) and users of cargo bike sharing (CBS) (N = 955). A principal component analysis finds 3 families of motivations for using cargo bikes: transporting children, staying active, and reducing car use. Based on these 3 components, we use hierarchical clustering to identify 4 user segments: cargo transporters, enthusiasts, multimodals, and sustainable parents. Our results suggest that owned and shared cargo bikes are complementary and have the potential to attract new audiences to cycling and reduce car use. They could become a central component in a low-carbon/post-car urban mobility strategy. However, user experiences indicate that lacking safety, road infrastructure and parking provisions remain barriers to wider cargo bike use. We conclude by proposing a future research agenda for cargo bike research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented the benefits of a seaport in intermodal transport which is connected by railway with dry ports in the region of Western Balkans in order to increase its competitiveness. Port of Bar is considered as a case study. The aim of this paper was to confirm the hypothesis that a seaport connected to its hinterland by regular container trains has a competitive position, lower intermodal transport costs than a port connected to its hinterland by truck transport only. The special attention was given to the Serbian market, the main hinterland of Bar port. The comparative analysis of intermodal transport between the Port of Bar and the main economic centers in Serbia, confirmed the hypothesis. The use of rail transport for transport of containers is a prerequisite for increasing competitiveness of a seaport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The paper presents a simulation model for freight. In the paper, this model is applied to understand the impacts of electric vans and cargo bikes for the last-mile delivery of parcels. Cargo bikes are electrically assisted vehicles that distribute parcels from micro depots located close to the final customers by means of short tours. The parcels are sent from the major distribution center to micro depots in vans (called feeders). Materials and methods: An agent-based model is used for the purpose of the paper. The model is based on the disaggregation of commodity flows to represent trucks (for all commodities) and individual shipments (for parcel deliveries). The model represents microscopically every freight vehicle in the study area. Results: The simulation of various scenarios with different shares of cargo bikes and electric vans assesses the impacts of electrification and cargo bikes. The use of cargo bikes to deliver parcels allows to reduce the number of motorized vehicles, although the presence of large parcels requires that at least half of deliveries by vans are still required. The shift to cargo bikes represents a slight increase in the total operating time to deliver the parcel demand. With low shares of cargo bikes, the total distance traveled increases, since the reduction of van tours cannot compensate the additional feeder trips from distribution centers to micro depots. The cargo bikes also do not reduce the number of vehicles for the served area, but modify the composition of vehicle types. Low noise, smaller, low emission vehicles increase, while delivery vans are reduced. Conclusion: Both cargo bikes and electric vans are able to reduce CO2 emissions, even after accounting for the emissions related to electricity production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of five papers (three research papers and two review papers) in the field of environmental mitigation of maritime transport impacts are presented in this Special Issue. In conclusion, all the papers published in this Special Issue are of great interest for mitigating environmental emissions in maritime transport and port areas, making significant and innovative contributions to the current state of research. [Extracted from the article]

This article is about seeking a good feasible solution in a reasonable amount of computation time to the three-dimensional Multiple Bin Size Bin Packing Problem (MBSBPP). The MBSBPP studied considers additional constraints encountered in real world air transportation situations, such as cargo stability and the particular shape of containers. This MBSBPP has already been formulated as a Mixed Integer linear Programming problem, but as yet only poor results have been achieved for even fairly small problem sizes. The goal of the work this paper describes is to develop heuristics that are able to quickly provide good initial feasible solutions for the MBSBPP. Three methodologies are considered, which are based on the decomposition of the original problem into easier subproblems: the matheuristics Relax-and-Fix, Insert-and-Fix and Fractional Relax-and-Fix. They have been parametrised on real data sets and then compared to each other. In particular, two of these techniques show promising results in reasonable computational times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the floating production storage and offload system (FPSO) is one of the most common platform types for offshore oil production. The traditional arrangement of the stiffened panels creates obstacles for automated cleaning and inspections by remote devices. This paper summarizes the results of an initial study for the design and construction of FPSO hulls with SPS in order to overcome this problem. The main goal is to have the walls and bottom of the cargo tanks free of stiffeners. This research is conducted by first designing the hull with a conventional structural arrangement using steel according to the ABS rules as a benchmark. Following that, the equivalent hull structure with sandwich plates is designed in accordance with the guidelines for SPS construction from DNV rules. Finally, this paper provides the results of a finite element analysis to compare the stresses and ultimate strengths of both types of structures. Briefly, the main results are that the SPS design provides a reduction of 2.8% of the total weight and a better overall structural performance by an increase of 26% for the ultimate strength of the hull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Irish government has put forth sustainable transport policy measures, yet the emphasis is mainly on the active travel and sustainable mobility for passenger transport. Contrariwise, freight transport has not received equal consideration in policy measures, regulatory frameworks, and support schemes towards the low-carbon transition. This study seeks to address this imbalance. Methods: The paper proposes an adaptation of the ASI framework for freight transport and assesses the applicability of a number of international sustainable transport measures based on their potential sustainability impact if adopted in Ireland. The research applied a Policy Delphi Method to a heterogeneous expert panel. Results: The findings indicate that the current sustainable freight transport policy measures in Ireland are limited, and the paper suggests 38 measures for supply chains, maritime transport, rail transport and urban freight transport. The analysis further suggests that decarbonisation measures in Ireland should first formulate on the decarbonisation stages 'avoid' and 'shift', and then move to the 'improve' stage, thus leading to a greater impact on decarbonising the freight sector. Conclusions: An 'ASI for freight transport' framework is proposed as a taxonomy to systematically compare freight decarbonisation policy measures locally and internationally. This updated framework can serve as a new lens to prioritise sustainable freight policy measures. Recommendations are proposed for developing policy measures for sustainable freight transport in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Requests for emission reduction in the freight transport sector will be more intense in the coming years. One possible strategy to reduce emissions from freight transport is through utilising zero emission vehicles, which requires substantial investments both by transporters and by authorities. This paper examines how green public procurement (GPP) can be used to push the market in an environmentally sustainable direction. For this purpose, interviews with both public authorities and freight service providers are conducted. The results show that GPP is considered a useful tool for public authorities to both boost the uptake of zero emission vehicles and to share the investment costs with freight service providers. However, our study shows that there are differences between small and large municipalities. Moreover, to succeed with GPP, public authorities must prioritise such tasks in their daily routines through political decisions and strategies. Additionally, barriers related to financial possibilities are crucial to handle, as public support schemes are important to reduce costs for all involved stakeholders. Altogether, our paper shows that with the right tools and willingness among both public and private stakeholders, GPP can contribute to the use of more environmentally friendly solutions in the freight transport sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heavy-duty trucks account for 27% of the European greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. To decarbonize road freight transport, the European Union plans to build a fast charging network for trucks. This paper presents two scenarios, covering European highways with charging stations at regular intervals every 50 or 100 km along the most important highways. For each location, the required number of charging points at 15% battery electric trucking is calculated individually using queueing theory. A third scenario takes into account the infrastructure ramp-up in 2025 and assumes a share of 5% battery electric trucking in a network with a 100 km distance. We define a network of 660 (100 km distance) or 1468 stations (50 km distance). Depending on the scenario and the individual station, the projected number of charging points per station varies between 1 and 18 in 2030. The results give a first insight into what a fast charging infrastructure for trucks in Europe might look like. In particular, we show that large charging stations with more than ten charging points could be necessary in the next few years. This knowledge might help to design future charging infrastructure for electric road freight transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freight transport via ships is the cheapest and most effective way to transfer more than 80% of the global cargo volume. Seafarers have always been multinational, and accordingly, non-English-speaking crew members are becoming an increasing presence on board. Although marine engineers comprise half of the crews among all seafarers on board ships, Standard English guides, such as SMCP for navigation officers designed to reduce communication barriers, are unavailable for marine engineers. IMO conventions require marine engineers to possess adequate English skills. However, marine accidents due to inappropriate communication between crew members continue to occur. In this paper, 185 marine engineer cadets enrolled in two universities who had completed 12 months of training on a commercial ship or school training ship were surveyed in terms of the adequacy of English courses for marine engineers in class. This paper investigated whether the marine engineer English subjects are reviewed and analyzed and whether the English examination for the Certificate of Competence is suitable for the content taught in international maritime instruments and for the actual work of engineers. Finally, this paper aimed to establish a need to develop Standard English for engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The value of freight travel time savings (VFTTS) is a monetary value that is considered an important input into cost–benefit analysis and traffic forecasting. The VFTTS is defined as the marginal rate of substitution between travel time and cost and may therefore differ across firms, time and countries. The paper aims to explain variations in the VFTTS by using the meta-analysis method. The analysis covers 106 monetary valuations extracted from 56 studies conducted from 1988 to 2018 in countries across the globe. The meta-analysis method determines the factors that have an impact on these VFTTS variations. The paper briefly introduces the VFTTS concept and describes the adopted meta-analysis methodology, wherein different meta-models are used in VFTTS estimations. The results highlight the necessity of including multiple explanatory variables to ensure adequate explanation of the VFTTS variations. The findings also show that GDP per capita, transport mode and type of survey respondent are statistically significant variables. The paper sheds some light on the variations, thereby advancing the understanding of each factor's effects on the VFTTS. Furthermore, meta-model outcomes are used to generate new values of travel time savings for different transport modes in freight transport, for several countries. These implied VFTTS can be used as benchmarks to assess existing evidence or provide new evidence to countries where no such values exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: In our paper, we developed a new, geometrical structure-based approach and its graph theory-based geometric model with graph theory-based notation, which can be used in the future for city logistics system planning with cargo bikes. Nowadays, cargo bikes are seeing an ever-greater role in city logistics with an increasing number of deliveries, and it is essential to examine their future role in green and smart cities. In our work, we examine the application of cargo bikes in the city logistics system of the urban concentrated sets of delivery locations, focusing first on shopping malls, with the investigation of the geometrical structure of the logistics network. In the examined concept, the use of cargo bikes will be combined with electric trucks to make possible green deliveries of urban concentrated sets of delivery locations. In this paper, we present the experiences of the existing systems and the related research, the simulation model of the examined new concept with cargo bikes and its results, the graph theory-based geometric model of the examined city logistics system with graph theory-based notation, and the application of the new approach for Budapest. The main output of this research is the geometrical model of the urban concentrated sets of delivery locations and its application. Based on this geometrical model, it will be possible to decide about the suitability of the examined cargo bike-based city logistics concepts for given cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Programme CYCLAMEN was initiated to manage the risk of non-conventional terrorism in the United Kingdom following Al-Qaeda's attacks against the United States in 2001. Under Programme CYCLAMEN, the UK developed a border monitoring capability to detect and deter the illicit cross-border movement of radiological and nuclear materials by malicious non-state actors. This paper examines the development of border monitoring technologies before and after 9/11 with a focus on Programme CYCLAMEN using two models of state response to terrorism. Under the Control Model, state agencies seek to manage the risk associated with terrorism through disruption of terrorist activities. Under the Regulatory Model, actions are conceptualised as safeguarding public health and safety from various sources of risk including terrorism. The Regulatory Model is found to be dominant before 9/11 but the Control Model dominated thereafter and Programme CYCLAMEN is best understood as emanating from the Control Model. However, earlier action under the Regulatory Model shaped later consideration of this particular border-based protective security measure. This paper explores this shaping process and concludes that the Regulatory Model is under-considered as a model of state response to terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the environmental protection problem of carbon emissions in the field of freight transportation, this article proposes to promote the transfer of road freight transportation to railway transportation within a reasonable range by levying carbon emission taxes. To propose an applicable solution, this paper establishes a comprehensive carbon emission system model in the field of road transportation and railway transportation to simulate a closed-loop system as comprehensively as a real transportation system, determines the system elements according to the actual situation, reasonably develops the model hypothesis scheme, and draws out the causal network. On this basis, the system flow diagram and corresponding structural equations are constructed, and the model parameters are estimated. Finally, the paper uses actual data to verify and simulate the system model. A reasonable carbon levy interval has been obtained, and the carbon levy within this interval can promote the transfer of road freight transportation to railway transportation, so as to achieve the purpose of decreasing total carbon emissions of road–rail transportation systems in an orderly way. The innovation of this paper is to construct the carbon emissions of the road–rail system systematically for the first time, and to conduct research and exploration of carbon levies on this basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there is a large deviation between official road freight data and real road freight performance at a subnational level in China. In order to deal with this deviation, the new concept of local freight tonnage and ton-kilometers is presented in this paper based on the territoriality principle, where either the origin or the destination of goods transported is local. Also, the statistic procedures and estimation models of the local freight tonnage and ton-kilometers are proposed based on five accessible basic datasets. Finally, an empirical study in Sichuan province of China is conducted. The statistical results show that there is a large amount of local freight transported by local non-commercial trucks and non-local trucks, which is ignored in the existing road freight statistics. Especially, the higher the level of local economic development, the greater the deviation between the official road freight data and the real road freight performance at a subnational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The freight transport industry in Mexico has grown significantly since the establishment of trade agreements in North America, which has brought significant environmental consequences to the main transport corridors. This paper proposes a methodology for the estimation of emissions for freight vehicles on road transportation corridors. The variables included in this analysis allow adequate characterization of the conditions of the vehicle fleet, the geometry and the quality of the road, the environment, and the average annual daily traffic (AADT) of heavy vehicles. The results were structured to show two indicators, the amount of CO2 emissions per kilometer and the amount of emissions per tonne transported. These results will allow establishing a baseline of CO2 emissions through which we can implement actions in the road transport sector to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) to mitigate climate change and develop parameter values for use in Cost Benefit Analysis. The indicators can also be applied to geospatial modeling of emissions in road transport corridors and forecast its growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the conditions that must be met for modal shift (i.e., the transfer of freight transport from road to rail). In addition to describing the competitiveness conditions, the paper makes technical and organizational proposals for rail freight traffic management. One of the most important conditions is that rail-road intermodal freight transport must be competitive in time and price with unimodal road freight transport. The freight transport model presented in this article provides a solution to this problem and an approach to estimating the additional intermodal freight traffic. Another important criterion is the relatively dense network of road-rail links, known as intermodal transshipment points (ITPs) along main railway lines. The proposed model can be compared to the freight transport model described in the term Physical Internet, with the addition that the objective is to minimize road haulage when locating ITPs (or hubs). ITPs are rail-road terminals or, more precisely, transshipment points, which differ substantially from the commonly used continental terminals. The third condition to be met is a horizontal container handling procedure that can be applied efficiently (i.e., at low cost) under the railway catenary and is capable of handling intermodal units used in continental traffic and maritime freight. Finally, an example for the Visegrád countries is presented. The essence of the example is the potential additional freight traffic or modal shift that could be included in the proposed ITP network. We believe that a modal shift could occur for up to 50% of the indicated heavy goods vehicle (HGV) traffic if the offer is competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the length and hauled mass represents an effective method for boosting freight train transportation. However, several analyses showed that longer and heavier trains pose safety concerns mainly related to large buffer forces generated during emergency braking. The paper investigates the effect of payload sequence on these forces referring to freight trains for intermodal transportation. A simplified trainset model is developed to predict the maximum buffer forces during emergency braking, for a set of 500 trains generated with random payload distribution. An optimisation algorithm developed for combinatorial problems is then applied to change the payload sequence on each train so that buffer forces are minimised. Optimised train sequences are then inputted into a more accurate model for longitudinal trainset dynamics, showing that a proper wagon arrangement can decrease buffer forces by more than 40%. The analysis also provided general guidelines for optimising wagon sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shipping process should be carried out to minimize standing time, as it affects the total vehicle mileage. The efficiency of distributing cargo on routes in modern conditions could be achieved by transporting cargo taken from several manufacturers that have mutually comparable mileages. This paper analyzes common methods of cargo distribution by routes. It was established that the approximate methods that provide nearoptimal solutions to problems have become widespread. Therefore, there is no alternative to using accurate methods in the process of studying the routing problem. One such method is the branch-and-bond method. It should also be noted that it does not involve going to the same place multiple times, which takes place in a real transport scheme. Thus, the modification of accurate methods is a promising direction in solving the routing problem in the process of transporting the goods in small consignments. Consequently, this provides an opportunity to effectively use motor transport in the logistic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper elaborates on forecasts in the road traffic and freight flows in the urban–port transport system to quantify the effects of the freight traffic performance considering road capacity expansion in a port city in Poland. The urban–port transport system was broken down into a subsystem of roads that lead directly to the port transshipment areas and a subsystem of urban roads with mixed freight and passenger traffic. The research resulted in an elaborated long-term forecast of freight and traffic flows in the porttransshipmenturban road system. Also, the impact of capacity improvements in the local transport system on port-related freight traffic performance was quantified using an incremental calculus for transport performance for two options: with and without road capacity expansion. As investigated, an intervention will lead to a reduction in time of freight traffic trips, freight transports, and drivers working time as well as to decreased emissions of CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As trucks become heavy more frequently in current freight transportation, assessing the structural safety of bridges has become important. However, existing studies focus on the bridge performance subjected to bending or shear failure, neglecting the coupled mechanical behavior of bending–shear interaction. This paper proposes a numerical framework to evaluate the reliability of the existing concrete bridges under the passage of heavy trucks considering bending–shear interaction. First, the probabilistic coupled bending-shear resistances are developed using the modified compressive field theory. Then, a representative overloaded truck model, as well as random truck traffic, is constructed using measured weigh-in-motion data from Chinese freeways. Thereafter, a novel failure path approach based on the minimum distance increment between the total load effect route and resistance envelope curve is presented, which largely simplifies the analysis of bending–shear interaction to a one-dimensional decoupled issue. Finally, the reliability of the bridge is evaluated with respect to single (bending or shear) and coupled (bending–shear) failure modes. The results indicate that the coupled moment–shear failure is more severe than the single failure mode, implying the significance of considering the moment–shear interaction for the safety assessment of girder bridges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cornerstone of port production operations is ship handling, necessitating judicious allocation of diverse production resources to enhance the efficiency of loading and unloading operations. This paper introduces an optimisation method based on deep reinforcement learning to schedule berths and yards at a bulk cargo terminal. A Markov Decision Process model is formulated by analysing scheduling processes and unloading operations in bulk port imports business. The study presents an enhanced reinforcement learning algorithm called PS-D3QN (Prioritised Experience Replay and Softmax strategy-based Dueling Double Deep Q-Network), amalgamating the strengths of the Double DQN and Dueling DQN algorithms. The proposed solution is evaluated using actual port data and benchmarked against the other two algorithms mentioned in this paper. The numerical experiments and comparative analysis substantiate that the PS-D3QN algorithm significantly enhances the efficiency of berth and yard scheduling in bulk terminals, reduces the cost of port operation, and eliminates errors associated with manual scheduling. The algorithm presented in this paper can be tailored to address scheduling issues in the fields of production and manufacturing with suitable adjustments, including problems like the job shop scheduling problem and its extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

General cargo ships are the most numerous in the merchant fleet. In these vessels, the stowage and securing of non-standardized cargo must be designed prior to being shipped. Furthermore, during sea navigation, the shipmaster must be confident that the secured cargo is safe in any weather conditions. One of the goals of the present research is to provide helpful guides to ship operators about the optimal navigational parameters. Despite different criteria being followed by the shipping industry to calculate the rolling motion accelerations, relevant accidents and losses related to an inadequate securing arrangement still occur. Firstly, this paper analyzes and compares the IMO's and classification societies' criteria, obtaining relevant results about the different safety levels along the ship's dimensions. Secondly, it obtains a novel mathematical model of angular transverse acceleration, considering the sea state conditions and navigational parameters. For this reason, it investigates the combinations of optimization of these parameters. Finally, it proposes novel 3D surface graphs as being easy, useful, and quick to be interpreted by shipmasters when sailing in certain sea state conditions, to know if the limits of the maximum securing arrangement are exceeded and predict the ship's optimal speed and heading in order to set out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Movement between ship and shore at the English East India Company port of Madras (modern Chennai) was mediated by local boatmen in locally designed and built masula boats from the founding of the city in 1639 through the end of the nineteenth century. Without the masulas and boatmen, Company officials had no alternative methods for landing cargo and passengers and as a result were fully dependent on the continued cooperation of the boatmen. Aware of their linchpin role in the continued operation of Madras as a trade hub, the boat people alternatively supplied and withheld their exclusive knowledge and skill in the surf zone as a means of increasing personal profit and in attempts to improve working conditions. This paper argues that the boatmen's periodic withholding of expertise and technology allowed the community to assert group agency and limited company control over the system of ship to shore movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Computer Engineering & Applications is the property of Beijing Journal of Computer Engineering & Applications Journal Co Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The paper aims to investigate the joint management practices within green Information Technology (IT) and quality management, and to explore the implications of this amalgamation on the logistics performance of freight transport enterprises. Furthermore, the study examines the mediating influences of logistics customer service performance and environmental management on the relationship between the joint adoption of green IT practices, quality management, and the logistics performance of the companies. Design/methodology/approach: The research utilized a dataset comprising 278 enterprises operating in the Polish freight transport sector, conducted through a CATI survey employing a structured questionnaire. Initially, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the adequacy of the conceptual model, evaluating whether the constructs in the study adequately represented the observed data. Subsequently, a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was applied to investigate the hypothesized relationships among the constructs. Findings: This study investigates the impacts of combined management practices: the integration of green Information Technology practices and quality management practices, on the performance of logistics operations. Within the results of the research, two significant trends are identified: the mediating roles played by logistics customer service performance and environmental management. These factors are found to influence the relationship between the integrated adoption of green IT practices and quality management, and the overall performance of logistics operations within the enterprises. Originality/value: This research endeavour has undertaken a contribution to enhancing comprehension regarding the determinants that shape the decision-making process for integrating diverse management practices with technological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studies the joint decision of transportation mode and path in the multi-mode transportation network to provide the optimal plan for freights. This paper constructs a multi-mode transportation network system by setting virtual connections between networks with different transportation modes. The Dijkstra and multi-objective optimization algorithms are used to select the path in the network. After determining the optimal path, the paths' time, cost, and risk functions are established. The multi-objective function is converted into a single objective function by setting constraint conditions through the analytic hierarchy process. Then, the function is optimized by using the gradient descent method. Finally, the transportation plan for the case of chemical freights is formulated by using the above algorithms. The results show that the proposed algorithm can successfully find the solution for the joint decision of transportation mode and path in the complex network. After a quantitative analysis of the planned effect, the optimization actions of changing the initial transportation time and adjusting the upper limit of resources are proposed. The study findings provide a theoretical basis for improving the efficiency of the comprehensive transportation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road freight transport involves many adversities, along with the growing effect of carbon dioxide transmitted by vehicles on the natural environment, greenhouse gas emissions, or extensive energy use. Within the smart mobility concept, the acknowledged management of enterprises' relationships with customers within their service is profoundly determined by the deployment of compelling Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITSs) applications in forming united cooperation with the customers. The paper proposes selected ITS applications as an advancement of logistics customer service in road freight transport enterprises that is divided into a group of six applications which are critical within the area of vehicle support, improving the energy efficiency of transport and reducing the negative impact of transport on the natural environment, reducing transport time but increasing connectivity and comfort, as well as a group of ten different applications chosen as crucial for general management support and increasing accessibility, cohesiveness, and control in management processes in road freight transport enterprises. The study also presents the effect of ITS applications on logistics customer service as dependent on an alignment between the group of ITS applications and logistics resources of road freight transport enterprises. The model proposed in the paper was analyzed based on the survey data obtained from 164 road freight transport enterprises in Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime transport contributes significantly to environmental pollution. The Mediterranean Sea Area is particularly affected by marine emissions from particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. In addition to international and crossing traffic, the Mediterranean Sea is affected by the freight flows moved between its shores (in the North–South direction and vice versa), but also by transverse freight flows (East–West); these are freights transported through Short Sea Shipping. The Mediterranean Sea is the area where there is the highest concentration of short sea shipping in the EU-27. There are different types of Short Sea transport: container and bulk handling, general cargo ships and Ro-Ro transport. In such scenario, the analysis of trade flows as well as their spatial and geographical distribution, becomes fundamental. The paper proposes a gravity model for estimating trade flows, considering 18 countries boarding the Euro-Mediterranean Sea, in 2019. The proposed gravity model assumes that one of the main factors affecting trade is the economic dimension of a country which is directly related to the volume of imports and exports. In the paper, after a literature review on the gravity models, the illustration of the different phases investigation and construction of the database (specification, calibration and validation) to the definition and implementation of the proposed model is proposed. Scenario analyses are therefore proposed for assessing the environmental impacts generated by maritime transport in the Mediterranean basin as the freight flows vary. The analyses are carried out using a simulation approach which, starting from hypotheses on the economic and social development trends of the countries of the southern shore, made it possible to evaluate the variations in terms of freight flows and environmental impacts in terms of pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea freight is one of the most important ways for the transportation and distribution of coal and other bulk cargo. This paper proposes a method for optimizing the scheduling efficiency of the bulk cargo loading process based on deep reinforcement learning. The process includes a large number of states and possible choices that need to be taken into account, which are currently performed by skillful scheduling engineers on site. In terms of modeling, we extracted important information based on actual working data of the terminal to form the state space of the model. The yard information and the demand information of the ship are also considered. The scheduling output of each convey path from the yard to the cabin is the action of the agent. To avoid conflicts of occupying one machine at same time, certain restrictions are placed on whether the action can be executed. Based on Double DQN, an improved deep reinforcement learning method is proposed with a fully connected network structure and selected action sets according to the value of the network and the occupancy status of environment. To make the network converge more quickly, an improved new epsilon-greedy exploration strategy is also proposed, which uses different exploration rates for completely random selection and feasible random selection of actions. After training, an improved scheduling result is obtained when the tasks arrive randomly and the yard state is random. An important contribution of this paper is to integrate the useful features of the working time of the bulk cargo terminal into a state set, divide the scheduling process into discrete actions, and then reduce the scheduling problem into simple inputs and outputs. Another major contribution of this article is the design of a reinforcement learning algorithm for the bulk cargo terminal scheduling problem, and the training efficiency of the proposed algorithm is improved, which provides a practical example for solving bulk cargo terminal scheduling problems using reinforcement learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]