1. Topic 5 – Intermodal Transport Systems
A – Intermodalism
B – Containerization

2. A – Intermodalism
Read section 1

3. Intermodalism and Transmodalism
Origin
Destination
Road
Rail
Maritime
Transmodalism
Origin
Destination
Rail
Rail

4. Organization of Intermodal Transportation
Nature and quantity
Suitable for intermediate and finished goods in load units of less than 25 tons.
Transport modes
Sequence of modes; an intermodal transport chain. Dominant modes; trucking, rail, barges and maritime.
Origins and destinations
Distances above 500 km (longer than one day of trucking) usually require intermodal transportation.

5. Organization of Intermodal Transportation
Time and costs
Use each mode according to their respective time and cost advantages. Total transport costs are minimized.
Cargo value
Suitable for intermediate cargo values. Low and high value shipments are usually less suitable.
Frequency of shipments
Cargo flows need to be continuous and in similar quantities.

6. Multimodal and Intermodal Transportation
Multimodal Point-to-Point Network
Intermodal Integrated Network C C A A B B
Transshipment
Rail
Road D D
Transshipment F F E E

7. Distance, Modal Choice and Transport Costs
Road C3
Transport costs per unit
Rail
Maritime D1 D2
Distance

8. Freight Transport Costs per Ton-Mile (in 1995 dollars)
Source: Ronald Ballou (1998) “Business Logistics Management”, 4th Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

9. Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight in the United States, 1960-2010 (in miles)
Source: RITA/BTS. Table 1-38: Average Length of Haul, Domestic Freight and Passenger Modes.

10. Modal Split in the EU, United States and Japan, 2005 (in % of ton-km)
Source: BTS, EU & MLIT.
Eurostat, Panorama of Transport
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

11. Intermodal Transport Chain
Composition
‘Last mile’
Interchange
Transfer
‘First mile’
Decomposition
Local / Regional Distribution
National / International Distribution
Transport Terminal

12. The North American Landbridge

13. B – Containerization
Read section 2

14. The Benefits of Containerization
Lower freight rates
Lower insurance rates
Minimal load unit
Transport Costs
Lower storage costs
Lower packing and packaging costs
Faster inventory turnover
Inventory Costs
Time reliability
Higher frequency
Service Level

15. Carrying Capacity of Containers (in cubic feet)
Source: adapted from Robert C. Leachman (2005) Port and Modal Elasticity Study, Dept. of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, University of California at Berkeley.

16. Container Identification System
Owner Code (3 letters): TGH
Product Group Code (1 letter): U
Registration Number (6 digits):
Check Digit (1 digit): 0
Size & Type Code (4 digits/letters): 45G1
Operational Characteristics
Maximum weight: 30,480 kg
Container weight: 3,870 kg
Payload weight: 26,610 kg
Cubic capacity: 2,700 cubic feet

17. Intermodal Terminal Equipment
Straddle Carrier
Rubber-tired Gantry
Circulate over container piles. Can go over stacks up to 3 in height. 500 to 700 TEU per hectare.
High storage densities (1,000 TEU per hectare). Difficult to move from one stack to the other. High acquisition but low operating costs.
Front-end Loader
Rail-mounted Gantry
Use container top anchor points. Handle most containers. Can reach stacks up to 3 in height.
Highest storage density (widespan; +1,000 TEU per hectare); mostly used at port terminals. Lowest operating costs. Fixed to rail tracks.
Reach Stacker
Portainer
Flexible side loaders. Can reach stacks up to 3 full or 5 empty containers in height. 500 TEU per hectare.
Load and unload containerships.
Various sizes (Panamax and Super-Panamax).

18. Number of Units and Weight of Standard Consumption Goods that Can be Carried by a 20 Foot Container
Source: adapted from T. Toikka (2006) “The Real Price for Container Transportation between Asia and Europe”, Lappeenranta University of Technology,
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

19. World Container Traffic and Throughput, 1980-2011
Source: Drewry Shipping Consultants.

20. Containerized Cargo Flows along Major Trade Routes, 1995-2011 (in millions of TEUs)
Source: UNCTAD, Review of Maritime Transport, various years.

21. Advantages of Containerization
Read section 3
Factor
Advantage
Standard transport product
Can be manipulated anywhere in the world (ISO standard).
Specialized ships, trucks and wagons.
Flexibility of usage
Commodities (coal, wheat), manufactured goods, cars, frozen products.
Adapted containers for dry cargo, liquids (oil and chemical products) and refrigerated cargo.
Reuse of discarded containers.
Management
Unique identification number and a size type code.
Transport management not in terms of loads, but in terms of units.
Costs
Low transport costs; 20 times less than bulk transport.
Economies of scale.
Speed
Transshipment operations are minimal and rapid.
Port turnaround times reduced from 3 weeks to about 24 hours.
Containerships are faster than regular freighter ships.
Warehousing
Its own warehouse; Simpler and less expensive packaging.
Stacking capacity on ships, trains (doublestacking) and on the ground.
Security
Contents of the container is unknown to carriers.
Can only be opened at the origin, at customs and at the destination.
Reduced spoilage and losses (theft).

22. Challenges of Containerization
Factor
Challenge
Site constraints
Large consumption of terminal space (mostly for storage); move to urban periphery.
Draft issues with larger containerships (more than 13 meters).
Infrastructure costs
Container handling infrastructures and equipment (giant cranes, warehousing facilities, inland road, rail access), are important investments.
Stacking
Complexity of arrangement of containers, both on the ground and on modes (containerships and double-stack trains).
Restacking difficult to avoid.
Theft and losses
High value goods and a load unit that can opened or carried (on truck).
Vulnerability between terminal and final destination.
10,000 containers are lost at sea each year (fall overboard).
Empty movements
Many containers are moved empty (20% of all flows).
Either full or empty, a container takes the same amount of space.
Divergence between production and consumption; repositioning.
Illicit trade
Common instrument used in the illicit trade of drug and weapons, as well as for illegal immigration.
Worries about the usage of containers for terrorism.

23. Stacked 40-Foot Containers, Port of Yantian, China

24. Loading Coffee into Containers, Cartagena, Colombia
Source: Cartagena Port Authority.

25. 40-Foot Containers Doublestacked on a Rail Car
Source:

26. 40’ Reefer Container

27. 20-Foot Tank Containers
Photo: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, 2010

28. The Ultimate “Kegger”

29. Reuse of a Discarded Container (South Africa)

30. Containerized Housing Units, Le Havre, France