Literature review and comparative analysis of inland waterways transport: “Container on Barge”

Abstract

Container on Barge (COB) facilitates intermodal transportation by transporting shipping containers on barge tows. COB has seen rapid expansion globally over the past 20 years, providing a cost-efficient, environmentally friendly, and congestion-reducing mode of container transportation. European countries have led COB transportation in both study and application over the past two decades. However, increasing interest is observed in both the USA and Asia. In this literature review and comparative analysis, 135 COB-focused peer-reviewed articles are reviewed and analyzed to systematically describe the development and current status of COB transportation research. The relevant literature is analyzed to reveal publication rates and titles, geographical regions of interest, research questions, applied methodologies, advantages of COB transportation, and key success factors. The aim of our effort is to provide information on various aspects of COB development among different regions in the world and to summarize the existing literature to support and guide future COB development.

Sustainable development of inland waterways transport: a review

“…For sustainable development of IWT, the assessment of ports infrastructure and equipment to support IWT operations is a priority; this can lead to the construction of intermodal terminals to improve logistics performance or the expansion of main ports in some strategic geographical location, to improve the capacity of cargo collection, distribution, and performance in general (Bu and Nachtmann 2021;Rožić et al 2016;Vilarinho et al 2019). Finally, from a human resources perspective, currently, the is a staff shortage in ports and the requirement for a skilled labour force to support IWT operations (Koralova 2017;Pfoser et al 2018;Vilarinho et al 2019).…”

“…In other cases, local governments are responsible for those activities on behalf of the central government (Jiang et al 2018). Regardless of the governance models, several regulations and long-term master plans are required to support IWT's sustainable development; moreover, the participation of public and private sectors is indispensable to stimulate a modal shift from road and rail to IWT (Bu and Nachtmann 2021;Chen et al 2016;Havinga 2020;Malkus et al 2020;Nguyen and Nguyen 2020;Roso et al 2020). Other necessary environmental regulations that include integrated ecological strategies, such as emission reduction and implementing subsidies related to environmental sustainability, are a priority (Barros Cavalcante et al 2020;Mihic et al 2011;Vilarinho et al 2019).…”

“…For this reason, the design of dynamic River management On the other hand, infrastructure is essential for developing any means of transport. For IWT is critical the improvement of navigable waterways with sufficient depth, traffic channels, signal buoys, bridges, locks, bridges and well-connected ports (Bu and Nachtmann 2021;Chen et al 2016;Nguyen and Nguyen 2020). Moreover, implementing optimal maintenance programs that possess integrated solutions and creating long-term master plans to ensure navigation and other functions of the systems, such as fresh water supply, flood protection, and agriculture, among others (Havinga 2020;Havinga et al 2006).…”

Evaluating the Market Accessibility of Inland Waterway Ports Using the State of Mississippi as a Case Study

“…Others have studied the operation and performance of the inland waterway ports. A detailed literature review of inland waterway transportation can be found in Bu and Nachtmann ( 9 ), Restrepo-Arias et al ( 19 ), Li et al (20), and Witte et al ( 21 ). With regard to research on inland waterway ports specifically, three distinct periods have been identified in Witte et al ( 21 ).…”

“…Inland waterway ports must be utilized with other freight systems to maximize the ports' competitiveness in inland waterborne freight. Inland ports relieve the pressure on coastal ports by managing the distribution workload and alleviating port congestion (9)(10)(11)(12). Moreover, inland ports provide immediate benefits to rural areas by making them attractive to new industries, which creates new employment opportunities for the residents and recreational facilities for the local community (13).…”