Resilience Improvement and Risk Management of Multimodal Transport Logistics in the Post–COVID-19 Era: The Case of TIR-Based Sea–Road Multimodal Transport Logistics

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted international economics and trade, including cargo transportation. As a result, enhancing the resilience of transport and logistics in the post–COVID-19 era has become a general trend. Multimodal transport, with its advantages of speed, large volume and multiple modes, has increasingly gained attention from countries worldwide. However, multimodal transport logistics is a complex and systematic process. Its smooth flow depends not only on the transport itself, but also on the efficient supervision of customs and other government departments at ports. This study employs the theory and method of a super-network to establish a model of multimodal transport logistics, which includes TIR-based sea–road multimodal transport and customs supervision relationships. Structural and resilience-related characteristics of the super-network are analyzed, and performance parameters of the super-network are proposed. A simulation analysis is conducted, and based on the results, countermeasures to improve the resilience and promote risk management of multimodal transport logistics in the post–COVID-19 era are suggested. The findings of this study provide an exploration of more effective ways to ensure the smoothness of multimodal transport logistics and improve system resilience. The study concludes with theoretical and managerial implications.

Topology-based Resilience Assessment of Port Multimodal Transport Networks: A Case Study of Shanghai Port

“…In addition to the port's external maritime transport modes, Tsao et al [12] designed an intermodal seaport-deport network considering both railway and road transport modes and proved that the development of dry ports and intermodal transport can reduce the carbon cost of road transport. Liao et al [13] put forward proposals to improve the resilience of port intermodal transport networks and promote risk management countermeasure suggestions. In addition, from the perspective of the four phases of resilience, some scholars quantified the system performance in the pre-disaster (preparation) phase in terms of rapid response capability, which specifically refers to the system's speed of response and emergency response capability against disturbances [14].…”