Conference Agenda

Inland waterways offer a good opportunity to expand the inland traffic routes. Current standards involve transferring goods from seaports to the hinterland by road or rail. However, road transhipment is especially unreliable and depends on traffic. In addition, there are high emissions. Another way for inland transhipment is by train, which is often less well connected than road traffic, leading to a combined use of train and road traffic, with each depending on the other. A third possibility here is the usage of inland waterways. These are currently used sparsely, but have high potential to reduce road traffic and lower emissions. Especially in the context of container transhipment. Unfortunately, there is a lack of decentralised, conveniently located, transhipment points, which could reduce the last mile of container transport by truck and thus create incentives for the increased use of waterways.

This paper proposes a conceptual planning approach for decentralised transhipment points by leveraging small, modular facilities built into existing infrastructure, such as bridges. The installation of these so-called “MicroPorts” aims to lower the threshold for accessing inland waterway transport. The proposed approach supports the early planning phase of MicroPorts. First, potential locations are evaluated using suitability criteria, including available space, access to existing infrastructure, and local demand for container handling. Second, the required services of the MicroPorts are defined. These are core functions, such as container handling and temporary storage, as well as potential additional services, such as long-term storage or container repair. Then, the technical concept defines a basic layout including areas for transhipment, container handling, storage, and other services. Furthermore, the technical concepts define the required equipment for container handling and storage, e.g., mobile handling systems such as reach stackers or fixed solutions such as gantry cranes. Last, a discrete-event simulation should assess how an additional transhipment option affects container transport costs and emissions, for instance, in cases where customers currently relying on truck transport may shift to inland waterway transport.

The planning approach is illustrated through an exemplary use case on an existing inland waterway route, where a potential MicroPort site is identified. At the selected example location, existing infrastructure can be repurposed, reducing the need for investment. The simulation results indicate that using a MicroPort can lead to lower transport costs and emissions than truck-based container transport. While the approach supports conceptual planning and evaluation of decentralised transhipment points, further steps are required before realising the concept, including detailed cost assessment, construction planning, and administrative approval processes.