Detention decisions for empty containers in the hinterland transportation system. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yu, Mingzhu; Fransoo, Jan C.; Lee, Chung-Yee
• Is Part Of: Transportation research. Volume 110(2018)
• Page Start: 188
• Page End: 208
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: Empty container repositioning -- Detention -- Ocean carrier -- Hinterland container operator -- Hinterland container transportation; Transportation -- Research -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Mathematical models -- Periodicals
• DOI: 10.1016/j.trb.2018.02.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-2615

Abstract

Highlights: We study a hinterland empty container transportation system with a sea container terminal and an inland container terminal. We derive optimal decisions for the ocean carrier's free detention time and the hinterland consignee's empty container dispatching time. System coordination of the two stage game model is investigated. We find that the ocean carrier has incentive to integrate the hinterland transportation operation if the port is not very short of empty containers. Abstract: In this paper, we study a hinterland empty container transportation system which consists of a sea container terminal and an inland container terminal. There are a hinterland container operator who is in charge of the hinterland container transportation and an ocean carrier who has an empty container depot at the sea container terminal. We utilize a two-stage game model to describe the ocean carrier's decision about the container's free detention time and the hinterland container operator's decision about the time when should an arrived empty container at the inland terminal be dispatched to the sea terminal. Optimal delivery policy of the empty container and the ocean carrier's optimal free detention time are derived. It is shown that the decentralized system does not guarantee system coordination all the time. The ocean carrier has incentive to integrate the hinterland transportation operation only if the hinterland area is not very short of empty containers.