Ports in short sea shipping: a critical assessment of the European maritime transport policy

Programa de doctorado: Perspectivas Científicas sobre el turismo y la Dirección de Empresas Turísticas

Exact solutions to the short sea shipping distribution problem

Short sea shipping has several advantages over other means of transportation, recognized by EU members. The maritime transportation could be dealt like a combination of two well-known problems: the container stowage problem and routing planning problem. The integration of these two well-known problems results in a new problem CSSRP (Container stowage and ship routing problem) that is also an hard combinatorial optimization problem. The aim of this work is to solve the CSSRP using a mixed integer programming model. It is proved that regardless the complexity of this problem, optimal solutions could be achieved in a reduced computational time. For testing the mathematical model some problems based on real data were generated and a sensibility analysis was performed.

Optimization models for a short sea fuel oil distribution problem

O transporte marítimo e o principal meio de transporte de mercadorias em todo o mundo. Combustíveis e produtos petrolíferos representam grande parte das mercadorias transportadas por via marítima. Sendo Cabo Verde um arquipelago o transporte por mar desempenha um papel de grande relevância na economia do país. Consideramos o problema da distribuicao de combustíveis em Cabo Verde, onde uma companhia e responsavel por coordenar a distribuicao de produtos petrolíferos com a gestão dos respetivos níveis armazenados em cada porto, de modo a satisfazer a procura dos varios produtos. O objetivo consiste em determinar políticas de distribuicão de combustíveis que minimizam o custo total de distribuiçao (transporte e operacões) enquanto os n íveis de armazenamento sao mantidos nos n íveis desejados. Por conveniencia, de acordo com o planeamento temporal, o prob¬lema e divido em dois sub-problemas interligados. Um de curto prazo e outro de medio prazo. Para o problema de curto prazo sao discutidos modelos matemáticos de programacao inteira mista, que consideram simultaneamente uma medicao temporal cont ínua e uma discreta de modo a modelar multiplas janelas temporais e taxas de consumo que variam diariamente. Os modelos sao fortalecidos com a inclusão de desigualdades validas. O problema e então resolvido usando um "software" comercial. Para o problema de medio prazo sao inicialmente discutidos e comparados varios modelos de programacao inteira mista para um horizonte temporal curto assumindo agora uma taxa de consumo constante, e sao introduzidas novas desigualdades validas. Com base no modelo escolhido sao compara¬das estrategias heurísticas que combinam três heur ísticas bem conhecidas: "Rolling Horizon", "Feasibility Pump" e "Local Branching", de modo a gerar boas soluçoes admissíveis para planeamentos com horizontes temporais de varios meses. Finalmente, de modo a lidar com situaçoes imprevistas, mas impor¬tantes no transporte marítimo, como as mas condicões meteorológicas e congestionamento dos portos, apresentamos um modelo estocastico para um problema de curto prazo, onde os tempos de viagens e os tempos de espera nos portos sao aleatórios. O problema e formulado como um modelo em duas etapas, onde na primeira etapa sao tomadas as decisões relativas as rotas do navio e quantidades a carregar e descarregar e na segunda etapa (designada por sub-problema) sao consideradas as decisoes (com recurso) relativas ao escalonamento das operacões. O problema e resolvido por um metodo de decomposto que usa um algoritmo eficiente para separar as desigualdades violadas no sub-problema.

Short sea como alternativa ao transporte terrestre

O Short Sea Shipping (SSS) é um conceito de transporte marítimo de difícil definição. No entanto, considera-se neste trabalho, que corresponde ao movimento de carga e passageiros por mar entre portos situados geográficamente na Europa ou entre outros portos que não estejam situados na Europa, mas que partilham costa com mares que banham a Europa. Esta definição é sem dúvida aquela que melhor se adequa à inclusão do Short SSS como elo de uma cadeia multimodal de transporte de mercadorias no espaço Europeu, e como alternativa ao transporte de mercadorias apenas por estrada. Este trabalho aborda alguns conceitos importantes subjacentes ao transporte marítimo de forma a permitir uma contextualização que possibilite uma melhor compreensão da abordagem feita ao SSS. A sua promoção e implementação, como alternativa viável para o transporte de mercadorias dentro do espaço Europeu, são objetivos da política de transportes da União Europeia (UE). Este trabalho reflete sobre algumas das políticas estratégicas de promoção da UE para impulsionar o SSS como alternativa ao transporte rodoviário. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar se o SSS é uma alternativa ao transporte terrestre, no contexto de uma distribuição no Reino Unido de produtos de uma Industria localizada nos arredores da cidade do Porto. Neste trabalho analisou-se as vantagens e desvantagens do SSS, foi efetuada uma descrição do Porto de Leixões como porto escolhido para as expedições, assim como uma análise descritiva dos serviços de Short Sea disponiveis neste porto para as zonas de distribuição desta empresa. Foram descritos os fatores chave da mudança de transporte terrestre para SSS, efectuada uma caracterização da distribuição desta empresa e da solução que esta adotou para distribuir os seus produtos no Reino Unido. A anállise económica da operação, dos tempos de trânsito são dois temas fundamentais para a viabilidade da solução como alternativa ao transporte terrestre.

Caribbean short-sea transport: its role, challenges and opportunities: preliminary version

Includes bibliography

Strategies and procedures for the development of intermodal freight transport in Europe: the role of motorways of the sea services and railway terminals

Since the birth of the European Union on 1957, the development of a single market through the integration of national freight transport networks has been one of the most important points in the European Union agenda. Increasingly congested motorways, rising oil prices and concerns about environment and climate change require the optimization of transport systems and transport processes. The best solution should be the intermodal transport, in which the most efficient transport options are used for the different legs of transport. This thesis examines the problem of defining innovative strategies and procedures for the sustainable development of intermodal freight transport in Europe. In particular, the role of maritime transport and railway transport in the intermodal chain are examined in depth, as these modes are recognized to be environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Maritime transport is the only mode that has kept pace with the fast growth in road transport, but it is necessary to promote the full exploitation of it by involving short sea shipping as an integrated service in the intermodal door-to-door supply chain and by improving port accessibility. The role of Motorways of the Sea services as part of the Trans-European Transport Network is is taken into account: a picture of the European policy and a state of the art of the Italian Motorways of the Sea system are reported. Afterwards, the focus shifts from line to node problems: the role of intermodal railway terminals in the transport chain is discussed. In particular, the last mile process is taken into account, as it is crucial in order to exploit the full capacity of an intermodal terminal. The difference between the present last mile planning models of Bologna Interporto and Verona Quadrante Europa is described and discussed. Finally, a new approach to railway intermodal terminal planning and management is introduced, by describing the case of "Terminal Gate" at Verona Quadrante Europa. Some proposals to favour the integrate management of "Terminal Gate" and the allocation of its capacity are drawn up.

Maritime policy in Scotland.

This paper begins by defining the meaning of the term `maritime policy'. Since devolution in the UK, the opening of the new Scottish parliament in 1998 and the creation of the Scottish Executive, little effort has been made to establish a distinct maritime policy for Scotland. As was evident prior to devolution, the primary emphasis from any maritime policy perspective has continued to be a focus on lifeline island ferry services. This ignores significant developments in several other key maritime transport sectors, and this paper provides examples of areas that require some form of policy response, including intra-European short sea shipping, UK coastal shipping, urban/river transport and global container shipping. Long-standing institutional bias against maritime transport coupled with subsidy devoted almost entirely to land transport systems has resulted in a quite distorted marketplace. This suggests that a maritime policy is now imperative if maritime transport is to play a more significant role in the overall transport system. Further discussion centres on the need to consider, from a Scottish policy perspective, the role of various state-sponsored maritime service providers and how these bodies might fit better within evolving policy. The conclusion is that formulation of a maritime policy by the Scottish Executive is overdue and that a degree of restructuring of transport responsibilities within the Executive, combined with adequate resource allocation towards the maritime industry, will be necessary in order that market distortions can be overcome, so enabling Scotland to fully exploit the competitive and environmental advantages that maritime transport can provide.

Caracterização do transporte intermodal de cargas na zona norte de Portugal

Dissertação apresentada ao Instituto Politécnico do Porto para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Logística Orientado pela professora Doutora Maria Teresa Ribeiro Pereira Esta dissertação não inclui as críticas e sugestões feitas pelo Júri.

Bridging infrastructural gaps in Central America: prospects and potential for maritime transport

Includes bibliography

Maritime sector and ports in the Caribbean: the case of CARICOM countries

Includes bibliography

The Phase Space as a New Representation of the Dynamical Behaviour of Temperature and Enthalpy in a Reefer monitored with a Multidistributed Sensors Network

The study of temperature gradients in cold stores and containers is a critical issue in the food industry for the quality assurance of products during transport, as well as forminimizing losses. The objective of this work is to develop a new methodology of data analysis based on phase space graphs of temperature and enthalpy, collected by means of multidistributed, low cost and autonomous wireless sensors and loggers. A transoceanic refrigerated transport of lemons in a reefer container ship from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Cartagena (Spain) was monitored with a network of 39 semi-passive TurboTag RFID loggers and 13 i-button loggers. Transport included intermodal transit from transoceanic to short shipping vessels and a truck trip. Data analysis is carried out using qualitative phase diagrams computed on the basis of Takens?Ruelle reconstruction of attractors. Fruit stress is quantified in terms of the phase diagram area which characterizes the cyclic behaviour of temperature. Areas within the enthalpy phase diagram computed for the short sea shipping transport were 5 times higher than those computed for the long sea shipping, with coefficients of variation above 100% for both periods. This new methodology for data analysis highlights the significant heterogeneity of thermohygrometric conditions at different locations in the container.

How should the sustainability of the location of dry ports be measured? A proposed methodology using Bayesian networks and multi-criteria decision analysis

The global economic structure, with its decentralized production and the consequent increase in freight traffic all over the world, creates considerable problems and challenges for the freight transport sector. This situation has led shipping to become the most suitable and cheapest way to transport goods. Thus, ports are configured as nodes with critical importance in the logistics supply chain as a link between two transport systems, sea and land. Increase in activity at seaports is producing three undesirable effects: increasing road congestion, lack of open space in port installations and a significant environmental impact on seaports. These adverse effects can be mitigated by moving part of the activity inland. Implementation of dry ports is a possible solution and would also provide an opportunity to strengthen intermodal solutions as part of an integrated and more sustainable transport chain, acting as a link between road and railway networks. In this sense, implementation of dry ports allows the separation of the links of the transport chain, thus facilitating the shortest possible routes for the lowest capacity and most polluting means of transport. Thus, the decision of where to locate a dry port demands a thorough analysis of the whole logistics supply chain, with the objective of transferring the largest volume of goods possible from road to more energy efficient means of transport, like rail or short-sea shipping, that are less harmful to the environment. However, the decision of where to locate a dry port must also ensure the sustainability of the site. Thus, the main goal of this article is to research the variables influencing the sustainability of dry port location and how this sustainability can be evaluated. With this objective, in this paper we present a methodology for assessing the sustainability of locations by the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Bayesian Networks (BNs). MCDA is used as a way to establish a scoring, whilst BNs were chosen to eliminate arbitrariness in setting the weightings using a technique that allows us to prioritize each variable according to the relationships established in the set of variables. In order to determine the relationships between all the variables involved in the decision, giving us the importance of each factor and variable, we built a K2 BN algorithm. To obtain the scores of each variable, we used a complete cartography analysed by ArcGIS. Recognising that setting the most appropriate location to place a dry port is a geographical multidisciplinary problem, with significant economic, social and environmental implications, we consider 41 variables (grouped into 17 factors) which respond to this need. As a case of study, the sustainability of all of the 10 existing dry ports in Spain has been evaluated. In this set of logistics platforms, we found that the most important variables for achieving sustainability are those related to environmental protection, so the sustainability of the locations requires a great respect for the natural environment and the urban environment in which they are framed.

La Península Ibérica en el transporte masivo de mercancías entre Europa y África : futuras autopistas del mar

La competitividad del transporte de mercancías depende del estado y funcionamiento de las redes existentes y de sus infraestructuras, no del modo de transporte. En concreto, la rentabilidad o la reducción de los costes de producción del transporte marítimo se vería incrementado con el uso de buques de mayor capacidad y con el desarrollo de plataformas portuarias de distribución o puertos secos, ya que el 90% del comercio entre la Unión Europea y terceros países se realiza a través de sus puertos a un promedio de 3,2 billones de toneladas de mercancías manipuladas cada año y el 40% del tráfico intraeuropeo utiliza el transporte marítimo de corta distancia. A pesar de que los puertos europeos acogen anualmente a más de 400 millones de pasajeros, los grandes desarrollos se han producido en los puertos del norte de Europa (Róterdam, Amberes, Ámsterdam). Los países del Sur de Europa deben buscar nuevas fórmulas para ser más competitivos, ya sea mediante creación de nuevas infraestructuras o mediante refuerzo de las existentes, ofreciendo los costes de los puertos del Norte. El fomento del transporte marítimo y fluvial como alternativa al transporte por carretera, especialmente el transporte marítimo de corta distancia, ha sido impulsado por la Comisión Europea (CE) desde 2003 a través de programas de apoyo comunitario de aplicación directa a las Autopistas del Mar, a modo de ejemplo, cabría citar los programas Marco Polo I y II, los cuales contaron con una dotación presupuestaria total de 855 millones de euros para el período 2003 – 2013; en ese período de tiempo se establecieron objetivos de reducción de congestión vial y mejora del comportamiento medio ambiental del sistema de transporte de mercancías dentro de la comunidad y la potenciación de la intermodalidad. El concepto de Autopista del Mar surge en el Libro Blanco de Transportes de la Comisión Europea “La política europea de transportes de cara al 2010: La hora de la verdad” del 12 de diciembre de 2001, en el marco de una política europea para fomento y desarrollo de sistemas de transportes sostenibles. Las Autopistas del Mar consisten en rutas marítimas de corta distancia entre dos puntos, de menor distancia que por vía terrestre, en las que a través del transporte intermodal mejoran significativamente los tiempos y costes de la cadena logística, contribuyen a la reducción de accidentes, ruidos y emisiones de CO2 a la atmósfera, permite que los conductores pierdan horas de trabajo al volante y evita el deterioro de las infraestructuras terrestres, con el consiguiente ahorro en mantenimiento. La viabilidad de una Autopista del Mar depende tanto de factores de ubicación geográficos, como de características propias del puerto, pasando por los diferentes requerimientos del mercado en cada momento (energéticos, medio ambientales y tecnológicos). Existe un elemento nuevo creado por la Comisión Europea: la red transeuropea de transportes (RTE-T). En el caso de España, con sus dos accesos por los Pirineos (La Junquera e Irún) como únicos pasos terrestres de comunicación con el continente y con importantes limitaciones ferroviarias debido a los tres anchos de vía distintos, le resta competitividad frente al conjunto europeo; por el contrario, España es el país europeo con más kilómetros de costa (con más de 8.000 km) y con un emplazamiento geográfico estratégico, lo que le convierte en una plataforma logística para todo el sur de Europa, por lo que las Autopistas del Mar tendrán un papel importante y casi obligado para el desarrollo de los grandes corredores marítimos que promueve Europa. De hecho, Gijón y Vigo lo han hecho muy bien con sus respectivas líneas definidas como Autopistas del Mar y que conectan con el puerto francés de Nantes-Saint Nazaire, ya que desde ahí los camiones pueden coger rutas hacia el Norte. Paralelamente, la Unión Europea ha iniciado los pasos para el impulso de la primera Autopista del Mar que conectará España con el mercado de Reino Unido, concretamente los Puertos de Bilbao y Tilbury. Además, España e Italia sellaron un acuerdo internacional para desarrollar Autopistas del Mar entre ambos países, comprometiéndose a impulsar una docena de rutas entre puertos del litoral mediterráneo español y el italiano. Actualmente, están en funcionando los trayectos como Barcelona-Génova, Valencia-Civitavecchia y Alicante- Nápoles, notablemente más cortos por mar que por carretera. Bruselas identificó cuatro grandes corredores marítimos que podrían concentrar una alta densidad de tráfico de buques, y en dos de ellos España ya tenía desde un principio un papel crucial. La Comisión diseñó el 14 de abril de 2004, a través del proyecto West-Mos, una red de tráfico marítimo que tiene como vías fundamentales la denominada Autopista del Báltico (que enlaza Europa central y occidental con los países bálticos), la Autopista de Europa suroriental (que une el Adriático con el Jónico y el Mediterráneo más oriental) y también la Autopista de Europa occidental y la Autopista de Europa suroccidental (que enlazan España con Reino Unido y la Francia atlántica y con la Francia mediterránea e Italia, respectivamente). Para poder establecer Autopistas del Mar entre la Península Ibérica y el Norte de Europa primará especialmente la retirada de camiones en la frontera pirenaica, donde el tráfico pesado tiene actualmente una intensidad media diaria de 8.000 unidades, actuando sobre los puntos de mayor congestión, como por ejemplo los Alpes, los Pirineos, el Canal de la Mancha, las carreteras fronterizas de Francia y Euskadi, y proponiendo el traslado de las mercancías en barcos o en trenes. Por su parte, para contar con los subsidios y apoyos europeos las rutas seleccionadas como Autopistas del Mar deben mantener una serie de criterios de calidad relacionados con la frecuencia, coste “plataforma logística a plataforma logística”, simplicidad en procedimientos administrativos y participación de varios países, entre otros. Los estudios consideran inicialmente viables los tramos marítimos superiores a 450 millas, con un volumen de unas 15.000 plataformas al año y que dispongan de eficientes comunicaciones desde el puerto a las redes transeuropeas de autopistas y ferrocarril. Otro objetivo de las Autopistas del Mar es desarrollar las capacidades portuarias de forma que se puedan conectar mejor las regiones periféricas a escala del continente europeo. En lo que a Puertos se refiere, las terminales en los muelles deben contar con una línea de atraque de 250 m., un calado superior a 8 m., una rampa “ro-ro” de doble calzada, grúas portainer, y garantizar operatividad para un mínimo de dos frecuencias de carga semanales. El 28 de marzo de 2011 se publicó el segundo Libro Blanco sobre el futuro del transporte en Europa “Hoja de ruta hacia un espacio único europeo de transporte: por una política de transportes competitiva y sostenible”, donde se definió el marco general de las acciones a emprender en los próximos diez años en el ámbito de las infraestructuras de transporte, la legislación del mercado interior, la reducción de la dependencia del carbono, la tecnología para la gestión del tráfico y los vehículos limpios, así como la estandarización de los distintos mercados. Entre los principales desafíos se encuentran la eliminación de los cuellos de botella y obstáculos diversos de nuestra red europea de transporte, minimizar la dependencia del petróleo, reducir las emisiones de GEI en un 60% para 2050 con respecto a los niveles de 1990 y la inversión en nuevas tecnologías e infraestructuras que reduzcan estas emisiones de transporte en la UE. La conexión entre la UE y el norte de África provoca elevados niveles de congestión en los puntos más críticos del trayecto: frontera hispano-francesa, corredor del Mediterráneo y el paso del estrecho. A esto se le añade el hecho de que el sector del transporte por carretera está sujeto a una creciente competencia de mercado motivada por la eliminación de las barreras europeas, mayores exigencias de los cargadores, mayores restricciones a los conductores y aumento del precio del gasóleo. Por otro lado, el mercado potencial de pasajeros tiene una clara diferenciación en tipos de flujos: los flujos en el período extraordinario de la Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE), enfocado principalmente a marroquíes que vuelven a su país de vacaciones; y los flujos en el período ordinario, enfocado a la movilidad global de la población. Por tanto, lo que se pretende conseguir con este estudio es analizar la situación actual del tráfico de mercancías y pasajeros con origen o destino la península ibérica y sus causas, así como la investigación de las ventajas de la creación de una conexión marítima (Autopista del Mar) con el Norte de África, basándose en los condicionantes técnicos, administrativos, económicos, políticos, sociales y medio ambientales. The competitiveness of freight transport depends on the condition and operation of existing networks and infrastructure, not the mode of transport. In particular, profitability could be increased or production costs of maritime transport could be reduced by using vessels with greater capacity and developing port distribution platforms or dry ports, seeing as 90% of trade between the European Union and third countries happens through its ports. On average 3,2 billion tonnes of freight are handled annualy and 40% of intra-European traffic uses Short Sea Shipping. In spite of European ports annually hosting more than 400 million passengers, there have been major developments in the northern European ports (Rotterdam, Antwerp, Amsterdam). Southern European countries need to find new ways to be more competitive, either by building new infrastructure or by strengthening existing infrastructure, offering costs northern ports. The use of maritime and river transport as an alternative to road transport, especially Short Sea Shipping, has been driven by the European Commission (EC) from 2003 through community support programs for the Motorways of the Sea. These programs include, for example, the Marco Polo I and II programs, which had a total budget of 855 million euros for the period 2003-2013. During this time objectives were set for reducing road congestion, improving the environmental performance of the freight transport system within the community and enhancing intermodal transport. The “Motorway of the Sea” concept arises in the European Commission’s Transport White Paper "European transport policy for 2010: time to decide" on 12 December 2001, as part of a European policy for the development and promotion of sustainable transport systems. A Motorway of the Sea is defined as a short sea route between two points, covering less distance than by road, which provides a significant improvement in intermodal transport times and to the cost supply chain. It contributes to reducing accidents, noise and CO2 emissions, allows drivers to shorten their driving time and prevents the deterioration of land infrastructure thereby saving on maintenance costs. The viability of a Motorway of the Sea depends as much on geographical location factors as on characteristics of the port, taking into account the different market requirements at all times (energy, environmental and technological). There is a new element created by the European Commission: the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). In the case of Spain, with its two access points in the Pyrenees (La Junquera and Irun) as the only land crossings connected to the mainland and major railway limitations due to the three different gauges, it appears less competitive compared to Europe as a whole. However, Spain is the European country with the most kilometers of coastline (over 8,000 km) and a strategic geographical location, which makes it a logistics platform for the all of Southern Europe. This is why the Motorways of the Sea will have an important role, and an almost necessary one to develop major maritime corridors that Europe supports. In fact, Gijon and Vigo have done very well with their respective sea lanes defined as Motorways of the Sea and which connect with the French port of Nantes-Saint Nazaire, as from there trucks can use nort-heading routes. In parallel, the European Union has taken the first steps to boost the first Motorway of the Sea linking Spain to the UK market, specifically the ports of Bilbao and Tilbury. Furthermore, Spain and Italy sealed an international agreement to develop Motorways of the Sea between both countries, pledging to develop a dozen routes between ports on the Spanish and Italian Mediterranean coasts. Currently, there are sea lanes already in use such as Barcelona-Genova, Valencia-Civitavecchia and Alicante-Naples, these are significantly shorter routes by sea than by road. Brussels identified four major maritime corridors that could hold heavy concentrate shipping traffic, and Spain had a crucial role in two of these from the beginning. On 14 April 2004 the Commission planned through the West-Mos project, a network of maritime traffic which includes the essential sea passages the so-called Baltic Motorway (linking Central and Western Europe with the Baltic countries), the southeast Europe Motorway (linking the Adriatic to the Ionian and eastern Mediterranean Sea), the Western Europe Motorway and southwestern Europe Motorway (that links Spain with Britain and the Atlantic coast of France and with the French Mediterranean coast and Italy, respectively). In order to establish Motorways of the Sea between the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Europe especially, it is necessary to remove trucks from the Pyrenean border, where sees heavy traffic (on average 8000 trucks per day) and addressing the points of greatest congestion, such as the Alps, the Pyrenees, the English Channel, the border roads of France and Euskadi, and proposing the transfer of freight on ships or trains. For its part, in order to receive subsidies and support from the European Commission, the routes selected as Motorways of the Sea should maintain a series of quality criteria related to frequency, costs "from logistics platform to logistics platform," simplicity in administrative procedures and participation of several countries, among others. To begin with, studies consider viable a maritime stretch of at least 450 miles with a volume of about 15,000 platforms per year and that have efficient connections from port to trans-European motorways and rail networks. Another objective of the Motorways of the Sea is to develop port capacity so that they can better connect peripheral regions across the European continent. Referring ports, the terminals at the docks must have a berthing line of 250 m., a draft greater than 8 m, a dual carriageway "ro-ro" ramp, portainer cranes, and ensure operability for a minimum of two loads per week. On 28 March 2011 the second White Paper about the future of transport in Europe "Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system" was published. In this Paper the general framework of actions to be undertaken in the next ten years in the field of transport infrastructure was defined, including internal market legislation, reduction of carbon dependency, traffic management technology and clean vehicles, as well as the standardization of different markets. The main challenges are how to eliminate bottlenecks and various obstacles in our European transport network, minimize dependence on oil, reduce GHG emissions by 60% by 2050 compared to 1990 levels and encourage investment in new technologies and infrastructure that reduce EU transport emissions. The connection between the EU and North Africa causes high levels of congestion on the most critical points of the journey: the Spanish-French border, the Mediterranean corridor and Gibraltar Strait. In addition to this, the road transport sector is subject to increased market competition motivated by the elimination of European barriers, greater demands of shippers, greater restrictions on drivers and an increase in the price of diesel. On the other hand, the potential passenger market has a clear differentiation in type of flows: flows in the special period of the Crossing the Straits Operation (CSO), mainly focused on Moroccans who return home on vacation; and flows in the regular session, focused on the global mobile population. Therefore, what I want to achieve with this study is present an analysis of the current situation of freight and passengers to or from the Iberian Peninsula and their causes, as well as present research on the advantages of creating a maritime connection (Motorways of the Sea) with North Africa, based on the technical, administrative, economic, political, social and environmental conditions.

Metodología para la evaluación de la calidad de la localización de puertos secos

La estructura económica mundial, con centros de producción y consumo descentralizados y el consiguiente aumento en el tráfico de mercancías en todo el mundo, crea considerables problemas y desafíos para el sector del transporte de mercancías. Esta situación ha llevado al transporte marítimo a convertirse en el modo más económico y más adecuado para el transporte de mercancías a nivel global. De este modo, los puertos marítimos se configuran como nodos de importancia capital en la cadena de suministro al servir como enlace entre dos sistemas de transporte, el marítimo y el terrestre. El aumento de la actividad en los puertos marítimos produce tres efectos indeseables: el aumento de la congestión vial, la falta de espacio abierto en las instalaciones portuarias y un impacto ambiental significativo en los puertos marítimos. Los puertos secos nacen para favorecer la utilización de cada modo de transporte en los segmentos en que resultan más competitivos y para mitigar estos problemas moviendo parte de la actividad en el interior. Además, gracias a la implantación de puertos secos es posible discretizar cada uno de los eslabones de la cadena de transporte, permitiendo que los modos más contaminantes y con menor capacidad de transporte tengan itinerarios lo más cortos posible, o bien, sean utilizados únicamente para el transporte de mercancías de alto valor añadido. Así, los puertos secos se presentan como una oportunidad para fortalecer las soluciones intermodales como parte de una cadena integrada de transporte sostenible, potenciando el transporte de mercancías por ferrocarril. Sin embargo, su potencial no es aprovechado al no existir una metodología de planificación de la ubicación de uso sencillo y resultados claros para la toma de decisiones a partir de los criterios ingenieriles definidos por los técnicos. La decisión de dónde ubicar un puerto seco exige un análisis exhaustivo de toda la cadena logística, con el objetivo de transferir el mayor volumen de tráfico posible a los modos más eficientes desde el punto de vista energético, que son menos perjudiciales para el medio ambiente. Sin embargo, esta decisión también debe garantizar la sostenibilidad de la propia localización. Esta Tesis Doctoral, pretende sentar las bases teóricas para el desarrollo de una herramienta de Herramienta de Ayuda a la Toma de Decisiones que permita establecer la localización más adecuada para la construcción de puertos secos. Este primer paso es el desarrollo de una metodología de evaluación de la sostenibilidad y la calidad de las localizaciones de los puertos secos actuales mediante el uso de las siguientes técnicas: Metodología DELPHI, Redes Bayesianas, Análisis Multicriterio y Sistemas de Información Geográfica. Reconociendo que la determinación de la ubicación más adecuada para situar diversos tipos de instalaciones es un importante problema geográfico, con significativas repercusiones medioambientales, sociales, económicos, locacionales y de accesibilidad territorial, se considera un conjunto de 40 variables (agrupadas en 17 factores y estos, a su vez, en 4 criterios) que permiten evaluar la sostenibilidad de las localizaciones. El Análisis Multicriterio se utiliza como forma de establecer una puntuación a través de un algoritmo de scoring. Este algoritmo se alimenta a través de: 1) unas calificaciones para cada variable extraídas de información geográfica analizada con ArcGIS (Criteria Assessment Score); 2) los pesos de los factores obtenidos a través de un cuestionario DELPHI, una técnica caracterizada por su capacidad para alcanzar consensos en un grupo de expertos de muy diferentes especialidades: logística, sostenibilidad, impacto ambiental, planificación de transportes y geografía; y 3) los pesos de las variables, para lo que se emplean las Redes Bayesianas lo que supone una importante aportación metodológica al tratarse de una novedosa aplicación de esta técnica. Los pesos se obtienen aprovechando la capacidad de clasificación de las Redes Bayesianas, en concreto de una red diseñada con un algoritmo de tipo greedy denominado K2 que permite priorizar cada variable en función de las relaciones que se establecen en el conjunto de variables. La principal ventaja del empleo de esta técnica es la reducción de la arbitrariedad en la fijación de los pesos de la cual suelen adolecer las técnicas de Análisis Multicriterio. Como caso de estudio, se evalúa la sostenibilidad de los 10 puertos secos existentes en España. Los resultados del cuestionario DELPHI revelan una mayor importancia a la hora de buscar la localización de un Puerto Seco en los aspectos tenidos en cuenta en las teorías clásicas de localización industrial, principalmente económicos y de accesibilidad. Sin embargo, no deben perderse de vista el resto de factores, cuestión que se pone de manifiesto a través del cuestionario, dado que ninguno de los factores tiene un peso tan pequeño como para ser despreciado. Por el contrario, los resultados de la aplicación de Redes Bayesianas, muestran una mayor importancia de las variables medioambientales, por lo que la sostenibilidad de las localizaciones exige un gran respeto por el medio natural y el medio urbano en que se encuadra. Por último, la aplicación práctica refleja que la localización de los puertos secos existentes en España en la actualidad presenta una calidad modesta, que parece responder más a decisiones políticas que a criterios técnicos. Por ello, deben emprenderse políticas encaminadas a generar un modelo logístico colaborativo-competitivo en el que se evalúen los diferentes factores tenidos en cuenta en esta investigación. The global economic structure, with its decentralized production and the consequent increase in freight traffic all over the world, creates considerable problems and challenges for the freight transport sector. This situation has led shipping to become the most suitable and cheapest way to transport goods. Thus, ports are configured as nodes with critical importance in the logistics supply chain as a link between two transport systems, sea and land. Increase in activity at seaports is producing three undesirable effects: increasing road congestion, lack of open space in port installations and a significant environmental impact on seaports. These adverse effects can be mitigated by moving part of the activity inland. Implementation of dry ports is a possible solution and would also provide an opportunity to strengthen intermodal solutions as part of an integrated and more sustainable transport chain, acting as a link between road and railway networks. In this sense, implementation of dry ports allows the separation of the links of the transport chain, thus facilitating the shortest possible routes for the lowest capacity and most polluting means of transport. Thus, the decision of where to locate a dry port demands a thorough analysis of the whole logistics supply chain, with the objective of transferring the largest volume of goods possible from road to more energy efficient means of transport, like rail or short-sea shipping, that are less harmful to the environment. However, the decision of where to locate a dry port must also ensure the sustainability of the site. Thus, the main goal of this dissertation is to research the variables influencing the sustainability of dry port location and how this sustainability can be evaluated. With this objective, in this research we present a methodology for assessing the sustainability of locations by the use of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and Bayesian Networks (BNs). MCDA is used as a way to establish a scoring, whilst BNs were chosen to eliminate arbitrariness in setting the weightings using a technique that allows us to prioritize each variable according to the relationships established in the set of variables. In order to determine the relationships between all the variables involved in the decision, giving us the importance of each factor and variable, we built a K2 BN algorithm. To obtain the scores of each variable, we used a complete cartography analysed by ArcGIS. Recognising that setting the most appropriate location to place a dry port is a geographical multidisciplinary problem, with significant economic, social and environmental implications, we consider 41 variables (grouped into 17 factors) which respond to this need. As a case of study, the sustainability of all of the 10 existing dry ports in Spain has been evaluated. In this set of logistics platforms, we found that the most important variables for achieving sustainability are those related to environmental protection, so the sustainability of the locations requires a great respect for the natural environment and the urban environment in which they are framed.

Sweet Corn Cultivar Trial

The 2011 sweet corn cultivar trial evaluated 20 sugary enhanced (se) and synergistic (se/sh2) cultivars having bicolored kernels to identify good production and ear characteristics for local marketing or short-distance shipping.