2019 MARITIME CONTAINER TRANSPORTATION: MERTZANIDIS THE CASE OF THESSALONIKI CONTAINER MANOLIS TERMINAL Aristotle University of Thessaloniki | MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management [2] Table of Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 The importance of maritime transportation ........................................................... 5 1.2 The role of transport in the Supply Chain ............................................................... 6 1.3 Problem Scope ....................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Literature Review ................................................................................................... 7 1.5 Objectives ............................................................................................................ 11 1.6 Overall Methodology ........................................................................................... 12 1.7 Types of Cargo Transported by Sea ...................................................................... 13 1.8 Maritime Transport Characteristics ...................................................................... 13 1.9 Harbor Challenges................................................................................................ 14 1.10 The Maritime Container Transportation ............................................................... 14 1.10.1 Definition ..................................................................................................... 15 1.10.2 History ......................................................................................................... 15 1.11 Container and Container Types ............................................................................ 18 2 Containerships ............................................................................................................ 30 2.1 Types of container ships....................................................................................... 30 2.2 Design advantages ............................................................................................... 31 2.3 Construction features .......................................................................................... 33 2.4 Evolution and Classes ........................................................................................... 37 3 Stowage/Securing/Lashing .......................................................................................... 39 3.1 The BAY-ROW-TIER System .................................................................................. 39 3.2 Container Securing-Container Securing Devices ................................................... 41 3.3 Container Lashing Methods ................................................................................. 46 3.4 DNV Securing and Lashing Regulations ................................................................. 51 4 Risks and Issues of Maritime Container Transportation................................................ 52 4.1 Transportation of hazardous containerized cargo ................................................ 55 5 Container terminals ..................................................................................................... 59 5.1 Container Mechanical Handling Machinery .......................................................... 62 5.2 Container Handling Systems, Strategies and Arrangements .................................. 65 6 Thessaloniki Port ......................................................................................................... 70 6.1 History ................................................................................................................. 72 6.2 General Information ............................................................................................ 74 6.2.1 Service Offering ............................................................................................ 78 [3] 6.3 Thessaloniki Container Terminal .......................................................................... 79 6.3.1 The project of the Full Informatics System for Container Handling ............... 80 6.3.2 Port Master Plan .......................................................................................... 81 6.3.3 The Expansion of the Container Terminal of Thessaloniki with Figures ......... 82 7 Competitiveness and SWOT Analysis of Thessaloniki-Durres-Burgas-Bar CT ................. 83 7.1 Competitiveness Analysis ..................................................................................... 84 7.1.1 Containerized Cargo Competitiveness Analysis ............................................. 84 7.2 SWOT Analysis ..................................................................................................... 85 7.2.1 SWOT Analysis Container Terminal of Thessaloniki ....................................... 85 7.2.2 SWOT Analysis of the Competitive Container Terminals ............................... 87 8 Tariffs and Traffic Comparison ..................................................................................... 96 8.1 Tariffs Comparison ............................................................................................... 96 8.1.1 Loading and discharge cost of a Full 20’ and 40’ Container ........................... 97 8.1.2 Yard Handling Cost of a Full 20’ and 40’ Container ........................................ 98 8.1.3 Storage Cost of a Full 20’ and 40’ Container, Estimated for a Period of 31 Days per Size and per Direction............................................................................................ 98 8.2 Graphical Representation and Comparison of the Container Traffic (TEU’s) per Terminal ........................................................................................................................ 100 8.2.1 A 2019-2021 Container Traffic Forecast (TEU’S) per Terminal ..................... 100 9 Conclusions and Future Research .............................................................................. 101 9.1 Future Research ................................................................................................. 103 9.2 References ......................................................................................................... 104 [4] Abstract Containerization has been a revolutionary step basically for maritime and land transport. Since the business world understood its advantages, the transport of containerized cargo through seas has been multiplied several times. The basic aim of this paper is to present the basic elements of the maritime container transport and focus to the broader central Balkan regional container terminals and their relation to the container terminal of Thessaloniki. Initially it is described the importance of transport and its role in the supply chain, the types of cargo transported on sea, the maritime transport characteristics and the challenges that face the harbors as part of global supply chains. Secondly, it is presented the historical background of the maritime transportation of containers and is given a closer focus on the evolution of the container vessels (design advantages, construction features and classification). Later on, are described some key procedures of onboard container handling such as stowing, securing and lashing and there are presented relative risks and issues as well as it is analyzed the issue of the maritime transportation of hazardous containerized cargo. Chapter 4, is focusing on the analysis of the container terminals and their operational role (handling strategies, methods and equipments), and chapter 5 presents Thessaloniki Port and more specifically the container terminal of Thessaloniki Port. There has been analyzed its current situation and its future expansion plan as well as its route to a full informatics handling system. At this point, there is a competitiveness analysis with its basic regional competitors (Durres, Bar and Burgas) container terminals. In chapter 6, initially, it is attempted a swot analysis of the four container terminals in order to identify the strengths, the weaknesses, the opportunities and the threats for each container terminal and secondly there is a quantitative approach to the tariff and traffic comparison of each terminal in order to determine the fluctuations of the pricing for some vital container terminal operations as well as the volumes of TEU’s that each container handles. The last parts of the 6th chapter consists of: a forecast attempt regarding the traffic of TEU’s for each terminal for the following three years (2019-2020-2021) using the Excel program and of a graphical comparison of the main logistics performance indexes for the states that compete in the broader region of the southern Balkans. Key Words: Containerization, container terminal, containership, TEU, stowage, securing, lashing, container traffic, container capacity, logistics performance indexes, Thessaloniki Container Terminal 1 Introduction 1.1 The importance of maritime transportation Today the maritime transport is maintains the main role in a global scale, and on this sector is based the international trade. Maritime transport is an effective, cheap and safe solution to transfer bulk, liquefied, gas or containerized cargo and is the main activity that protects the operational function and facilitates the development of the global economy. The development of