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Trans. Planning Journal
| Title | A Study on an Empty Container Dispatch Model for Merchant Ships in the Pearl River Delta Area – The Case Study on Merchant Ships of Specific Nationality |
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| Author | Shih-Liang Chao, Chi-Ki Tu |
| Summary | The Pearl River Delta (PRD) demonstrates one of the most prosperous trading activities in harbor economies in China. The unique transportation system of the Pearl River stimulates business around the world to establish inland production facilities in China, subsequently utilizing the cheap labor and land costs of China as a competitive advantage. Finished products can then be shipped worldwide via international harbors located in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Because of the prevalent trade and production activity, the massive requirement for transportation has led the PRD to become an essential stop for merchant ships worldwide. Furthermore, due to the diversity of transportation modes in the PRD, liner carriers must efficiently handle the complicated problem of container management. Thus, this study proposes a mathematical network model in provision of the empty container management problem in the PRD. Considering numerous factors such as heavy container dismantlement, empty container dispatch, and container rental, as well as the characteristics and limitations of the land and water transportation systems in the PRD, this mathematical network model can be used to effectively analyze problems. Subsequently, by using the merchant ships of specific nationalities as an example, this study analyzed the optimal dispatch strategies during peak and off-peak seasons, and further conducted sensitivity analysis of various locations during demand changes. |
| Vol. | 42 |
| No. | 2 |
| Page | 121 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Month | 6 |
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