Role of a dry port stakeholder network in intermodal transportation

Doctoral thesis, 2023

The concept of a dry port, which emerged from intermodal transportation research approximately 20 years ago, has gained popularity due to its financial benefits and positive environmental impact. The core idea behind the dry port concept is the establishment of high-capacity intermodal transportation in the seaport’s hinterland. This means that dry ports contribute to modal shift, which is recognized as a crucial factor in achieving global goals for reducing carbon emissions, as specified in the Paris Agreement. However, despite their advantages, established dry ports face various challenges related to their location, cargo volume, capacity, service quality, cost and collaboration and communication, which hinder the facilitation of modal shift. Elaborating on the multi-stakeholder nature of the phenomenon, the aim is to investigate how the network can mitigate the challenges that impact stakeholders, the network and the broader domain of intermodal transportation. Throughout the thesis, the objectives, characteristics and activities are identified, described, and analysed in relation to the network value. Therefore, the purpose of the thesis is to advance knowledge about stakeholders’ objectives, characteristics and activities in order to contribute to the dry port stakeholder network value.

The thesis is built upon a systematic literature review and four case studies that are informed by empirical data collected through interviews and additional information from relevant documents, site visits and secondary data from previously published research papers. Understanding the objectives of stakeholders and the interplay between them, may assist stakeholders in reconciling competing interests and seeking win-win solutions. For example, knowledge of stakeholders’ objectives facilitates the establishment of effective contracts and steers effective governance arrangements. In turn, the characteristics of the stakeholder groups, in this thesis – dry port terminals – are interconnected with the stakeholders’ ability to achieve their own objectives. Finally, coopetitive activities, aligned with the stakeholders’ objectives within the investigated network, have the potential to contribute to mitigating the challenges of the network and, through it, contribute to facilitating intermodal transportation. Dry port terminals, for example, jointly participate in professional fairs to promote intermodal transportation. Coopetition between shippers and rail operators aims to improve container utilization and fill rates of rail shuttles in the dry port stakeholder network. To further steer the stakeholders’ ability to improve the network’s functioning, the establishment of an independent and neutral entity to facilitate stakeholder relationships in the dry port stakeholder network is seen as beneficial.