Locating dry ports in the function of maritime logistics

Journal article, 2026

Maritime logistics remains the backbone of international trade; however, rising container volumes, terminal congestion and environmental pressures increasingly necessitate stronger hinterland integration. Dry ports; as strategically located inland intermodal terminals that relocate customs, storage and consolidation functions from seaports; offer a proven solution to extend seaport hinterlands, facilitate modal shifts to rail and inland waterways, and alleviate coastal bottlenecks. This study aims to evaluate and identify the most suitable dry port locations in Europe by integrating sustainability, connectivity, infrastructure readiness, institutional support and cargo attraction potential. To address this objective, a novel hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach is proposed, combining fuzzy Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis for stakeholder-based criteria weighting, a fuzzy Delphi method to consolidate expert judgments, and a fuzzy Axial Distance-based Aggregated Measurement model to rank alternatives. The model is applied to twelve candidate cities, with results identifying Duisburg as the top-ranked location, followed by Vienna and Belgrade. These findings suggest that both established multimodal hubs and strategically positioned emerging nodes justify investment. Overall, the findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid fuzzy MCDM approach for complex infrastructure location problems, contribute a comprehensive stakeholder-informed criteria framework, and provide a practical decision-support tool for policymakers, port authorities and investors seeking to align dry port development with Trans-European Transport Network priorities and decarbonization goals.