Emergence and significance of dry ports - The case of the Port of Göteborg

Journal article, 2009

The dry port concept is based on a seaport directly connected by rail to inland intermodal terminals, where shippers can leave and/or collect standardized units as if directly at the seaport. The purpose of this paper is to present the dry port concept, to identify and categorize existing dry ports for the Port of Göteborg and to evaluate the concept from an environmental perspective. The conclusions indicate that implementation of a dry port in the seaport’s hinterland enables the seaport to increase its terminal capacity; the modal shift from road to rail results in a reduced congestion at the seaport gates and its surroundings and consequently in improved inland access, as well as in lower environmental effect. Only two of the surveyed intermodal terminals can be categorized as simple dry ports for the Port of Göteborg.