Examining the Logistics Performance of a Decentralized Waterborne Container Transportation Service in the West German Canal Network with the Help of Discrete-Event Simulation

Abstract

In order to alleviate road traffic congestion, a logistics concept based on small inland vessels in the West German canal network has been developed for the distribution of containers. The service concept rests on multiple transshipment points throughout the considered geographic area as potential origins and destinations of transport legs. After safeguarding the technical feasibility, the resulting service concept needs to be examined in order to assess its economic viability. Only with promising outcomes resulting from this assessment can potential operators be convinced to transfer the concept into reality, set up the decentralized waterborne container transportation service, and deploy actual inland vessels to be operated in the German waterways. Discrete-event simulation has established itself as an important analysis method in logistics and is suitable for the examination of logistics systems at an operational and tactical level. In the present setting, various scenarios have been selected as the most promising ones and simulated with appropriate models. Eventually, DES will help to determine the routes to be operated, the ports and transshipment points to be included in the respective routes, the vessels to be used, including their type and number, the manning regulation of the inland vessels to be selected, and the transshipment concept to be pursued. Ultimately, the logistics simulation reveals which scenarios turn out to be the most and least promising ones and allows overall statements on the expectable profitability of the service. Furthermore, it helps to identify utilization peaks of the examined inland vessels and transshipment points.