The H2020 Novimar project introduces the innovative concept of vessel trains (VT) that resembles the concept of truck platooning and aims “to adjust the waterborne transportation such that it can make optimal use of the existing short-sea and inland waterways and vessels (…)’. The triple bottom line performance of the concept is assessed and compared to the performance of the current transport system. This paper focuses on the economic performance and sets the foundations for its measurement by 1) describing the current situation of inland navigation, shortsea shipping and sea-river transport; 2) analysing the railway and road operations as the main competitors so as to take lessons; 3) presenting a review of the data sources available with respect to cargo flows and collecting the current cargo flows that will be used to set up the Origin-Destination (OD) matrix of the Antwerp case, 4) determining the geographical scope of a second case study area; 5) conducting a literature review of supply chain performance indicators (PIs) and 6) identifying the key PIs. The results will be input to the Novimar transport system model based on which the new VT concept will be evaluated compared to the current transport system.@en

The H2020 Novimar project introduces the innovative concept of vessel trains (VT) that resembles the concept of truck platooning and aims “to adjust the waterborne transportation such that it can make optimal use of the existing short-sea and inland waterways and vessels (…)’. The triple bottom line performance of the concept is assessed and compared to the performance of the current transport system. This paper focuses on the economic performance and sets the foundations for its measurement by 1) describing the current situation of inland navigation, shortsea shipping and sea-river transport; 2) analysing the railway and road operations as the main competitors so as to take lessons; 3) presenting a review of the data sources available with respect to cargo flows and collecting the current cargo flows that will be used to set up the Origin-Destination (OD) matrix of the Antwerp case, 4) determining the geographical scope of a second case study area; 5) conducting a literature review of supply chain performance indicators (PIs) and 6) identifying the key PIs. The results will be input to the Novimar transport system model based on which the new VT concept will be evaluated compared to the current transport system.@en

The H2020 Novimar project introduces the innovative concept of vessel trains (VT) that resembles the concept of truck platooning and aims "to adjust the waterborne transportation such that it can make optimal use of the existing short-sea and inland waterways and vessels (…)'. The triple bottom line performance of the concept is assessed and compared to the performance of the current transport system. This paper focuses on the economic performance and sets the foundations for its measurement by 1) describing the current situation of inland navigation, shortsea shipping and sea-river transport; 2) analysing the railway and road operations as the main competitors so as to take lessons; 3) presenting a review of the data sources available with respect to cargo flows and collecting the current cargo flows that will be used to set up the Origin-Destination (OD) matrix of the Antwerp case, 4) determining the geographical scope of a second case study area; 5) conducting a literature review of supply chain performance indicators (PIs) and 6) identifying the key PIs. The results will be input to the Novimar transport system model based on which the new VT concept will be evaluated compared to the current transport system.@en

This paper analyzed the market developments and identified the current situation and challenges of container barge transport in deepsea and inland terminals. It was revealed that the major challenges of container IWT include; inefficient handling of barges, poor planning and coordination, lack of flexibility in container barge transport and low water levels. To solve these challenges, innovative solutions such as mobile terminals, vessel trains, cargo reconstruction, and smart navigation are proposed. The impact of these innovations is currently being examined by using the discrete event simulation (DES) model. @en

In intermodal transport, a freight forwarder usually serves multiple shippers with heterogeneous preferences, such as faster transport, more reliable transport, and cheaper transport. Ignoring shippers' preferences will negatively impact the satisfaction of shippers and lead to the loss of them in a longer run. Therefore, an optimization model considering shippers' heterogeneous preferences is proposed for improving the service level of freight forwarders.@en

In intermodal transport, a freight forwarder usually serves multiple shippers with heterogeneous preferences, such as faster transport, more reliable transport, and cheaper transport. Ignoring shippers' preferences will negatively impact the satisfaction of shippers and lead to the loss of them in a longer run. Therefore, an optimization model considering shippers' heterogeneous preferences is proposed for improving the service level of freight forwarders.@en

The overall objective of this research is to enhance the attractiveness of container inland waterway transport (IWT) and improve its competitiveness by increasing its modal share while reducing the negative societal and economic impact of container road transport. This will be achieved through the development of innovative logistics concepts such as cargo reconstruction, use of vessel trains and improved port operations with mobile terminals. At the current stage of the research, the first objective is to identify the actors involved in the system, preferences of these actors, important KPIs and the current practice for transport operations.@en