New comparative study on inland terminal development on the Rhine and Yangtze rivers

Theo Notteboom, Dong Yang and Hua Xu are the authors of a paper entitled "Container barge network development in inland rivers: A comparison between the Yangtze River and the Rhine River". This study has just been published in the academic journal Transportation Research part A. The formation of barge networks on rivers and associated inland port systems is subject to a complex set of influencing factors and mechanisms. This study aims to present a comprehensive comparative empirical analysis focusing on the container shipping (barge) network in the Yangtze and the Rhine. This analysis is supported by extensive datasets on both river basins, incorporates the latest development on both rivers and is grounded on concepts and methods coming from transport geography and economic geography. We find that a large diversity might exist in how inland port systems and related gateway seaports are dealing with cargo flows and supply chains. In view of explaining this diversity, we make a distinction between geographical/nautical aspects, macro-economic factors and institutional/governance factors. In particular, we discuss the role of institutional and governance factors in barge network development by using the concepts of selection, retention and variation.

The full paper is available on the Transportation Research Part A website: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1aFxw3Rd3uniGg. Anyone clicking on this link before February 07, 2020 will be taken directly to the final version of the article. No sign up, registration or fees are required.

Full reference: Notteboom, T., Yang, D., Xu, H., 2020, Container barge network development in inland rivers: A comparison between the Yangtze River and the Rhine River, Transportation Research part A: Policy and Practice, vol. 132, pp. 587-605, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2019.10.014

Theo Notteboom - 20 December 2019. Article brought to you by CEMIL (Centre for Eurasian Maritime & Inland Logistics) @ Shanghai Maritime University, China and PortEconomics.eu