Measuring the Performance Impact of a Decentralized Waterborne Container Transportation Service on Inland Waterway Hubs in Western Germany

In view of eroding market shares of inland waterway transportation, innovative waterborne transport service concepts and new business models are needed. In order to safeguard the successful adoption of the new IWT services, it is of utmost importance to prove their economic viability and present the individual gain for all parties and stakeholders involved. One of the parties involved are the inland waterway hubs that connect the new services to the existing service landscape. By examining the effects of the service on hubs and proving its viability, an important hurdle is taken on the way to real-world application.With the help of discrete-event simulation, the performance of the envisioned decentralized waterborne container transportation service can be examined. Numerous scenarios have been developed and examined in order to develop an understanding of the service under miscellaneous conditions. The scenario results can be used for a closer look at the performance results of the IWT hubs and a comparison with one another. By ensuring a good economic performance of the IWT hubs involved, the realization of the service concepts appears more likely.