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Freight Distribution in Small Islands: Integration between Naval Services and Parcel Lockers

Author

Listed:
  • Massimo Di Gangi

    (Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contr. di Dio—Villaggio S. Agata, 98166 Messina, Italy)

  • Antonio Polimeni

    (Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contr. di Dio—Villaggio S. Agata, 98166 Messina, Italy)

  • Orlando Marco Belcore

    (Department of Engineering, University of Messina, Contr. di Dio—Villaggio S. Agata, 98166 Messina, Italy)

Abstract

Freight transportation in urban areas represents an essential activity from the standpoint of economic development; in recent years, the spread of e-commerce (also accelerated by COVID-19) has contributed to increasing the demand for freight distribution over short distances. In most cities, the approaches and measures are often based on new technologies. Nevertheless, today there are contexts wherein delivery operations represent critical tasks to be solved. Furthermore, low accessibility areas, such as small islands, present further problems due to their exclusive dependence on maritime links (and often low-reliability services). This paper tackles this topic, formulating and solving a distribution problem by linking shipping services with last-mile distribution operated by means of an automatic delivery service (parcel lockers). A test application is proposed by considering the small island of Lipari in the archipelago of the Aeolian islands (Sicily, Southern Italy). The results show that such a type of service could reduce the user’s waiting time when compared to traditional home deliveries.

Suggested Citation

  • Massimo Di Gangi & Antonio Polimeni & Orlando Marco Belcore, 2023. "Freight Distribution in Small Islands: Integration between Naval Services and Parcel Lockers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-15, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:9:p:7535-:d:1139309
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    3. Francesco Russo & Antonio Comi, 2023. "Urban Courier Delivery in a Smart City: The User Learning Process of Travel Costs Enhanced by Emerging Technologies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(23), pages 1-12, November.
    4. Rafael Villa & Marta Serrano & Tomás García & Gema González, 2023. "To Green or Not to Green: The E-Commerce-Delivery Question," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.

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