Container Transport Chain

Container transport involves door-to-door services encompassing ocean-going and land-based transport services. Containers move along a network of shipping nodes and links. The nodes are physical locations such as container terminals where containers are handled or stored, whereas the links between the nodes are served by transport modes such as ships, trucks, and trains. The container transport chain is characterized by interactions among a number of actors. To understand container transport, it is necessary to know who the actors are. In general, the key actors in the container transport chain include primary customers, transport facilitators, and transport operators. The primary customers in the container transport chain are buyers and sellers. Shippers may handle their export and import processes and transport activities themselves. Otherwise, they may outsource the jobs to intermediaries. An intermediary can be a transport facilitator as a third party in providing linkages between shippers and carriers. Transport operators include road operators, rail operators, inland waterway operators, and ocean container carriers. Each transport mode has its own characteristics. The decision on mode choice is complex. Transport cost is important for carrier selection. Other service factors to consider include transit time and reliability, inventory and stock-out, capability and accessibility, cargo characteristics, and security.