Wednesday, 12 May 2010 13:00

Article published in Container Management

TRI's Professor Alf Baird has published an article in the June 2010 edition of Container Management. As the article explains, the EU's Motorways of the Sea (MoS) initiative aims to achieve a modal shift from land to sea transport. However, as Professor Baird argues, the first step is to establish a clear definition of what constitutes maritime transport infrastructure – which implies a shift of emphasis from ports to shipping.

The full article, entitled "Redefining maritime transport infrastructure", can be downloaded by clicking here (pdf).

For further information about the article and its contents, and more about the Strategic Motorways of the Sea Project, contact either Alf Baird or see the StraMoS website: the TRI page and official StratMoS website.

Monday, 10 May 2010 11:42

Published: "Failed & Failing States"

TRI's Professor Margaret Grieco has edited a book with Muna Ndulo entitled "Failed and Failing States: the challenges to African reconstruction".

State collapse is one of the major threats to peace, stability, and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa today. In a collapsed state the regime finally wears out its ability to satisfy the demands of the various groups in society; it fails to govern or to keep the state together. The collapse is marked by the loss of control over political and economic space. A collapsed state can no longer perform its basic security and development functions and has no effective control over its territory and borders.

Efforts to avoid drawing other nations into a wider conflict created by the collapse of a state—and creating favorable conditions for reconciliation and reconstruction of a failed state after it has collapsed—present major challenges. In April, 2008 the Cornell Institute for African Development called a symposium on ‘Failed and Failing States in Africa: Lessons from Darfur and Beyond’ to address these critical issues. Key contributions to the symposium are brought together in this volume. Taken together these essays represent a significant discussion on the challenges presented by the presence of failing states within Africa.

The book can be purchased by following this link.

Friday, 07 May 2010 10:14

Call for Papers for a special issue of Maritime Economics & Logistics

DRYPORTS - edited by: Rickard Berqvist, Gordon Wilmsmeier & Kevin Cullinane

We invite submissions of papers on the topic of Dryports for publication in a Special Issue of Maritime Economics & Logistics (MEL) in 2011. We invite you to send your initial ideas to us (please e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). We will then exchange ideas with you with a view to a deadline for the submission of 200-word abstracts by June 30^th 2010. The draft papers are due September 30^th 2010 and the full reviewed papers should be ready for final submission to us by January 31^st 2011.

Key topic areas for papers are: inland terminals, dryports and their relation to ports and connecting infrastructure. Without wishing to limit the focus of submissions, we are particularly eager to receive unique and fresh research analysing:

• How the competitive structure between ports is affected by the development of dryport systems.
• Economic, social and environmental impacts of inland terminal and dryport developments?
• Policy and regulatory issues related to dryports.
• New developments in dryports or inland terminals and best practice from around the world.
• Strategies of shipping lines to reach out into port hinterlands.
• Strategies of rail operators for bundling small flows.
• What co-operation strategies are being adopted by industry.
• How are information flows being managed.

This call is linked directly to the International Conference on Intermodal Strategies for Integrating Ports and Hinterlands organised by the Transport Research Institute (TRI) and SEStran, to take place in Edinburgh, Scotland on the 21^st and 22^nd of October 2010. The overall aim of the conference is to share information that will help to promote the use of intermodal transport for freight movements.

Although attendance at the conference is not a requirement for submission to this Special Issue, it does provide a unique chance for academics and industry to come together and discuss the increasing role of hinterland access for port competitiveness and to analyse the present issues, recent trends, technological, operational and legislative developments, as well as the challenges to be faced in the future. In consequence, we will invite the authors of the best abstracts/draft papers to participate as a speaker at the conference.

As a speaker at the conference and contributor to the Special Issue we will cover your expenses to participate, if they are not covered from other sources.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Rickard Bergqvist, Gordon Wilmsmeier and Kevin Cullinane

Key dates:

• June 30^th 2010: Deadline for submission of abstract
• July 10^th 2010: Notification of abstract acceptance
• September 30^th 2010: Deadline for submission of draft paper
• October 21^st - October 22^nd: Presentation of papers at Conference
• October 31^st 2010: Refereed papers returned to authors for revision
• January 31^st 2011: Deadline for submission of final papers

Tuesday, 27 April 2010 12:03

Taxi Group Launches Research Network

TAXI RESEARCH NETWORK

The TRI Taxi Studies Group has today been involved in the launch of the Taxi Research Network. The TRI group, working as founder members of the network, are delighted to announce the launch of the network. Speaking on the launch of the network website, (www.taxiresearch.net), the head of the TRI taxi group commented on the positive benefits of "an international network of taxi researchers, professionals and regulators".

The network have set out details of the first Taxi Research Day, to be held on the 13th July in parallel to the World Congress of Transport Research, in Lisbon, Portugal. 

Full details of the Taxi Research Network are available on the network website: www.taxiresearch.net

 

For further information contact: 

Dr. James Cooper, 0131 208 1055, email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sunday, 21 February 2010 21:37

Intermodal Terminals Visit

TRI Research Visit to Scottish Intermodal Terminals in Central Belt

On Tuesday 16^th February 2010, members from Scottish Dryport Project partners TRI and SEStran undertook site visits to the Hillington terminal of John G Russell and the Coatbridge terminal operated by Freightliner UK. Also present during the visits was a delegate from the lead Dryport partner Västra Götaland Sweden, as well as visiting researchers from Norway, Libya and Taiwan.

The purpose of the visit was to inspect operations at the sites as well as hold detailed discussions on the current state of integration between inland terminals and sea ports, and to consider areas of potential development that can be explored under the auspices of the Dryport project. Some areas of potential as regards freight consolidation and information access were identified and will be considered in more detail at future meetings.

The Scottish Dryport partners will work closely with ports, inland terminals, rail operators and logistics service providers to bring to fruition a more integrated vision for intermodal freight in Scotland. The aim of the project is to develop a well-functioning Scottish Intermodal Gateway Network (SIGN) that will benefit Scotland by attracting more intermodal freight through increased efficiency across the network, and thus attract more maritime freight to Scottish ports connected to this network.

For further information please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Intermodal Terminal visits at Hillington and Coatbridge

 

Monday, 08 February 2010 23:07

NMU publishes sample e-learning tool

The TRI led Northern Maritime University Project (NMU) project has now made a sample e-learning tool available on the project website.

The tool allows to interactively check your knowledge on container vessels. It is one of many e-learning features currently being developed for the NMU Modules.

If you are interested in checking your knowledge visit the NMU website.

For further information about the NMU project please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .