Assessment of the feasibility of vessel trains in the ocean shipping sector
本文提出船舶列车这一新型海运模式，通过分析四种场景下的经济可行性，并以洋山港至比雷埃夫斯港的集装箱航线为例，比较其与传统航运的成本和排放，发现船舶列车能降低运输成本和燃料排放。
This paper introduces the concept of vessel train, a new mode in maritime transport offering both environmental and economic advantages. The study provides a framework for analyzing the economic feasibility of vessel train in ocean shipping, focusing on four different scenarios to evaluate its impact on navigation speed and productivity for both round-trip and year-long operations. Using the container ship route from Yangshan Port to the Port of Piraeus as a case study, the research compares vessel train with traditional shipping methods by categorizing shipping costs. It also includes a sensitivity analysis considering factors like route length, frictional resistance reduction, and variations in the container freight index, fuel prices, and carbon tax rates. The findings indicate that vessel train can reduce transportation costs and fuel emissions. The paper concludes that vessel train could significantly contribute to a competitive and sustainable future in shipping.