A direct container service between the port of Rotterdam and the US Great Lakes is a business opportunity! 

This is the main conclusion of an in-dept research project by two master students of the UPT Master during a three months stay in Chicago and Cleveland. 

In order to research the possibility of container services in the Great Lakes the authors, two students of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, have studied the topic on site in the fall of 2011, supported by the Consulate of the Netherlands in Chicago and John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH. The research project conducted consists of 2 parts: one primarily dealing with barriers such as pilotage requirements, cabotage regulation and the seasonality aspect of the Great Lakes-St.Lawrence Seaway system by Mr. Sjoerd Haazen, while the other part by Mr. Henri Verboon focuses on the economical side of container transportation into the Great Lakes by analyzing the competitiveness of a direct, regular-scheduled container service between Rotterdam and the Great Lakes. With respect to the first part the analysis encompasses policy analysis and the input from expert interviews to provide insights into the major obstacles to development towards a thriving system. Against the background of recent global economic developments, an overview of the opportunities that thorough use of the maritime alternative would bring is provided as is an identification of the major improvement opportunities for the GLSLS system. As far as the latter part is concerned the analysis focuses on both door-to-door transportation rates and transit times, with inclusion of the impact of several scenarios such as a lower yet feasible Harbor Maintenance Tax rate and higher transportation rates reflecting developments in the sector. These developments encompass emerging issues with potential congestion in the railway sector due to the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014 and a forecasted truck driver shortage.

For the thesis of Sjoerd Hazen press <link fileadmin centre_content smart_port thesis_sjoerd_haazen_349884_final.pdf _blank>here.

For the thesis of Henri Verboon press <link fileadmin centre_content smart_port scriptie_henri_verboon__312808__pdf.pdf _blank>here.