The last chance of intermodal strategies for redistribution of vegetables from Southeast of Spain

Abstract

European Administration has spent years trying to shift traffic from the road to the sea, using intermodality in order to achieve a modal rebalancing. Meanwhile we keep waiting. This study analyses new approaches that strengthen the modal shift, rather than focusing simply on the reduction of externalities. A possible option is to redefine ports, conceptualising them as redistribution and coordination centers and not only as areas of cargo exchange. The present article analyses this problem by attempting to promote intermodality (truck and short sea shipping) for the transport of highly perishable products (vegetables) exported from southeast Spain, which is the leading supplier to Europe. It is analysed the location of coordination centers between customer-provider by applying a p-median multicriteria model, adapted to the transport of perishables. This scheme avoids bias in decision-making processes.