Economic Calculation and Operations Research in Terms of LNG Carriage by Water Transport: A Case Study of the Port of Bratislava

Martin Jurkovič, Tomáš Kalina, Ondrej Stopka, Piotr Gorzelanczyk and Borna Abramović
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Martin Jurkovič: Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, University of Žilina, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
Tomáš Kalina: Faculty of Operation and Economics of Transport and Communications, University of Žilina, 010 26 Žilina, Slovakia
Ondrej Stopka: Faculty of Technology, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
Piotr Gorzelanczyk: Department of Transport, Stanislaw Staszic University of Applied Sciences in Piła, 64-920 Piła, Poland
Borna Abramović: Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-25

Abstract: The presented manuscript discusses a specific research study examining several variants of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriage from chosen seaports to the port of Bratislava using the Danube waterway, assessing them using chosen multi-criteria analysis techniques. Two ports in Turkey and one port in Georgia are deemed export terminals. A total of twelve variants are compared, whereby the comparison is carried out based on multiple evaluation criteria defined by a panel of experts who laid particular stress on their importance. An economic calculation is performed in the first phase to assess LNG carriage in all the variants. This represents the very foundation for the multi-criteria evaluation, which is conducted using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) and the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The evaluated variants differ not only in terms of export port location, but also in relation to transport technology. As for the second phase, four distinct technologies in three different scenarios are assessed—specifically, Small-Scale (SS) LNG-C tankers—while two modes of operation (i.e., time-charter, own tanker) and a river-sea LNG tanker with an LNG barge in two versions are considered. The first version considers the use of Marine Gasoil (MGO) fuel, while the second one considers LNG use. The results obtained provide interesting findings, wherein two out of three applied methods prefer the same transport option. Thus, it can be stated that our study presents a unique approach by comparing different scenarios of LNG distribution as a commodity inland along the river Danube, specifically to Central Europe, from a variety of standpoints. The manuscript evaluates carriage using traditional MGO fuels as well as alternative LNG fuels, and also brings a comparison from a technological point of view.

Keywords: liquefied natural gas; Danube; river–sea; water transport; multi-criteria decision making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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