Dwell times of containers to container terminals: The shipper's effect

The development of dwell times of imported containers to the hinterland at seaport container terminals is analyzed. A case is developed where containers are transported from a major seaport container terminal in the Netherlands to its nearby hinterland through a multimodal hinterland network controlled by an intermodal inland carrier. We analyze the physical and information flow process of imported containers and collect information and milestone timestamps for all imported containers in the specific region in 2011. A statistical analysis is performed to assess the main factors that affect dwell times at seaport terminals. The results show a large effect of shippers' choices, as reflected by modality, order placement, due date, etc, on the development of dwell times.