VIEWPOINT
Changes in the container shipping industry during the past two decades have prompted UNCTAD and MDSTransmodal to undertake a second revision of methodology to calculate the LSCI and PLSCI datasets. This revision will be applied on 15 March 2024 to the data release for the first quarter of 2024 (Q1/2024) and both data series since 2006.
MDS Transmodal (MDST) carried out a commercial vehicle traffic survey in November 2023 as part of a programme of work to develop a freight strategy for Chester city centre. It follows from the survey of businesses which investigated the perception of businesses regarding the delivery and collection of freight in the city centre, much of which has been pedestrianised with a time window for access by vehicles in the morning and evening. This commercial vehicle traffic survey of the morning peak for deliveries between 07.00 and 11.00 in the heritage city centre showed that 76% of vehicles were light goods vehicles, 18% were (generally small) HGVs, 6% were waste collection vehicles and 1% were bicycles being used for food deliveries. Just under 3% of all movements were by zero emission vehicles (including bicycles).
While there is an urgent need to provide additional parking facilities for both HGV and LGV drivers, new sites should be appropriately located so that they can best serve the operational requirements of the sector, but also conform with planning policy and minimise their environmental impacts. This has now been confirmed by a recent planning decision relating to a proposed lorry park in the Cotswolds.
SERVICES
Ferries
Independent and knowledgeable
Whether you are a ferry operator or ferry port or regulator/government organisation you can be assured of sound advice based on thorough analysis and a long track record in addressing a variety of issues relating to ferries.
We cover a range of services:
- Market studies for services and port infrastructure, with a focus on determining market size and competition analysis
- Feasibility studies for services, covering both revenue and costs
- Traffic and revenue forecasts for roll on-roll off terminals and related port infrastructure
- Economic impact analyses for roll on-roll off services and port/terminal infrastructure
- Commercial due diligence for roll on-roll off /ferry operators
- Analysis of roll on-roll off port hinterlands
- Grant applications for roll on-roll off and ferry services and related port infrastructure
Why MDST?
Uniquely among firms of transport economists, MDS Transmodal has made the effort to maintain a comprehensive set of databases of roll on-roll off routes and operators together with trade data and port statistics. Using these information sets, your particular route, or set of routes, of interest can be examined through bespoke modelling; where relevant, different growth and fiscal scenarios can be evaluated. In particular we maintain the Ferry Databank which contains the world’s roll on-roll off fleet with service deployment over a time series enabling analysis of trends.