What is international containerized intermodal transport

Ans:

International container transport is an advanced modern mode of transportation. Compared with the traditional bulk transportation of general cargo, it has the characteristics of high transportation efficiency, good economic efficiency and excellent service quality. Because of this, container transportation in the world has been rapid development, has become the world's countries to ensure that international trade in the optimal mode of transportation. Especially after decades of development, with the container transportation hardware and software sets of technology has reached maturity, to the 80's container transportation has entered the international multimodal transport era.

International multimodal transport is a use of containers for intermodal transport of new modes of transport organization. It is through the use of sea, land, air and other more than two means of transportation, to complete the international coherent cargo transportation, thus breaking the past sea, rail, public, air and other single mode of transportation is not coherent with each other's traditional practices. Today, to provide high-quality international multimodal transport services has become an important means of enhancing the competitiveness of container transport operators.

First, the definition and characteristics of international multimodal transport

International multimodal transport (MultimodaI Transport) is a form of intermodal transport organization to achieve the optimal benefit of the overall transport of goods as the goal. It is usually a container as a transport unit, the different modes of transportation organically combined together, constituting a continuous, comprehensive integrated cargo transportation. Through a consignment, a billing, a document, an insurance, by the transportation section of the carrier *** with the completion of the full transport of goods, the full transport of goods as a complete single transportation process to arrange. However, it is very different from the traditional single mode of transportation. According to the 1980 United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods ("Multimodal Transport Convention") and the definition of the International Container Multimodal Transportation Management Rules promulgated by the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Railways of China in 1997, international multimodal transportation refers to the transportation of goods by at least two different modes of transport, in accordance with multimodal transportation contracts. international multimodal transportation means "the transportation of goods by at least two different modes of transportation by a multimodal operator from the place where the goods are taken over in the territory of one country to a designated place for delivery in the territory of another country". According to this definition, combined with the actual international practice, it can be concluded that constitute international multimodal transportation must have the following characteristics or basic conditions:

(1) There must be a multimodal transportation contract. The contract of carriage is multimodal transport operators and shippers between the rights, obligations, liabilities and exemptions from the contractual relationship and the determination of the nature of transportation, but also the difference between multimodal transport and general mode of transport of goods is the main basis.

(2) must use a full multimodal transportation document. The document should meet the needs of different modes of transportation, and according to a single freight rate for the whole freight.

(3) It must be a continuous transportation of at least two different modes of transportation.

(4) must be international transportation of goods. This is not only different from the domestic carriage of goods, but mainly involves the application of international transportation regulations.

(5) A multimodal operator must be responsible for the entire carriage of goods. The multimodal transport operator is not only the conclusion of the multimodal transportation contract, but also multimodal transport document issuer. Of course, in the multimodal transport operator to perform the multimodal contract of carriage of the responsibility at the same time, all or part of the transportation can be entrusted to others (sub-carrier) to complete, and enter into a contract of sub-transportation. However, no contractual relationship exists between the carrier of the sub-transportation contract and the shipper.

It can be seen that the main features of international multimodal transport, multimodal transport operators to the shipper to sign a contract of carriage unified organization of the whole transport, the implementation of the transport of the whole of a consignment, a single in the end, a charge, a unified claims and responsible for the whole process. It is a convenient shippers and owners of goods for the purpose of advanced forms of organization of freight transport.

Second, the superiority of international multimodal transport

International multimodal transport is a higher form of transport organization than the section of the transport, the 20th century, the 1960s did not the United States first test run multimodal transport business, by the owners of the welcome. Subsequently, international multimodal transportation in North America, Europe and the Far East began to use; in the 1980s, international multimodal transportation has been gradually implemented in developing countries. At present, the international multimodal transport has become a new type of important international container transportation mode, by the international shipping community's general attention. 1980 May in Geneva, the United Nations International Multimodal Transport Convention Conference held in the United Nations International Multimodal Transport Convention produced the United Nations International Multimodal Transport Convention. The Convention will enter into force one year after its ratification and accession by 30 countries. Its entry into force will have a positive impact on the future development of international multimodal transportation.

International multimodal transport is the future direction of international transportation development, this is because, to carry out international container multimodal transport has many advantages, mainly in the following aspects:

(1) simplify the consignment, settlement and claims procedures, saving manpower, material resources and related costs: in the international multimodal mode of transport), regardless of the distance of the goods transported by a number of modes of transport * * * with the completion, and regardless of the transport mode of transport * * * with the completion, and the transport mode of transport. * with the completion of the same, and regardless of how many times the goods in transit through the conversion, all transport matters are handled by the multimodal transport operator is responsible for. And shippers only need to handle a consignment, enter into a contract of carriage, a payment, an insurance, thus eliminating the shipper for the consignment procedures of the many inconveniences. At the same time, as a result of multimodal transport using a freight transport documents, unified billing, and thus can also simplify the billing and settlement procedures, saving manpower and material resources, in addition, once the transport process of goods loss of goods, by the multimodal transport operator is responsible for the entire transport, and thus can simplify the claims procedures, reduce the cost of claims.

(2) shorten the transportation time of goods, reduce inventory, reduce cargo damage and cargo accidents, and improve the quality of freight transport: in the international multimodal mode of transport, the various transport links and a variety of means of transport with close cooperation between the compact, where the goods transit quickly and timely, greatly reducing the goods on the way to the stopping time, which fundamentally ensures that the goods are safe, rapid, accurate and timely arrival at the destination, and therefore also correspondingly reduce the cost of transporting the goods. Thus, it can fundamentally ensure the safe, rapid, accurate and timely delivery of goods to their destinations, and thus also correspondingly reduce the inventory of goods and inventory costs. At the same time, the multimodal transport system through the container as a transport unit for direct transportation, although the freight on the way to be converted many times, but due to the use of professional machinery loading and unloading, and does not involve the bad goods, so the cargo damage cargo accident is greatly reduced, thus to a large extent to improve the quality of transportation of goods.

(3) to reduce transportation costs, saving a variety of expenditures: due to multimodal transport can be implemented door-to-door transportation, so the owner of the goods, in the goods handed over to the first carrier can be obtained after the freight documents, and based on the settlement of foreign exchange, thus advancing the time of the settlement of foreign exchange. This is not only to accelerate the turnover of funds occupied by the goods, and can reduce interest expenses. In addition, because the goods are in the container for the loss, so from a certain point of view, accordingly save the goods of packaging, handling and insurance and other costs of expenditure.

(4) Improve the level of transport management, realize the rationalization of transport: for the section of the transport, due to the various modes of transport operators for their own government, self-contained system, and therefore the scope of their business operations are restricted, the amount of freight is correspondingly limited. And once by different transport operators *** with the participation of multimodal transport, the scope of the operation can be greatly expanded, and at the same time can maximize the role of its existing equipment, choose the best transport routes to organize the rationalization of transport.

(5) Other roles: from the perspective of ***, the development of international multimodal transport has the following important significance: help to strengthen the *** department of the whole chain of goods transport supervision and management; to ensure that the country in the whole process of goods transport to obtain a larger proportion of freight revenue allocation; to help the introduction of new and advanced transport technology; reduce foreign exchange expenditures; to improve the use of national infrastructure; through the *** department of the whole chain of goods transport. The state's macro-control and guidance functions to ensure the use of the least environmentally damaging mode of transportation to achieve the purpose of protecting the country's ecological environment.

Third, the international multimodal transport organization

International multimodal transport is the use of two or more different modes of transport for intermodal transport organization. Here refers to at least two modes of transportation can be: sea and land, land and air, sea and air. This and the general sea, land, air and air forms of intermodal transportation has the essential difference. The latter is also intermodal, but still the same means of transportation between the modes of transportation. As we all know, various modes of transportation have their own advantages and shortcomings. Generally speaking, waterway transport has the advantages of large capacity and low cost; road transport has the characteristics of flexible mobility and easy to realize door-to-door transport of goods; the main advantage of railroad transport is that it is not affected by the climate, and it can be deep inland and transcontinental inland to realize the punctual transport of goods over long distances; and the main advantage of air transport is that it can realize the rapid transport of goods. As the international multimodal transport strictly required to use two and more than two modes of transport for intermodal transport, so this form of transport organization can make comprehensive use of the advantages of various modes of transport, and fully embodies the characteristics of the socialized production of large-scale traffic.

As the international multimodal transport has other forms of transport organization incomparable superiority, so this new technology of international transport has been widely promoted and applied in the world's major countries and regions. At present, representative of the country's multimodal transport mainly in the Far East / Europe, the Far East / North America, such as sea, land and air transport, the organization of which include:

1. Sea and land intermodal transport

Sea and land intermodal transport is the main form of international multimodal transport organization, but also the Far East / Europe, one of the main forms of multimodal transport organization. At present, the organization and operation of Far East/European sea and land intermodal transport business mainly includes international shipping companies such as Sanlian Group, North Holland, Crown Shipping and Denmark's Maersk of the Liner Association, as well as non-liner association of China Ocean Shipping Company, Taiwan's Evergreen Shipping Company and Germany's Naya Shipping Company and so on. This form of organization to shipping companies as the main body, the issuance of intermodal bill of lading, and the two ends of the route inland transport sector to carry out intermodal business, and the continental bridge transport competition.

2. Land Bridge Transportation

In the international multimodal transport, land bridge transportation (Land Bridge Service) plays a very important role. It is the Far East / Europe, the main form of international multimodal transportation. The so-called land bridge transportation refers to the use of container special trains or trucks, the transcontinental railroad or highway as a middle "bridge", so that the two ends of the continent's container shipping routes and special trains or trucks connected to a coherent mode of transportation. Strictly speaking, land bridge transportation is also a form of land and sea transportation. Just because of its unique position in the international multimodal transport, so here as a separate form of transport organization. At present, the Far East / Europe land bridge transportation routes are the Siberian continental bridge and the North American continental bridge.