This paper was prepared as a background note for a discussion held at the OECD in June 2015 on competition issues in liner shipping. It discusses the main developments and competition issues in the sector, namely, regulation in different countries, the role of liner shipping consortia and...

Container transport refers to the transportation of goods in standardized re-sealable transportation boxes by rail and sea. Data are expressed in tons and twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). TEU is based on a container of 20 foot length (6.10 m) providing a standardised measure of containers of...

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 revealed the need to re-examine the security of transport systems. In this context, maritime shipping containers have emerged as an area of particular concern for transport authorities.Until now, initiatives to enhance security in container transport...

The report provides empirical evidence about the misuse of container ships in international trade in counterfeits. It also suggests the main routes of trade with containers polluted with illicit trade. Finally, the report also outlines the economic landscape for containerized maritime transport...

Les liaisons terrestres entre l’Europe et l’Asie peuvent constituer dans un certain nombre de cas une alternative valable à la voie maritime. Cependant la mise en place de liaisons terrestres efficaces entre l’Europe et l’Asie nécessite des décisions politiques appropriées. Celles-ci...

Land links between Europe and Asia can offer a viable alternative to sea transport. However, the provision of efficient land links between Europe and Asia requires appropriate policy decisions on issues such as the development of adequate infrastructure and the removal of regulatory or...

After the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, it became apparent that maritime shipping containers themselves and their links with other modes represent potential security vulnerabilities. This report describes the complex, hybrid container transport system and the variety of actors...

What is efficient intermodal freight transport? How are "best practices" to be found? What measures are being developed in OECD countries for assessing the relative efficiency of modes and modal combinations? What opportunities exist to improve complex intermodal transport chains? How are such...