The main purpose of the study has been to determine the level of significance of various factors on the overall coal trade infrastructure between the two countries: quantities, types, and sources of US coal; current and projected Italian coal requirements; US transportation and port infrastructure capabilities to transport coal to export ports and load ocean-going vessels; ocean transport infrastructures; and Italian port and transportation infrastructure capabilities to receive coal imports and transport them to points of industrial utilization. A coal purchaser who contracts for US rail transportation can likely achieve lower short-term rates, have greater certainty as to costs over the longer term, and be less vulnerable to unpredictable rate changes than one who depends solely on tariff rates. Another economic factor is the increasing importance of waterway transport, which has declined due to greater productivity arising from the increased use of more powerful and efficient towboats and larger barges. Barge companies typically operate under long-term contracting arrangements, with rates historically 20% lower than rail rates. Additional savings of as much as 50% can be obtained by the direct off-loading barges at the terminal and subsequently loading colliers from the terminal. Using Panamax-sized vessels (50,000 to 80,000 dead weight tons, DWT), the East Coast ports of the United States handle over 50% of the country's exports. The vessel size is a direct reflection of the draft and beam limitations of the principal ports of Newport News, Baltimore, Mobile, and New Orleans. Currently, there are no substantial savings to be gained by using larger ships, since Italian ports (except Taranto) also have draft and beam limitations. Innovative vessel designs, more sophisticated loading and unloading systems, increased competition among ports' services, and competitive chartering for coal have also added to savings. 31 figs., 38 tabs. (ERA citation 11:037353)


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    LLV - Lunar Logistics Vehicle Final report

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