Intermodal Transport Security: Need for an Integrated Approach
Abstract
Transportation industry has been facing challenges due to various security-related issues such as piracy, terrorism, thefts and accidents. Intermodal transportation as a system that incorporates many players, transportation modes, interchange points as well as various technologies can also be considered as an important platform for security-related problems. Although intermodal transportation is quite vulnerable to security-related risks, recent literature heavily focused on the security problems of specific transportation modes. Since intermodal industry consists of many operations, vehicles and actors, responding to security-related issues for each transportation mode only may not be sufficient. In the light of these, this study mainly aims to provide a framework for overall understanding of the security concept in the intermodal transportation chain. The study firstly focuses on the security dimension of each transportation mode that can be a part of an intermodal transportation chain by considering mainly legal, technological and economic factors. Then, a framework is suggested which identifies the main components of security in intermodal transport by focusing on the need for an integrated approach. Since the evaluation of security dimension in transportation industry is only limited to the industry projects and analysis of specific transport modes; mainly sea transport, it is believed that this study will provide significant contribution to the understanding and the evaluation of security concept in intermodal transportation system. This will be achieved through the identification of main security gaps in the system and the analysis of the intermodal transportation security concept. Moreover, some suggestions will be provided in the light of the factors mentioned in order to provide an overall intermodal security framework and an integrated approach.
Keywords: Integrated approach, Intermodal transport, Security, Transportation modes.
