IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jftint/v17y2025i3p99-d1597167.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

IoV and Blockchain for Traffic Optimization in Ro-Ro Terminals: A Case Study in the Spanish Port System

Author

Listed:
  • Nicoletta González-Cancelas

    (Department of Transport, Territorial and Urban Planning Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Javier Vaca-Cabrero

    (Department of Transport, Territorial and Urban Planning Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Alberto Camarero-Orive

    (Department of Transport, Territorial and Urban Planning Engineering, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

This study examines the integration of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and blockchain as tools to optimize traffic management in Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) terminals within the Spanish port system. Faced with increasing operational complexity, these technologies present innovative solutions to enhance efficiency, reduce waiting times, and ensure transparency in data management. The methodology follows five main phases: analysis of the current scenario, establishment of a baseline, calculations to evaluate key outcomes, analysis of blockchain implementation, and discussion of results. Key variables include waiting times, vehicular flow, CO 2 emissions, and operational costs, comparing manual and automated scenarios. The findings reveal that the combined use of IoV and blockchain can increase vehicular flow by up to 70%, reduce waiting times by 2.56 min, and decrease CO 2 emissions by 57.74 kg per hour. Additionally, automation significantly reduces operational costs, yielding average savings of over EUR 500 per hour. This study concludes that adopting these technologies transforms port operations by fostering sustainability, efficiency, and safety. However, challenges remain, including high initial implementation costs and system interoperability issues. This work underscores the need for strategic approaches to overcome these barriers and positions Spanish ports as potential leaders in logistics innovation, aligning with global demands for sustainable, efficient, and transparent port operations.

Suggested Citation

  • Nicoletta González-Cancelas & Javier Vaca-Cabrero & Alberto Camarero-Orive, 2025. "IoV and Blockchain for Traffic Optimization in Ro-Ro Terminals: A Case Study in the Spanish Port System," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-23, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:99-:d:1597167
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/3/99/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/3/99/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nguyen, Phong Nha & Kim, Hwayoung, 2024. "Analysis of effectiveness for cargo operation productivity considering environmental efficiency on container ports in the Northeast Asian region," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 111-123.
    2. Chen, Xiaojing & Li, Feng & Jia, Bin & Wu, Jianjun & Gao, Ziyou & Liu, Ronghui, 2021. "Optimizing storage location assignment in an automotive Ro-Ro terminal," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 249-281.
    3. Evgenia Kapassa & Marinos Themistocleous & Klitos Christodoulou & Elias Iosif, 2021. "Blockchain Application in Internet of Vehicles: Challenges, Contributions and Current Limitations," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-32, December.
    4. Zhang, Chuqian & Liu, Jiyin & Wan, Yat-wah & Murty, Katta G. & Linn, Richard J., 2003. "Storage space allocation in container terminals," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 883-903, December.
    5. Danijela Pjevcevic & Milos Nikolic & Natasa Vidic & Katarina Vukadinovic, 2017. "Data envelopment analysis of AGV fleet sizing at a port container terminal," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(14), pages 4021-4034, July.
    6. Emmanuel Ekene Okere & Vipin Balyan, 2024. "Advances in Blockchain-Based Internet of Vehicles Application: Prospect for Machine Learning Integration," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-43, December.
    7. Jason Monios & Gordon Wilmsmeier, 2020. "Deep adaptation to climate change in the maritime transport sector – a new paradigm for maritime economics?," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(7), pages 853-872, October.
    8. Cullinane, Kevin & Ji, Ping & Wang, Teng-fei, 2005. "The relationship between privatization and DEA estimates of efficiency in the container port industry," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(5), pages 433-462.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Di & Chen, Feng & Mei, Ziqiao, 2023. "Optimization on joint scheduling of yard allocation and transfer manpower assignment for automobile RO-RO terminal," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    2. Martínez-Moya, Julián & Mestre-Alcover, Amparo & Sala-Garrido, Ramón & Furió-Pruñonosa, Salvador, 2024. "Are transhipment ports more efficient in the Mediterranean Sea? Analysing the role of time at ports using DEA metafrontier approach," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    3. Wang, Shuaian & Meng, Qiang, 2012. "Liner ship route schedule design with sea contingency time and port time uncertainty," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 46(5), pages 615-633.
    4. SangHyun Cheon & Dong-Wook Song & Sungjin Park, 2018. "Does more competition result in better port performance?," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 20(3), pages 433-455, September.
    5. Quintano, Claudio & Mazzocchi, Paolo & Rocca, Antonella, 2021. "Evaluation of the eco-efficiency of territorial districts with seaport economic activities," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Chen, Lu & Lu, Zhiqiang, 2012. "The storage location assignment problem for outbound containers in a maritime terminal," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(1), pages 73-80.
    7. Michael Görges & Michael Freitag, 2022. "Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-27, October.
    8. Katta G. Murty & Yat-wah Wan & Jiyin Liu & Mitchell M. Tseng & Edmond Leung & Kam-Keung Lai & Herman W. C. Chiu, 2005. "Hongkong International Terminals Gains Elastic Capacity Using a Data-Intensive Decision-Support System," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 35(1), pages 61-75, February.
    9. Jin, Jian Gang & Lee, Der-Horng & Hu, Hao, 2015. "Tactical berth and yard template design at container transshipment terminals: A column generation based approach," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 168-184.
    10. Zhen, Lu, 2016. "Modeling of yard congestion and optimization of yard template in container ports," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 83-104.
    11. Xiaodong Chen & Anda Guo & Jiahao Zhu & Fang Wang & Yanqiu He, 2022. "Accessing performance of transport sector considering risks of climate change and traffic accidents: joint bounded-adjusted measure and Luenberger decomposition," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 111(1), pages 115-138, March.
    12. Ron Boschma & Simona Iammarino & Raffaele Paci & Jordy Suriñach & Corinne Autant-Bernard & Sylvie Chalaye & Elisa Gagliardini & Stefano Usai, 2017. "European Knowledge Neighbourhood: Knowledge Production in EU Neighbouring Countries and Intensity of the Relationship with EU Countries," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 108(1), pages 52-75, February.
    13. Yingyi Huang & Yuliya Mamatok & Chun Jin, 2021. "Decision-making instruments for container seaport sustainable development: management platform and system dynamics model," Environment Systems and Decisions, Springer, vol. 41(2), pages 212-226, June.
    14. Hang Yu & Mingzhong Huang & Leijie Zhang & Caimao Tan, 2024. "Yard template generation for automated container terminal based on bay sharing strategy," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 343(3), pages 1157-1175, December.
    15. Jason Coupet & Abagail McWilliams, 2017. "Integrating Organizational Economics and Resource Dependence Theory to Explain the Persistence of Quasi Markets," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-13, August.
    16. Gao, Yinping & Zhen, Lu, 2024. "A decision framework for decomposed stowage planning for containers," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    17. Martin Alcalde, Enrique & Kim, Kap Hwan & Marchán, Sergi Saurí, 2015. "Optimal space for storage yard considering yard inventory forecasts and terminal performance," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 101-128.
    18. Nicole Adler & Georg Hirte & Shravana Kumar & Hans-Martin Niemeier, 2022. "The impact of specialization, ownership, competition and regulation on efficiency: a case study of Indian seaports," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 24(3), pages 507-536, September.
    19. Su-Han Woo & Stephen Pettit & Anthony Beresford & Dong-Wook Kwak, 2012. "Seaport Research: A Decadal Analysis of Trends and Themes Since the 1980s," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(3), pages 351-377, January.
    20. Raeesi, Ramin & Sahebjamnia, Navid & Mansouri, S. Afshin, 2023. "The synergistic effect of operational research and big data analytics in greening container terminal operations: A review and future directions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(3), pages 943-973.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:99-:d:1597167. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.