**AHP‐Aided Evaluation of Logistic and Transport Solutions in a Seaport**

Cristian Giacomini, Giovanni Longo, Alice Lunardi and Elio Padoano

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/63686

#### **Abstract**

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The chapter reports on the application of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to a strategic decision in the transport sector, concerning the reconfiguration of the railway infrastructure of the seaport of Trieste. The proposed solutions should not only solve some technical and operational problems of the terminal, but they could allow the port to be included in the Trans‐European Network‐Transport Programme (TEN‐T), promoted by the European Union and aimed to develop the Trans‐European Net‐ works of Transport. Accordingly, the selection of the solution with the most promis‐ ing potential to satisfy the goals of the TEN‐T policy is a fundamental stage of the project. The case study is an actual AHP application to an evaluation process concerning a pre‐ feasibility study of strategic solutions in the logistics and transport fields. Some practical aspects regarding the application of the AHP and the building of the model, when several stakeholders are involved in the decision process, are highlighted and discussed.

**Keywords:** Logistics, intermodal transport, railway, seaport, analytic hierarchy proc‐ ess (AHP)

### **1. Introduction**

The Trans‐European Network‐Transport Programme (TEN‐T), promoted by the European Union, is aimed to develop the Trans‐European Networks of Transport, which include the major priority projects for road and combined transport, waterways and seaports, and the European network of passenger and freight trains. In this context, the North Adriatic Ports Association Studies project (NAPA) was developed, which focuses on the future develop‐

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

ment projects of the Northern Adriatic seaports: they are considered as fundamental points of interconnection between different transport systems. Each port has therefore conducted specific research as part of NAPA Studies. As far as the Port of Trieste is concerned, its current infrastructure, layout, and operations were deeply investigated and the bottlenecks, which could negatively affect the role of the port within the network, were identified. Several institutions and subjects are interested in the progress of the port infrastructure and consid‐ er the NAPA project an opportunity for developing concrete solutions that could redefine the place of the port in the European network. A set of technically feasible alternatives was found that encompass the reconfiguration of the railway infrastructure and operations.

Three main stakeholders are involved in the decision process: the port authority, the Italian railway infrastructure manager, and the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia. They are all interest‐ ed in the development of the port but pursue different goals. On account of the complex setting, the multi‐criteria evaluation of the solutions has been considered as an important stage of the overall project aimed at supporting the final decision. Indeed, multi‐criteria methods give the opportunity to include in the evaluation of the project solutions several points of view and effects, some of which cannot be easily translated into economic values. The opportunity to understand the points of view of each stakeholder and involve them in the evaluation process is key features of some methodologies. On these grounds, the analyt‐ ic hierarchy process (AHP), which enables a transparent process and the explicit representa‐ tion of the decision‐makers, was selected to support the analysis and evaluation. By involving the key stakeholders and some experts in such activities, it was possible to build a valid and useful model that allowed to select the most effective alternative with respect to the goals of TEN‐T policy.

After a short presentation of the background of the NAPA project, the main aspects of the discussion and decision to be made about the Port of Trieste are introduced. In Section 4, the multi‐criteria methods are presented with specific reference to strategic decisions in the transport sector and the AHP is briefly outlined. The section then describes the application of the AHP in the specific situation and the procedure that was followed to interact with the stakeholders. The results of the application are reported and discussed in the Section 5. Some practical aspects that emerged during the process are eventually highlighted in the Section 6, which precedes the conclusions.
