To a certain extent, the conveyor belt operation
resembles that of integrated intermodal transport chains
developed for minerals. These systems are developed
to carry homogeneous cargo, each piece, pellet or
material unit, of which is constant and identical to the
other. That thinking was behind the development of the
container as a standard box that would unitize cargo
and make break-bulk loads appear uniform for transport
operators The containerization of cargo is in its essence
a method designed to ensure that different cargoes,
fruits, electronics, garment or spare parts are handled
with standard equipment and transport means. The
container is a successful attempt to make general cargo
behave like bulk cargo on a different scale, but allowing
for continuous transport of loads through different means
and via integrated transport logistics systems.
The conveyor belt approach developed by the shipping
line mentioned above, now applied to land transit
transport connecting the seaport and inland dry port,
could operate based on the bulk-cargo-carrying model,
making no distinction between the type and origin of
boxes and assuring the shipper that the goods will be
delivered at the other end of the belt, alternatively the
seaport and the dry port, at a given time and on a regular
basis.
Such an idea had been addressed more than 10 years
ago in ECLAC studies on best practices for intermodal
transport (Rubiato, 2001). The study looked at mineral
extraction transport to port and shipping overseas for
copper and iron ore, in Chile and Brazil respectively.
While the Minera Escondida example described the use
of pipelines (“slurry pipelines” or “mineroducts”) to carry
liquefied copper mineral, the Vale case (the company was
called Vale Do Rio Doce at the time) boasted impressive
performances for an intermodal system involving truck