research, intermodal and logistics papers are recognized as a separate segment of maritime economics research. Two conclusions of Pallis, Vitsounis and De Langen (2010) on the papers they reviewed are appropriate here. First, the papers relate to container fl ows in general without differentiation by commodities. The point can also be made that studies have ignored bulk commodity fl ows, perhaps because coordination has been achieved effectively except where conges- tion affects operations. Second, the papers have a strong descriptive element, which led Panayides (2006a) to advance the shift evident in research methodology to test empirically the effectiveness of selected attributes in measuring the level of integra- tion in supply chains. These conclusions have relevance for other segments.