Inland ports and information exchange: useful concepts to improve container transhipment terminals?

Abstract

A large increase in containerized maritime transport, bigger ships and bigger call sizes cause the need for container transhipment terminals to increase the volume they can handle without increasing their handling costs and handling time at the terminal. This research aims at deepening the understanding of how this goal can be achieved through integration of an inland port and improving information exchange in the container transport chain.

Improving the accuracy of the estimated time of arrival (ETA) and real time sharing of the berth window are selected as the most promising alternatives to improve the container terminal. A more accurate ETA will improve the productivity of the gangs by reducing the overmanning and undermanning the terminal and by improving the allocation of the ship to shore (STS) cranes. Real time sharing of the berthing window reduces the waiting time of ships at the terminal as ships get notified that they can decrease speed when resources at the terminal will not be available upon arrival. Ships will save bunker costs when reducing their speed. When resources in the terminal are available earlier than the arrival of the ship, ships will get notified to increase speed, improving the utilization of the terminals equipment and workforce, resulting in less handling costs at the terminal.

Using a simulation model in the context of a transshipment terminal in the port of Algeciras, the integration of an inland port is designed. Both the effects of this inland port as improved information exchange are estimated. The turnaround time and gang productivity of container terminals with congested yard can be improved through handling and storing containers at the inland port. This reduces the yard occupancy, improving the productivity of the yard equipment and the STS cranes. A transshipment terminal can be improved by storing long-stay transshipment container at the inland port in addition to handling import and export containers there. Customs facilities should only be implemented at the inland port when transhipment containers are stored there. No dedicated stacks in the yard of the deep-sea terminal for transport towards the inland port should be reserved as it will increase ship turnaround time at the terminal.

Improving the accuracy and real-time sharing of the berth window improves the gang productivity in the terminal. A more accurate ETA decreases the effectivity of sharing of the berth window. Both alternatives do not improve the ship turnaround statistically speaking. Around 2.5% additional volume can be handled in the deep-sea terminal through real time sharing of the berth window. A similar results be achieved by integration of inland port where 2.5% of the transhipment containers and import and export containers are stored. Combining the integration of an inland port with sharing of the berth window increases this number further. These results are case specific and dependent terminal specific properties like dwell times, productivity of the yard equipment and the container split in the terminal.