Discussion

How and why should inland ports become better utilized to improve the integrated transportation and distribution system?

How does that impact the “hub and spoke “concept for the maritime industry?

Instructions: Your initial post should be at least 250 words.

Readings material:

9781780523408 – Dong-Wook Song and Photis Panayides
Maritime Logistics: Contemporary Issues (Ebook available through the APUS Online Library) – Read Chapters 11-15

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LESSON

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Port Performance

Introduction

Hello, again, all. The lesson this week explores time in port and speed of cargo handling. In this lesson, we will:

Analyze the nature of relationships between ports and state authorities, and

Cover methods of estimating future labor needs that address

Size of workforce

Levels of education

Technical training requirements, and

Technology change/utilization.

Readings include the assigned Chapters from the text; NCFRP Report 5: North American Marine Highways, linked here; and, and a video entitled Port of Long Beach, linked here.

A Port Improvement Plan (PIP) Outline (paper) will be due in Week 5.

Port Metrics

There are, according to Brooks (2007), a number of internal—system and functional, and external—customer, stakeholder, and supplier measures of port performance at the firm level. Average turnaround time and average vessel time waiting at anchor are good functional vessel-handling metrics. From a customer perspective, average hours before delivery cutoff is a useful efficiency metric, and the variance between “hours until berth available” and “hours until berth promised” a good effectiveness one.

When determining port metrics, a port baseline of capacity dimensions must be developed. For this example, a port container yard will be used to identify the metric components for this discussion. Important capacity dimension for this container yard might include:

Berth length

Draft depth

Operating Hours

Container yard depth (area)

Stacking height

Once the baseline is determined, assumptions can be applied. The Tioga Group’s Dan Smith (Tioga) compiled the following list of rules of thumb:

Maximum annual turnover

Maximum annual TEU slot turnover = 70 turns (5 day dwell, 350 days/yr)

Crane available 16 hours/day (two shifts), 250 days/yr

Modern crane maximum = 35 moves/hr

Vessel spacing at berth = vessel beam

Maximum of 260 annual calls per berth (5 per week)

Working draft = channel/berth draft – 3 feet

Maximum vessel sailing draft = 92% of design draft

Example calculations would include:

7 cranes @ max of 4,000 hrs/yr = 28,000 crane hours

80% = 22,400 sustainable crane hours

Maximum crane productivity of 35 containers per hour

80% = 28 cont./hr x 1.54 TEU/container = 43 TEU/hr

Sustainable crane capacity = 43×22,400 = 965,888 TEU/yr

Understanding how port metrics are used is also an important learning objective. For example, consider container yard capacity. Parameters that determine its capacity would include the number of available acres and storage density. Capacity metrics could assist in determining cost and handling charges. Lower densities normally mean less handling touches and lower cost. To meet rising demand volume, an increased density would be sought. Tioga developed a relationship chart that will make these concepts more understandable, as below:

Density

Type

Notes

Very low density

80 TEU/acre

Roll on/Roll off

Older terminals when new

Low density

80 TEY/acre

Wheeled or Top pick

Transition terminals

Mid Density

100-200 TEU/acre

Straddle/Top picked

Hybrid terminals

High density

160-300 TEU/acre

Strattle Carrier/RTG

NIT Virginia

Very high density

360 TEU/acre

RMG

APM Portsmouth

Port Container Yard Handling Equipment

Handling containers is obviously an import element of throughput capability and capacity metrics. Tioga prepared a graphic of example types, as below:

An important note about cranes. Cranes are much cheaper than vessels. Therefore, in order to turn vessels quickly (i.e. on-loaded or off loaded, or both), according to Tioga, crane utilization is sacrificed, as ports can add craned relatively quickly.

Finally, below is a listing of research facts you may not be aware of:

Port capacity and utilization assessments require multiple metrics

Most U.S. ports have substantial unused capacity inherent in their terminal infrastructure

Terminals combine multiple operating methods and strive to minimize cost

U.S. ports operate at lower densities than European or Asian terminals – land is cheap here

Terminal capacity utilization is often constrai

 

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