Simulation analysis for midterm yard planning in container terminal

The continuing growth of marine container transport and the complexity in the analysis of terminal port operations have resulted in a situation where computer simulation is mostly suited. This paper focuses on the simulated handling of incoming containers transported on trucks. It is applied on a medium-size terminal using an "All-Straddle-Carrier" system. Input data include parameters of space, speed, and arrival frequency in a generic format, thus making the model adjustable. Results on the service level, i.e., service times, utilization factors, and queues, are generated for analysis. The simulated system is used for short to midterm planning purposes, as well as a process improvement tool. A number of experiments provided the basis for evaluating case terminal performance and determining the potential for further operational improvements.