Research on Optimizing the Operation of Ships in Container Terminals

Abstract

The time allotted to a single ship at berth varies greatly depending on the characteristics of the ship, the volume of cargo and its specifications.. Taking into account the service time and the problem of terminals by overcrowding of waiting ships and available berths (which may vary in number, depending on the size of ships already berthed), the average waiting time is calculated and obtained. The operating process is usually sequential, ie each type of cargo is stacked separately from the other types. For this reason, the operating time was considered to consist of four other indicators, which correspond to the main types of cargo of Ro-Ro / Ro-Pax ships: complete trucks, semi-trailers, • passenger cars, vehicles as goods themselves. Also, the time of operation of the goods by the dockers can be formulated by two other different terms: the time related to the ship and the time in the terminal. In this context, we intend to analyze the capacity of the terminal in Constanța Port.. Two different scenarios are considered: a more "common" case for the studied terminal with 40 semi-trailers and 80 trucks to be unloaded and the same amount to be loaded and an "extreme" case in which all goods are composed of semi-trailers ( 160 plus 160 in total). By using simulation models, the values for the optimal quay time were obtained, in relation to the number of units for loading data in the specified scenarios. Using modeling algorithms, we obtain reports of situations that include tables and graphs that allow the optimization of terminal operation.

Contributions regarding the simulation of the optimization of the operation mode in a container terminal

“…Current RO-RO berth design considerations. [2], [7] Current RO-RO berth design considerations (as seen in Figure 2) [2], [7] will require changes to berth approximation 127, including filling the gap of 3 locations inside the quay. This is essential for the installation of the cargo access link to the pontoon and to support its weight when transiting from / to the ship.…”

“…on the van used for stacking, as well as the number of vans. Figure 6 [2] shows some graphs for time / units and different configurations and towing units; in this case the number of loading units is similar to the number of unloaded units. That means, the abscissa axis includes only the unloaded units, but the ordinates include both -loading and unloading.…”

“…The arrivals are independent of each other, and the time between successive arrivals has a negative exponential, while the service time for any arrival is considered normal. (Figure 10) [2] .…”

“…The geographical position of the Black Sea is ideal for sea traffic and also has a high potential for the development of the RO-RO market. RO-RO ships are particularly well suited to the requirements of short-distance transport, where transport speed and optimum operability are essential [2] . The main competition is the land route, the only alternative for transporting a large volume of goods.…”

Tools for Analysing Operational Optimization in a Container Ship Terminal

“…10. Cargo Inspection Portal System, [13] Using a high-power transmission X-ray source, the portal penetrates up to 300 mm of steel, while reducing the amount of radiation scattered in the cabin -the lowest in the industry. When operating, the system provides material discrimination, colouring of organic objects and blue metallic objects.…”