Baseline sea time for containership liner service: A new method to evaluate voyage time efficiency and performance

Abstract

Containerships have increased in size, thereby increasing in voyage time and the number of calling ports per voyage. The paper analyzes the impact of the increase in containership size on voyage time management. The authors developed a new and simple concept and standardized method, Baseline Sea Time (BST), that measures voyage time efficiency. BST is the sea time between the first and last ports of call in a service loop, calculated by using standard distance between the two ports divided by average vessel speed. Using BST, the time spent on transit for multiple ports, harbor waiting, and port time is redefined and used to develop new standardized ratios/indicators to calculate voyage time utilization efficiency. Using an illustration, the study finds that calling multiple ports is equivalent to an additional 25.5% of voyage baseline time compared to a shuttle service. The cargo between the first and last ports of call spends an additional 63.8% of the voyage time staying on board when compared to a shuttle service. The new BST tools provide new prospects for analysis, comparison, policymaking, asset utilization, and voyage planning.