Abstract
Port capacity is an essential parameter for the assessment of port performance. In the literature, there is no unanimous capacity definition, which depends on each research goal. Vessel traffic in ports and the corresponding port performance indicators have been analyzed with different simulation models, but they generally do not include a method for determining a port’s capacity. Guidelines or other studies using empirical data also have not addressed this important topic. The method developed in this paper estimates the port network traffic capacity (PNTC) by using vessel traffic data. The analysis and comparison of several indicators are used to identify meaningful relationships for estimating port capacity with generic applicability to any port design. The relation between the total number of trips in the port and the ratio of waiting time to service time seems to be the most suitable for identifying when the port reaches unstable flow situations, that is, when it reaches capacity. The method has been applied successfully in six scenarios with various berths, layouts, service times, vessel fleet types, and maneuvering times. Application of the method is useful during the port-planning phase, because with a few simulations, an indicative PNTC value for each design can be inferred, and thus, different scenarios can be compared.
Highlights
World globalization and containerization have led to a significant increase in vessel traffic in most of the commercial ports around the world
Port productivity is usually determined by terminal operations, port efficiency can be reduced by vessel traffic congestion
Total trips (TTs), the average number of trips that vessels complete within a time interval, gives a reference for the vessel flow; and
Summary
World globalization and containerization have led to a significant increase in vessel traffic in most of the commercial ports around the world. Ports face growing demand for vessels and cargo handling that might lead to traffic congestion. Because of the growth in the numbers and sizes of vessels, traffic congestion can occur in some ports such that the port’s capacity is a key indicator for identifying loss times or delays. Port productivity is usually determined by terminal operations, port efficiency can be reduced by vessel traffic congestion. Extensive research on terminal operations assessment and optimization has been conducted (Daganzo 1989; Stahlbock and Voß 2007), and specific research has studied the individual sailing behavior of ships in ports (Shu et al 2013)
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