PORT OPERATIONS

Prince Williams
MSc in Maritime Affairs
nGap Lecture
Granger bay
  INTRODUCTION

Ports are places where there are facilities for berthing or anchoring ships and where there is cargo handling

equipment to process cargoes from ships to shore, shore to ships, or ships to ships. There are different roles of

ports??, See below:

 Ports as Places;

 Ports as Operating systems;

 Ports as Economic units and;

 Ports as Administrative units.

 PORTS AS PLACES

 They are places that handles

Ships and Cargoes

Port of Durban

Port of New York

Port of Seattle - Washington
 Port – yard (Stacking)

PORTS AS OPERATING
SYSTEMS

• Places that handles ships and

Rubber-Tyred Gantry cargoes with operational
Crane (RTG)
efficiency

Ship to shore cranes

AGV
PORT AS ECONOMIC UNIT

• They are places that handles ships and cargoes

with economic efficiency framework

• Essentially, Ports attracts inland infrastructure for

investments that contributes significantly to the

Country`s GDP i.e. Banks and Insurances etc.

 PORT AS
ADMINISTRATION UNIT

• They places that handles ships and cargoes

in an administrative efficiency framework

• This will include, not limited to, Customs,

ISPS code, PSC inspections, gate

administration, Internals e.g., Crew change,

provisions etc.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF PORTS

• Ports are vital parts of the transport infrastructure which plays a crucial role as:

 As nodes for linking with other inland transport modes such as highways, railways and inland waterways

 As gateway for trade, also attracting agents of commercial infrastructure such as banks, Investors, Insurances,

government as well as industrial activities.

 REGIONALIZATION OF CONTAINERIZED CARGO

• The ship specialization, containerization and regionalization of cargo has a significant impact on inland

developments and logistics;

• There`s a tendency towards logistics integration in ports and maritime industry, which seeks to optimize the

movement of goods from ship to shore (inland transportation);

• The inland transportation is relatively higher expensive compared to sea transport, this can be reduced

significantly with regionalization strategies; E.g. to bring a container from inland China to Port of Shanghai

accounts for more 60% of total transportation cost. Generally, inland cost in container shipping averages

between 40 – 80% of the total transportation cost.

• Under such circumstances, port regionalization has become the next step of port developments, where

efficiency is derived from integration with inland and freight distribution systems.
 MULTIUSER AND DEDICATED CONTAINER TERMINAL

• Multiuser terminal operators encountered challenges in managing equipment and facilities to handle bigger ships,
especially during peak season.
• Due to the difficulties in handling bigger ships and unavailability of space, we have seen a drastic increase in the
demand for Dedicated Container terminals (DCT)
• The use of Dedicated Container Terminal and transshipment operations has led to an increase in terminal costs for
shipping liners;
• Therefore, shipping liners considered taking control of terminal facilities all over the world, this initiative also benefits
the shipping liners to cut the stevedores cost and to improve scheduling reliability. E.g., Maersk and Evergreen (Now
Maersk) are the first shipping liners to invest in terminal facilities in ports worldwide.
• For port authorities, this has created a good relationship with shipping companies that have dedicated terminals as
they commit to utilize the port facilities. (Win-Win situation), This establishment has caused the multiuser operations to
diminish drastically.
BENIFITS OF DEDICATED CONTAINER TERMINAL (DCT)

• Greater flexibility and reliability

• Shorter turnaround times

• Enhanced efficiency in the management of global container movement

• Strategic relationships with the best shipping liner(s)

• Usually, there`s an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Port authorities and the

shipping liner in terms of the scope of work and the accessibility to a dedicated container

terminal that may involve the use of berth for other terminal operational reasons such as

stacking areas and inland connections

 Scope of
DCT

Inland
Berth Quay Stacking Area
connection

Land side
Seaside
SCOPE OF DEDICATED CONTAINER TERMINAL (DCT)
• The increase in ship size has led to a division in container ports into three segments:

 Hub port; It mainly carries out transshipment operations. A large-scale facility that connects

inland transport systems and ship feeder systems

 Feeder port; This is a port where larger ocean vessels normally DON`T GO, owing to the

number of containers the feeder port has and/or the challenge of accessibility due to small

infrastructure.

 Direct call ports; This is generally your normal port of call for any intended cargo operations

where there are no access limitations, insufficient cargo for loading etc.

• This diversified port service market segments has worked in the favour of shipping lines,

which are now exerting pressure to port authorities for improved productivity and capacity
SCOPE OF DEDICATED CONTAINER TERMINAL (DCT)

• The dedicated container terminal has become a popular practice in the maritime industry;
• Liner shipping considers port terminals as part of their international network of transport and logistics
services
• Dedicated container terminals provides opportunities for port authorities to push for more investments
in ports;
• It is also a useful strategy to bring competitiveness between port terminals, this will improve “ultimate”
efficiency within the port
• This initiative also opens for private – public partnerships e.g. Port of Rotterdam and Hutchison Port
Holding (HPH); they handled 84.8 million TEU`s in 2022 and they operate in 54 ports
• Despite competition that is created between ports there`s also competitiveness between ports in the
region. However, shipping liner can have DCT`s in two different ports in the same region which also
establishes a cooperation existence and positive synergy between two ports
WHAT ARE TERMINAL FACILITIES?

• Quay
• Container yard
• Container freight station
• Interchange area
• Gate facility
• Railhead
• Others
QUAY-SIDE

• A quay is an essential facility where vessels berth to discharge and load containers. With the
deployment of super post-Panamax ships, a length of about 250–350 m with a depth of 15–16 m of
water alongside can be considered about right.
• There may be a ramp at one end of the quay for serving roll on–roll off ships to allow vehicles to be
driven directly on and off a ship and onto its quayside.
• The quay must be wide enough to accommodate large quayside gantry cranes that serve in most
terminals for loading and discharging containers.
• It provides space for containers to be landed and for container-moving equipment to pick up and drop
off containers, and it provides space for containers to be temporarily stacked at the back of the quay for
restowing purposes.
CONTAINER YARD

• A container yard typically takes up about 60–70% of the total terminal area. It is primarily used to stack
containers awaiting onward movement.
• Containers are stored in well-marked and numbered blocks. Blocks are linked by roadways and aisle
ways along which vehicles and equipment travel. Some blocks are reserved for export containers
(normally near the seaside of the yard) and some blocks are reserved for import containers. Another
area is reserved for stacking empty containers.
• Since space within container terminals is usually limited, empty containers may be located in an off-
dock depot. Some stacking areas are set aside for special containers, such as reefers, out-of-gauge
cargoes, and dangerous cargoes
CONTAINER FREIGHT STATION

• Not all container terminals have a container freight station. Inbound containers are unpacked in the
container freight station and the separated consignments of cargo are stored awaiting collection.
• Outbound consignments are consolidated and packed into empty containers before being moved to
the container yard for shipment.
• The container freight station consists of a covered area and open areas for storing cargoes. Some
areas are set aside for various inspection functions such as customs’ examination of containers and
their contents.
INTERCHANGE AREA

• An interchange allows road vehicles to deliver and collect containers. There are two types of

interchange areas:

• 1. The interchange is a separate area. Containers are brought to or taken from road vehicles parked at

slots at the interchange by transfer equipment.

• 2. The interchange is a series of lanes running along one side of each storage space. Road vehicles

are permitted to drive into the container yard and to take and collect their containers at positions

alongside the stacks, where stacking equipment lifts and lands the containers.
GATE FACILITY

• Movement of containers into and out of a terminal is controlled at a gate facility.

• Documentation, security, and inspection procedures are attended to.

• There is a series of lanes separated by cabins in which gate clerks and inspectors are based. The gate

facility is usually equipped with a weight bridge and raised walkways to allow the inspection of

container tops.

• Containers may be held at the gate because of either incomplete documentary formalities or

congestion at the gatehouse. Parking areas may be provided for holding vehicles before allowing them

to go into the container yard.

RAILHEAD

• Containers arriving or leaving by rail, an on-dock rail reception/dispatch railhead may be provided.

• The wagon may need to be shunted into appropriate loading and unloading sequences.

• The railhead may have its own yard to store containers and trailers, and its own gate facility.

• Inspection and administrative facilities are provided at the railhead.

OTHER

• There are offices where staff members are engaged in planning, administrative, and documentary

activities.

• Terminal operations are usually coordinated and controlled from a control tower in the office building.

• Office accommodation is provided for customs, security, and other support services. The maintenance

workshop is the facility in a terminal that carries out regular maintenance and repair work on terminal

equipment, and provides container repairing services for shipping lines.

PROCESS AT CONTAINER TERMINAL

• A terminal is a place where a cargo is loaded onto the ship, unloaded from the ship and showed on the Pier at which

the receipt and delivery of freight happens.

• The processes at the terminal can be divided into several subprocesses:

 When a ship arrives at the port, import of cargo, quay cranes are used to off-load from the ship`s cargo holds and/or

on deck to the shore side.

 Thereafter, containers are transferred from the Quayside to vehicles that transport containers from the quay side to

the container yard, for stacking purposes. A straddler carrier is one of the examples of vehicles that transport

containers from the stack, once it get there, a crane would off-load from the straddler. Some vehicles can transport

containers and load/unloaded without the use of the crane

 When the container(s) are ready to move, they are loaded on vehicles to intermodal transport modes e.g. Barges,

Deep sea ships, Trucks or trains.

PROCESS AT CONTAINER TERMINAL

Process at the terminal

Import Export

Arrival of Ship
Departure of Ship

Unloading of container Loading of Container

Transport from Quay to Transport from stack to

Stack Quay

Interterminal modes of
Container operations transport

Interterminal modes of Container operations

transport
TERMINAL OPERATIONS

• Berth Planning: This include berth configuration, vessel management information (Characteristics of the vessel are

critical for berthing), vessel arrival/departure schedule and Berth allocation. The system must be flexible to adjust

with the change in arrival/departure times

TERMINAL OPERATIONS

• Yard planning: includes yard configuration management, yard planning for export, import, and transshipment

containers, yard planning for empty containers, and relocation within the container yard. Planning the yard allocation

for export cargo involves considerations of vessel status and yard status. Yard allocation for import cargo is

performed after completing unloading planning.

 TERMINAL OPERATIONS

• Loading/Unloading planning: This planning consists of vessel data, which includes specifications of the vessel,

structure of the cargo holds, Bays on deck to be loaded/offloaded and holds, stability calculations, vessel draught.

• Railway planning: This includes rail yard and freight train configurations, arrival/departure control, and loading and

unloading planning for railway transport

• Resource allocation planning: This includes resource analysis such as equipment allocation and manpower

allocation

• Overall control: This relates to vessel control, yard control, and gate control. Terminal control sends work orders to

workers of container cranes, yard tractors, and yard cranes on the basis of the details of the unloading and loading

plan, as well as the equipment allocation plan.

• Terminal operations: These involve unloading and loading from and on vessels, gate in and out yard management,

as well as reefer container and dangerous goods container management

 PHYSICAL FLOWS IN THE CONTAINER TRANSPORT CHAIN

•As containers move along the container transport chain, they can be handled in any one of the following states:

• Containers can be empty.

• Containers can be loaded with one single consignment from one single shipper (i.e., full container load).

• Containers can be loaded with multiple consignments from different shippers (i.e., less than container load)
PHYSICAL FLOWS IN THE CONTAINER TRANSPORT CHAIN
CONSIGNMENT ASSEMBLY

Consignment assembly is the first stage in the physical movement of goods. After a buyer and a seller have

agreed on the terms of sale and the manner in which the goods are to be shipped, physical movement of

goods will commence. In a full container load move, an empty container will be dispatched from a container

depot to the exporter. At the shipper’s premises, the container will be stuffed, the container door will be

closed, and a seal will be affixed. In some cases, containers could be stuffed directly in an open yard or on

the street. In a less than container load move, the shipper will assemble the consignment and transport it to a

freight consolidation facility, where container stuffing will take place.

 CONSIGNMENT CONSOLIDATION
The next step in the less than container load move involves a freight consolidation facility. A typical

freight consolidation facility is the container freight station. The primary functions of the container

freight station are summarized as follows:

• receipt and dispatch/delivery of cargo;

• stuffing and stripping of containers;

• transit operations by rail/road to and from serving ports;

• customs clearance;

• consolidation and deconsolidation of less than container load cargo;

• temporary storage of cargo and containers;

• reworking of containers;

• maintenance and repair of container units.

 CONSIGNMENT CONSOLIDATION CONTINUES….
The major benefits of using a container freight station include:

• concentration points for long-distance cargoes and their unitization;

• service as a transit facility;

• customs clearance facility available near the areas of production and consumption;

• issuance of a through bill of lading by shipping lines, thereby creating full liability for shipments;

• reduced overall level of empty container movement;

• reduced transport cost;

• increased trade flows.

 CARRIAGE
Inland transport of containers involves both shipping links and shipping nodes. The container transport mode consist of

the following:

• Initial road leg: transport of containers from the shipper’s premises or the forwarder’s facility to the transport terminal.

• Terminal transfer: transfer from road to rail or water mode in the departure terminal.

• Transport by long-distance mode: transport containers by long-distance rail or inland waterway.

• Terminal transfer: transfer to the port of loading by truck or direct on-dock transfer.

• Departure port terminal: customs clearance, temporary storage, and loading of the container on board a deep-sea

vessel.

• Arrival port terminal: discharging the container from the deep-sea vessel, customs clearance, and temporary storage.

• Inland transport: the inland transport process in the importing country is like the export operations.

• Delivery by road leg: transport to the receiver by truck.

THE END