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Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , An AIS-based analysis of the transfer of maritime pilotsThis study presents a systematic analysis of maritime pilot transfer operations using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Pilots are essential nautical service providers who enable safe navigation of ships during port calls. Their transfers are facilitated by pilot boats whose activities influence the efficiency of port calls. The methodological framework developed in this study segments ship trajectories of pilot boats into nine operational categories, with particular emphasis on embarkation and disembarkation. These events are detected using a ship domain–based identification method, enabling the recognition of transfer operations directly from AIS data. Data from three Scandinavian regions are analyzed over a ten-day period. These include ports within the Oslofjord, the port of Helsinki and the port of Copenhagen. Results show that pilot boats spend the majority of their time berthed, while embarkation and disembarkation constitute relatively small shares of total activity. Average transfer durations are approximately two to three minutes, with limited variation across ship size classes, though larger ships tend to require more time. Speed analyses further reveal distinct maneuvering phases, with higher speeds observed when a pilot is on board. The findings provide empirical reference values for pilot transfer operations and demonstrate the potential of AIS-based methods to enhance port call optimization.Publicationtype: Conference Paper34 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , The effects of pre-arrival vessel prioritisation strategies for port call coordination(Technische Universität Dresden, Professur für Technische Logistik, 2025-10-21); ; ; This simulation study investigates the impacts of pre-arrival vessel prioritization strategies on port call coordination using a simulation model that integrates discrete-event and agent-based techniques. Motivated by the environmental and operational inefficiencies of the traditional first-come-first-served (FCFS) port policies, the simulation assesses how early and structured communication of arrival intentions, as first-announced-first-served (FAFS), can enhance berth allocation, improve resource utilization in the port, and reduce ship emissions. The model replicates a real port environment using empirical data and Python-based libraries evaluating multiple prioritization strategies under varying timing rules for port call announcements. Results demonstrate that structured pre-arrival announcements improve turnaround times and berth occupancy, particularly under strategies setting upper timing limits. However, results vary by terminal type and installed capacity. The findings underscore the need for improved digital infrastructure and cooperative governance to enable Just-in-Time (JIT) arrivals, highlighting the potential for simulation to support decision-making in port operations modernization.Publicationtype: Conference Paper53 25 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Direct handling between vessels and trucks: skipping storage of containers at seaport terminals(Technische Universität Dresden, Professur für Technische Logistik, 2025-10-18); ; Container yards are increasingly becoming bottlenecks at the terminals. To address this, new approaches are needed. One way to redesign processes at the terminal is the direct handling of containers on the seaside. This study employs a discrete-event simulation model to analyse the effects of delayed truck arrivals on quay crane productivity during direct handling between vessels and trucks. In this context, direct handling of containers refers to the loading and unloading of containers between vessels and trucks without intermediate storage in the container yard. A simulation model using Tecnomatix Plant Simulation replicates a terminal employing both conventional and direct handling, examining various truck delay scenarios. Results indicate that minor truck delays mildly affect quay crane productivity, whereas significant delays considerably diminish productivity, especially when a larger share of containers is handled directly. Although direct handling offers efficiency potential, delayed trucks pose significant planning challenges. Future research will aim to develop strategies to mitigate these impacts, such as flexible export container loading sequences.Publicationtype: Conference Paper28 17 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , Addressing challenges in creating traffic profiles for transshipment hubs in seaports(2025-09-07); ; ; Globalization has significantly increased containerized traffic, driven by the rising demand for swift cargo movements at low cost. When creating cost- and time-efficient maritime transport networks, transshipment hubs are of high importance. There, containers are moved from one vessel to another. This enables carriers to design hub-and-spoke networks (where feeder vessels serve the spokes and deep sea vessels interconnect the hubs) as well as connecting deep sea services by interlining. Hubs are often located along major shipping routes and are concentrated near canals and straits. The successful operation of transshipment hubs relies on various socio-economic factors, trade policies, and robust infrastructure. When making strategic decisions, simulation is often used to estimate the impact of each viable option on terminal performance. Such simulation studies heavily depend on suitable synthetic traffic profiles that reflect the workload and yard occupancy of transshipment hubs over a longer time horizon. Past work has shown that for transshipment hubs, the expected average yard occupancy is approximated over the course of several weeks, which increases the runtime of simulation studies. The approach presented in this paper addresses this issue by modifying the code of library ConFlowGen and applying it on three use cases. The results show that the traffic profiles generated with the modified code are more suitable for simulating operations of transshipment hubs. Several traffic profile characteristics are discussed, that are difficult to satisfy at the same time.Publicationtype: Preprint62 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Insights into how to enhance container terminal operations with digital twins(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2024-05-30); ; ; The years 2021 and 2022 showed that maritime logistics are prone to interruptions. Ports especially turned out to be bottlenecks with long queues of waiting vessels. This leads to the question of whether this can be (at least partly) mitigated by means of better and more flexible terminal operations. Digital Twins have been in use in production and logistics to increase flexibility in operations and to support operational decision-making based on real-time information. However, the true potential of Digital Twins to enhance terminal operations still needs to be further investigated. A Delphi study is conducted to explore the operational pain points, the best practices to counter them, and how these best practices can be supported by Digital Twins. A questionnaire with 16 propositions is developed, and a panel of 17 experts is asked for their degrees of confirmation for each. The results indicate that today’s terminal operations are far from ideal, and leave space for optimisation. The experts see great potential in analysing the past working shift data to identify the reasons for poor terminal performance. Moreover, they agree on the proposed best practices and support the use of emulation for detailed ad hoc simulation studies to improve operational decision-making.Publicationtype: Journal Article49 38 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: without files , On estimating the required yard capacity for container terminalsVessel delays and increased terminal call sizes negatively impact the ability to properly plan daily operations at seaport container terminals. Such traffic patterns lead to, among others, infrequent peak loads at the seaside of container terminals, complicating terminal operations. Thus, relying on annual or monthly statistics fails to account for these day-to-day fluctuations. When container terminals are planned, be it a greenfield or brownfield terminal, these variations in operations need to be accounted for. The traditional formula-based approach to design terminals uses annual statistics. In this study, it is first used to produce estimates for the required yard capacity for three existing exemplary container terminals. These are then compared to the results of numerical experiments using the synthetic container flow generator ConFlowGen. The findings reveal that yard capacity requirements fluctuate considerably depending on the timing of vessel arrivals and their call sizes. This dynamic modeling proved particularly beneficial for planning gateway traffic, offering more accurate storage capacity predictions. Suggestions are made for how to further develop ConFlowGen for handling transshipment traffic better in future versions.Publicationtype: Conference Paper84 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Synthetically generating traffic scenarios for simulation-based container terminal planningPublicationtype: Report36 99 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Container terminal capacity utilisation modelling as a key competitive strategy; the case of Port of Santos - Brazil(The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure, 2024); ; In the dynamic global container market, the top 10 ports controlled 33% of the total of 852 million TEUs in 2022, where the Port of Santos Complex (BRSSZ) holds the 46th position, handling approximately 4.5 million TEUs, with an annual storage capacity estimated at 5.6 million TEUs. (ALPHALINER, 2023; UNCTAD, 2023). Although PIANC's terminal planning guidelines provide a general equation for estimating terminal capacity (PIANC 158, 2014), this research aims to enhance dynamic capacity modelling and analysis by incorporating the logistic breakdown of cargo mix and establishing statistical premises. The primary objective is to present a technical analysis of capacity utilisation, serving as a strategic tool for both commercial and operational intelligence economic studies. This research used the Port of Santos logistic operators' competition as a case study, introducing an analytical framework that distinguishes between static and dynamic capacities across theoretical design and operational planning approaches. Data collection involves a comprehensive survey of technical information and the processing of economic indicators using statistics from masterplan reports, ANTAQ and SPA databases mainly. The results provided a technical data sheet and economic analysis of the container terminals at the Port of Santos, grounded in infrastructure surveys and dynamic capacity utilisation. In conclusion, the study emphasises the importance of adopting a strategic port intelligence perspective, focussing on the breakdown of the logistic flow quay-yard-gate and the modelling of the storage capacity. Recognising the critical trade-off between supply and demand, the findings guide decisions on opportune moments for investing in terminal asset expansion, influenced by monitoring competitors' capacity utilisation rates.Publicationtype: Conference Paper56 38 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , The art of orchestrating nautical services in a port call: a literature classification(IOP Publishing, 2024); ; ; Global carbon dioxide emissions are forecast to increase by around 15% by 2050 compared to 2020. In order to move towards a sustainable transition to net zero emissions by 2050, more energy-efficient operations are a prerequisite. In response, terminals are looking for ways to optimise port processes to reduce energy consumption while also keeping waiting time and costs low. This paper focuses on optimisation approaches for the individual actors in the nautical service that can support these objectives. A comprehensive review, classification and discussion of the relevant literature on current methods and procedures for the stakeholders of the nautical service is conducted. In this regard, current challenges and limitations are identified. The results of the classification scheme show that tugboats in particular are examined in more detail. The objective is often to reduce costs and increase safety in the port area. For this purpose, mathematical approaches, or various types of algorithms are usually applied. Future research activities could be based on more detailed analyses of the approaches used in the identified papers.Publicationtype: Conference Paper88 33 - Some of the metrics are blocked by yourconsent settings
Item type:Publication, Access status: with files , Synthetically generating traffic scenarios for simulation-based container terminal planning(2023-06-06); More than 80 % of world trade is delivered via sea, making the maritime supply chain a very important backbone for the economy (UNCTAD 2020). Containerized trade regularly outperforms other types of transport in terms of growth, coinciding with consistent increases of average container vessel sizes (UNCTAD 2020). Container terminal operations are heavily affected by this development, since less but larger port calls create unwanted peaks and stress on the terminals and the hinterland. Not all container terminals are affected equally by the described situation. Economic cycles and events such as the global COVID-19 pandemic or the Russian war in Ukraine change the global supply chains, trade characteristics and transport demands between ports in the world. In 2004, Hartmann proposed an approach to create scenarios for simulation and optimization in the sense of container terminal planning and logistics. Due to the significant changes in maritime trade over the years, a new approach for generating synthetic container flow data became practical. In 2021, we introduced a rethought and reworked approach on this topic.The proposed tool, named ConFlowGen, aims to assist planners, scientists, and other maritime experts with providing comprehensive container flow scenarios based on minimal inputs and assumptions of the user. In this paper, we introduce ConFlowGen's general principle of operation in an exemplary use case in the context of container terminal planning.Publicationtype: Preprint203 482