ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS IN PORT OPERATIONS.

摘要

For many years, port feasibility studies have been based on queueing models that try to optimize the number of berths, minimizing some function of port costs and ship delays. These models do not recognize the fact that most shipping lines provide scheduled service and, consequently, this simple approach tends to overestimate average queueing times. The objective of this research is to obtain a valid model for the study of queueing systems where arrivals, as in ports, follow an underlying schedule and, as in ports, congestion is rare and the service order is pre-established. The thesis considers single- and multiple-berth systems and shows how its final results can be applied using data gathered from a major U.S. container terminal.; The use of multipurpose terminals (quays that have the flexibility of serving different types of ships) is also discussed. A graphical method is applied to study the advantages of having berths shared by liners, with scheduled arrivals, and tramp ships.