Empirical studies on yard operations Part 2: Quantifying unproductive moves undertaken in quay transfer operations

The impact of higher container stacking on yard operations has been treated as one of the major factors influencing the efficiency of terminal operations. For terminal operators who have to increase their storage capacity by way of higher container stacking, the consequences must be carefully measured. This paper examines the unproductive container movements undertaken in one high throughput terminal with high land productivity, and provides an example of how terminal operator handles the yard operations and the possible impact on areas of operation.     

Empirical studies on yard operations Part 2: Quantifying unproductive moves undertaken in quay transfer operations

The impact of higher container stacking on yard operations has been treated as one of the major factors influencing the efficiency of terminal operations. For terminal operators who have to increase their storage capacity by way of higher container stacking, the consequences must be carefully measured. This paper examines the unproductive container movements undertaken in one high throughput terminal with high land productivity, and provides an example of how terminal operator handles the yard operations and the possible impact on areas of operation.     

Rail infrastructure charging EU-directive,Swedish concerns and theory

The first railway package is being recast by the legislative bodies of the European Union. One point of departure in this paper is how Swedish agencies treat issues concerning marginal cost based charges, financing charges and allocation of scarce capacity and it discusses these issues from a welfare point of view, partly by use of theoretical modelling. It is seen here that the Swedish infrastructure manager (the Swedish Transport Administration) so far has no method for calculation of marginal costs as a base for charging, especially for costs of scarce capacity, and that the infrastructure manager is applying or discussing various methods for allocations of scarce track capacity. The EU-recast gives no guidance on principles for calculation of charges for scarce capacity, so we recommend the Swedish Transport Administration to develop such charges. The Administration seems to ignore important externalities that should be taken into consideration from a welfare point of view, with respect both to efficient charging and to allocation of scarce capacity. The analytical modelling part of the paper aims to derive these charges in principle, taking these externalities into account. If financing charges exceeding social marginal costs are applied, the model shows how to minimise the welfare loss of these increases. It also shows that financing charges should primarily be applied to market segments that cause large external costs from the operation of the train, where its customers have low valuation of wait time and delay time, where customers of other segments have high valuations of delay and where increased profits for other operators are induced.     

Yard operations in the container terminal-a study in the 'unproductive moves'

Research that examined the land utilization of the container terminals in a global perspective revealed that the land utilization planned and achieved by Asian container terminals are much higher than the terminals in western Europe and North America. From the operational point of view, this has led to the question: 'what are the impacts of these strategies in land utilization on the yard operations?' This has subsequently led the research study to focus on the yard operations within the container terminal.     

The decline of the U.K. merchant fleet: an assessment of government policies in recent years—a rejoinder to Goss's comment

In recent years, the Hong Kong port has been challenged by the emergence of the Shenzhen port. This gives rise to a concern that the high terminal handling charges (THC) levied by the Hong Kong terminal operators are undermining the competitiveness of the Hong Kong port. As the major container terminals in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen are operated by the Hong Kong terminal operators, the monopoly power of these operators is commonly believed to be the cause of the high THC in Hong Kong. The theoretical model developed in this study shows that the trigger point mechanism (TPM) used by the Hong Kong Government to control the supply of terminal capacity may be a source of such monopoly power. Two possible scenarios are considered in the model—Scenario 1 in which expansion of capacity is unconstrained (i.e. the Shenzhen port); and Scenario 2 in which expansion of capacity is constrained by TPM (i.e. the Hong Kong port). Under TPM, the Hong Kong Government commits not to grant the right to build new container terminals unless and until the demand for container handling services exceeds the current capacity by a certain amount, which provides the incumbent operators incentives to invest preemptively in excess capacity in order to block the entry of potential entrants. This model is supported by the empirical findings from this study. The results from this study suggest an urgent need for the Hong Kong Government to overhaul the current port development policy as a part of the effort to promote economic integration between Hong Kong and the Mainland China.     

曹妃甸大型煤码头选址环境合理性分析

以国投在曹妃甸拟建年吞吐量5 000万t的煤码头为例,介绍了曹妃甸港区的环境空气质量和环境关心点,利用《环境影响评价技术导则》认可的预测方法和预测软件对大型煤码头营运期煤粉尘扩散范围进行了预测计算。结果表明:为大型煤码头选址于曹妃甸港区有效地避开了居民居住区,避免了煤炭运输带来的最大的环境问题对人类居住环境的影响,大型煤码头在曹妃甸港区的选址具有合理性。     

Decision to lease outer continental Shelf Lands

Abstract

The process by which a decision is made in many instances limits and shapes the form of that decision. The institutions involved, the timing of their involvement, and the ultimate goal of the process itself are integral factors in determining the substance of a decision. It is the thesis of this paper that the decision to lease areas of our Outer Continental Shelf is determined more by the process of making that decision than by any other factor. This thesis is explored from an historical and an analytical perspective and the conclusion drawn is that the present leasing process limits the scope of alternative decisions. For although the Department of the Interior has demonstrated an increased sensitivity to a broad spectrum of environmental and economic issues in the micro‐decision process, such as specific tract nominations and oil spill prevention, they have remained reluctant to apply this sensitivity to the macro‐decision process, that process which determines the optimal utilization of our ocean and land resources.     

A break-even model for evaluating the cost of container ships waiting times and berth unproductive times in automated quayside operations

The planning, design and development of a container terminal with optimum size and capacity and with a minimum capital cost is fundamentally dependent upon the loading and discharging operations at the quayside. The quayside function of container terminals is dependent basically on the number of berths available to service the incoming container ships. The objective of the container terminals dealing and admitting the ongoing ship calls is to provide immediate berth and loading and discharging services to the container ships with a minimum costly waiting time and a maximum efficiency. Previously terminal planners used to build extra berths to provide service. During the last two decades the terminal operators have adopted automation technologies in loading and discharging operation of the container ships as an alternative to designing extra berths. Ship owners naturally expect least waiting times for their container ships. On the other hand, it is also natural for port operators in a container terminal with costly facilities to see a high berth occupancy and productivity at the quayside. This study uses queuing theory to find a break-even point as a way of evaluating the cost of container ship waiting times and the cost of berth unproductive service times for container terminals aiming to automate their quayside operation. The analysis illustrates that automation devices installed on conventional Quayside Cranes (QSCs) significantly reduce the turnaround time of the container ships calling at the ports. It argues, however, that there should be a balance between the cost of berth unproductive service times and the cost of vessel waiting times. The study introduces a break-even point to be considered as a benchmark for calculating such a balance. The analysis in this study can be used as a decision tool for the operators of container terminals in the medium to small ports to appraise the feasibility of an investment in automation or expansion of the quayside facilities.     

Editorial: Young maritime researchers—a note of respect

Globalization, liberalization, competition and spatial interaction are significant factors affecting the transformation of manufacturing industries worldwide. In the transportation and logistics industry, however, cooperation is becoming even more critical than competition in determining firms' efficiency. Cooperation has always characterized the liner sector in which strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions have generated twin effects: notable increases in ship size and falls in freight rates. Meanwhile, the stevedoring industry is undergoing privatization-driven consolidation and the emergence of global pure terminal operators. This article focuses on vertical integration between global carriers and terminal operators. We address the following key current issues: 1. dedicated terminals as a strategy for cutting costs and controlling integrated transport chains;

2. the struggle for supply chain control, involving global carriers versus global terminal operators, driven by financial power and technical and managerial capability.

We close analysing one of the core problems of the market, namely the evolving role of the dedicated terminals. For the pure stevedores they represent an opportunity to secure a cargo, while in the hands of the liners they enable cost stability and the possibility to put pressure on pure terminal operators.     

Examining the influence of firm performance on business risk-taking and the mediation effect of scale of operations in the container terminal industry

Container shipping and its related service sectors help accelerate globalization of the world economy. This industry has been experiencing rapid growth, prompting container terminal operators to increase their handling capacity in response. Providing container terminal services requires substantial capital investment in physical assets such as cargo handling facilities and information systems. On the other hand, operating container terminals is a long-term investment that typically spans several business cycles. Hence prudent asset management using appropriate tools is critical for container terminal operators to sustain their businesses. Generally, due to risk-adverseness, investors are unwilling to take more risk in their investment unless they can reap a higher return. Contrary to this argument, this study finds no direct influence of better firm performance as a proxy of higher return on business risk-taking by container terminal operators. Instead, scale of operations is positively associated with business risk-taking, suggesting that container terminal operators with a larger scale of operations are willing to take more business risk.     

阿布扎比哈里发港集装箱码头二期项目自动化堆场布置

针对阿布扎比哈里发港集装箱码头二期项目自动化堆场布置受较小的陆域纵深限制的问题,对两种自动化集装箱码头堆场布置方案进行对比研究,在码头前沿布置相同的前提下,自动化堆场平行布置方案比自动化堆场垂直方案有更多堆场能力。综合考虑堆场能力、自动化程度、人员投入、系统调试周期及装卸设备投资等各方面因素,确定本项目采用自动化堆场平行布置方案。     

Maritime liner shipping and the stevedoring industry: market structure and competition strategies

Globalization, liberalization, competition and spatial interaction are significant factors affecting the transformation of manufacturing industries worldwide. In the transportation and logistics industry, however, cooperation is becoming even more critical than competition in determining firms' efficiency. Cooperation has always characterized the liner sector in which strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions have generated twin effects: notable increases in ship size and falls in freight rates. Meanwhile, the stevedoring industry is undergoing privatization-driven consolidation and the emergence of global pure terminal operators. This article focuses on vertical integration between global carriers and terminal operators. We address the following key current issues:

• dedicated terminals as a strategy for cutting costs and controlling integrated transport chains;
• the struggle for supply chain control, involving global carriers versus global terminal operators, driven by financial power and technical and managerial capability.

We close analysing one of the core problems of the market, namely the evolving role of the dedicated terminals. For the pure stevedores they represent an opportunity to secure a cargo, while in the hands of the liners they enable cost stability and the possibility to put pressure on pure terminal operators.     

Internalization of port congestion: strategic effect behind shipping line delays and implications for terminal charges and investment

This paper develops a theoretical model to analyze the congestion internalization of the shipping lines, taking into account the ‘knock on’ effect (i.e. the congestion delay passed on from one port-of-call to the next port-of-call). We find that with the presence of the knock-on effect, liners will operate less in terminals, and an increase of a liner’s operation in one terminal will decrease its operation in the other. If the liners are involved in a Stackelberg competition, whether they operate more or less in a terminal under the knock-on effect depends on the comparison between the marginal congestion costs of terminals. Furthermore, we find that the coordinated profit-maximizing terminal charges are higher than both the socially optimal terminal charges and the independent profit-maximizing terminal charges. When the knock-on effect is small, the independent profit-maximizing terminal charges are set at higher levels than the socially optimal terminal charges; but when the knock-on effect is sufficiently large, this relationship may reverse. Besides, the capacity investment rules are the same for welfare-maximizing terminal operator and coordinated profit-maximizing terminal operator, while independent profit-maximizing terminal operators invest less in capacity. The larger the knock-on effect, the larger this discrepancy.     

Are the innovation processes in seaport terminal operations successful?

The maritime and port sector is widely considered conservative concerning the ability to introduce innovation in respect to other industries. This may be due to the lack of cooperative interactions among the several players involved. It does not mean that innovation does not occur in this industry. Along with some technical innovations, managerial, organizational, and cultural innovations also take place in the sector. The literature has considered the assessment and effects of the adoption of particular innovation, but still few studies underline the innovation path in a broad sense with a specific focus on terminal operators. The present article aims at filling this gap through a field analysis grouping together case studies developed in different world regions and examining the adoption path of innovation through a mix of three different techniques (i.e. the H- and I-indexes, a Systems of Innovation Analysis, and a Qualitative Comparative Analysis). Research outcomes underline how, even if no unique recipe for success can be found, specific factors (e.g. a ranking of innovation objectives, coordination among actors, and institutions) can influence the achievement of success. The analyses allow suggesting strategic and policy advice that may help link in a better way the innovation drivers with their actual effects.     

洋山四期自动化集装箱码头装卸工艺设计

针对洋山四期工程的特点,选择自动化装卸工艺系统,并通过对工艺系统设备选型和平面布置的细化和优化,较好地解决了码头装卸与水平运输环节的衔接、陆域狭小对大型深水泊位能力的制约、堆场海陆侧轨道吊作业量不均衡、互拖及运距长等主要问题,为发挥集装箱码头自动化的优势奠定基础。     

谈电子巡航在长江海事的应用

文文中介绍了长江海事局电子巡航的主要内容,提出了电子巡航系统平台的目前存在的问题及相关对策,对于提高巡航水平和能力有所借鉴。     

可持续发展战略与我国内河航运(下)

文章根据专题调查,结合我国经济建设必须坚持可持续发展战略,就内河航运的地位和作用,水资源的综合利用及内河航运体制等问题从参政议政角度提出书面政策建议。     

FPSO/FSO: State of the art

Floating productions systems have been utilized in remote offshore areas without a pipeline infrastructure for many years. However, they have become even more important with the push by the offshore industry into ever deeper waters. Floating production, storage, and offloading/floating storage and offloading (FPSO/FSO) systems have now become one of most commercially viable concepts for remote or deep-water oilfield developments. In this article, the advantages of FPSO systems are explained, and their present status of maturity and utilization around the world is reviewed. Recent trends in mooring systems, hull construction, safety, and operational issues are summarized from a technical viewpoint. Finally, the technical challenges and future prospects of two significant growth areas, i.e., gas-field development and deep-water development, are discussed. Received: June 24, 2002 / Accepted: July 17, 2002 Address correspondence to: Y. Shimamura (shimamura@modec.co.jp)     

深圳港大铲湾港区一期工程陆域平面布置设计细节及要点分析

通过总结大铲湾集装箱码头一期工程陆域平面布置设计思路,分析堆场、闸口、外部道路、高程等细部设计,探讨大型专业化集装箱码头陆域平面设计的重点内容及关键事项。同时为达到集约化使用土地、以最小的土地代价满足港区发展的需要提供了有益的尝试和借鉴。     

大型集装箱码头陆域布局优化

为解决宁波大榭招商国际集装箱码头现有陆域布局散乱、土地利用不充分、堆场容量不足的问题,对码头陆域布局进行优化研究,以期集约化利用土地,增强码头的竞争力和发展潜力。基于调研和分析,梳理当前陆域布局中存在的主要问题;对泊位通过能力和堆场容量的计算分析,合理确定码头总体的运量规模,并以此指导陆域布局调整和优化工作。从土地利用和堆场容量两个方面进行评价,优化工作取得良好的效果。研究提出一种大型集装箱码头陆域布局优化的可行思路,可为类似项目研究提供借鉴。