The article deals with a current problem faced by all ports: how to enable container terminals to keep up with the development of container ships, which, due to economies of scale, are constantly increasing in size. One solution that can help small container ports solve this problem is a use of a Decision Support Tool (DST). The DST is based on simulations and identifications of the container terminal components that require optimization for the reception of the desired ship size in a given port. It consists of the six parts of the terminal that define the operational ship-to-shore system that determines the quality of service when a ship is in the port. A DST was tested on the real data of twelve Mediterranean container terminals. Special focus was made on the optimization possibilities of the container terminal in the port of Koper.

Background In 2017, smaller container ports handled approximately 22% of total containerized cargo. Nowadays liner operators are calling on those ports with larger ships and demanding fast and efficient turnaround of the ships in port. This is possible only if the berth has the right capacities, is working properly and achieves a good productivity level. Methodology Productivity level does not depend only on the quay crane capacities but also the transfer mechanisation, of which the main function is to serve quay cranes on one side and yard cranes on the other side. Choosing the correct type and number of vehicles to transfer container units from berth to yard has become a very important decision in every container terminal. Results In small container terminals yard trucks represents the most common type of transfer mechanization. That is why this research is based on the allocation of the right number of yard trucks to quay cranes in order to assure better productivity levels in the berth and yard subsystems. For this purpose, a discrete-event simulation modelling approach is used. The approach is applied to a hypothetical small container terminal, which includes operations on the berth-yard-berth relation.

Uprkos velikom broju istraživanja, zaključci o ulozi strategija prevladavanja u razvoju izgaranja još uvek nisu definitivni. Generalno se smatra da korišćenje strategije aktivnog rešavanja problema obično ublažava izgaranje, dok korišćenje izbegavajuće strategije pojačava njegove simptome. Ipak, mnogi autori smatraju da merenje takvih, generalnih strategija prevladavanja nije naročito korisno u proceni njihove efektivnosti, kao i da ne postoji najbolji način prevladavanja, već da upotreba određenih strategija u velikoj meri zavisi od konteksta. Terluin i saradnici (Terluin et al., 2004) su predložili generalni model distresa, prevladavanja i izgaranja, koji pretpostavlja da stresori uzrokuju distres koji mobiliše osobu da aktivira određene strategije prevladavanja sa ciljem minimiziranja efekata tih stresora, odnosno smanjivanja nivoa distresa. Osim toga, stresori direktno vode aktiviranju strategije rešavanja problema, čiji je cilj da, ukoliko je to moguće, iznađu rešenje problema (odnosno da eliminišu stresore). U zavisnosti od toga koliko su te strategije uspešne, distres će se, u većoj ili manjoj meri, razviti u izgaranje. Glavni cilj ovog istraživanja je da se testira potencijalna medijaciona uloga strategija prevladavanja u relaciji između stresora, distresa i izgaranja. Ukupno 264 ispitanika (152 žene i 112 muškaraca) učestvovalo je u istraživanju. Ispitanici su popunili Skalu izvora stresa na radu, Inventar strategija prevladavanja, Skalu distresa iz četvorodimenzionalnog upitnika simptoma anksioznosti i depresivnosti, kao i Skalu izgaranja na radu preuzetu iz Kopenhagen inventara izgaranja. Osnovne hipoteze istraživanja: (1) stresori će imati direktan efekat na distres i izgaranje, (2) strategija rešavanja problema će biti parcijalni medijator u relaciji stresora i izgaranja, (3) traženje socijalne podrške i izbegavajuća strategija će imati parcijalnu medijacionu ulogu u relaciji distresa i izgaranja, i (4) distres će imati parcijalnu medijacionu ulogu u relaciji stresora i izgaranja. Finalni model putanje pokazao je zadovoljavajuće indekse podesnosti, χ2(5) = 6.84, p > .05, GFI = .99, CFI = .99; RMSEA = .04 (90% CI = .00; .10); NFI = .98, NNFI = .98, SRMR = .03. Rezultati analize puta su pokazali da stresori zaista imaju direktan efekat, kako na distres, tako i na izgaranje. Takođe, distres je imao direktan efekat na izgaranje (hipoteze 1 i 4 podržane). Konačno, suprotno hipotezama 2 i 3, nijedna od tri strategije prevladavanja nije ostvarila statistički značajan efekat na izgaranje. Dobijeni rezultati još jednom su pokazali da merenje strategija prevladavanja na ovakav način nije naročito korisno u razumevanju njihove uloge u stres procesu. Poučeni rezultatima ovih i mnogih prethodnih istraživanja, pozivamo istraživače da u budućim istraživanjima više pažnje posvete specifičnom kontekstu u kome zaposleni koriste svoje strategije prevladavanja, kao i da se fokusiraju na konkretne misli i ponašanja koje zaposleni koriste u prevladavanju stresa. Sprovedena studija ima i izvesne nedostatke: sve mere su dobijene samoprocenom ispitanika, a osim toga, ispitivani su generalni izvori stresa, a ne specifični za svako zanimanje i radnu poziciju. U budućim istraživanjima trebalo bi više pažnje posvetiti specifičnim dimenzijama izvora stresa (poput emocionalnog rada, konflikta uloge i sl.), a mere uzimati iz više izvora (npr. zaposleni i njihovi pretpostavljeni).

Container terminals are the main hubs of the global supply chain but, conversely, they play an important role in energy consumption, environmental pollution and even climate change due to carbon emissions. Assessing the environmental impact of this type of port terminal and choosing appropriate mitigation measures is essential to pursue the goals related to a clean environment and ensuring a good quality of life of the inhabitants of port cities. In this paper the authors present a Terminal Decision Support Tool (TDST) for the development of a container terminal that considers both operation efficiency and environmental impacts. The TDST provides environmental impact mitigation measures based on different levels of evolution of the port’s container traffic. An application of the TDST is conducted on the Port of Augusta (Italy), a port that is planning infrastructural interventions in coming years in order to gain a new role as a reference point for container traffic in the Mediterranean.

Nowadays smaller container terminals are facing an increase in traffic and ship sizes and are consequently subject to extreme pressure form ship-owners that require rapid and efficient transhipment operations in the port, the achievement of which is only possible with the assignment of the proper type and number of quay cranes to each ship and with a good level of synergy between the cranes and the transfer mechanisation. The latter has a significant impact on the cranes working and waiting times and affects the entirety of berth operations. Existing terminals that cannot afford to invest in new modern horizontal transport technologies are most commonly using yard trucks that provide less efficient port transfer operations. That is why in the paper a simulation approach has been used in order to determine how a different number of yard trucks assigned to a single quay crane can affect the productivity of that crane and the productivity of the whole berth subsystem.