Operative requirements and advances for the new generation simulators in multimodal container terminals

Abstract

The paper outline the evolution of container terminal requirements for simulation and the potential of new advanced techniques in the integration with these aspects; the authors present application examples and experimental results that maximized the impact of these new concepts in real complex port realities.

Simulation and the Lean Port Environment

“…In this respect, Cargo Systems in 1999 acknowledged that simulation is fundamental and the most used form of simulation in port processes is the stochastic discrete-event model, though combined simulation is being used in particular cases (Bruzzone et al, 1999). The port industry, like shipping, is a very risky, capital intensive industry whose return on assets can only be assessed in a long-term perspective.…”

“…There is, however, a lack of research regarding the productivity of the overall process and subsequent decision-making. Bruzzone et al (1999) goes further and identifies a list of future port requirements that can be addressed by computer simulation. Simulation helps container terminal operators, harbour planners, port authorities, and consulting companies to evaluate the dynamic processes of container terminals.…”

“…It also proposes which processes are to be re-engineered whenever the bottlenecks identified can no longer be overcome by the adoption of incremental changes. A list of these bottlenecks was suggested by Bruzzone et al (1999) and even though they have focused on operational aspects, a point in case is that equipment performance in terms of speed, reliability, and breakdowns influences changes for the whole system behaviour.…”

A guideline for choosing the best modeling approach for maritime logistic simulation

“…Little understanding exists regarding the differences and similarities between the two simulation approaches, let alone understanding when should one approach be used instead of the other. As general rule of thumb is possible to use both approaches for modeling any system as proven by the Authors in many works [2] [3][8] however one issue is to "build" a simulation model another is to "extract knowledge" from a model in which the modeling strategies are playing a crucial role.…”

An energy-cost approach for evaluation of operating systems in container terminals

“…The decision is based on a cost model including fixed investment costs and variable operation costs. Bruzzone et al (1999Bruzzone et al ( , 1243 have demonstrated the effectiveness of a simulation model for supporting complex container port management. Saanen (2000) and Saanen et al (2003) have used simulation models to account for the cost values of different types of equipment to be installed at a terminal.…”