Effects of Terminal Size, Yard Block Assignment, and Dispatching Methods on Container Terminal Performance

Given the growth in ship size and increasing demands, it is essential for seaport container terminals to make well-founded tactical and operational decisions. Here, horizontal transport is an important element of container terminals, connecting seaside handling with container storage. An efficient design of horizontal transport, especially the assignment of vehicles to orders, strongly influences the terminal performance. Most existing scientific studies vary only individual parameters or dispatching strategies neglecting different terminal targets. This study approaches this research gap. In a discrete-event simulation model, the influence of various terminal parameters on dispatching strategies is examined, taking into account the terminal targets. The two most influencing terminal parameters, terminal size and yard block assignment to containers, are analyzed in detail. The results show that the best choice of yard block assignment and dispatching method for a given terminal size depends on the combination of both parameters and the aspired targets.