Improvement of Container Terminal Productivity with Knowledge about Future Transport Modes: A Theoretical Agent-Based Modelling Approach

Abstract

Despite all the achievements in improving container terminal performance in terms of equipment and container stacking systems (CSS), terminal operators are still facing several challenges. One of these challenges is the lack of information about further transportation modes of the container, which leads to extra movements of the container inside the stacking area. Hence, we aimed to examine factors that affect container handling processes and to evaluate a container terminal’s overall equipment effectiveness. This study used data from a container terminal at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. An agent-based model was developed based on a block-stacking strategy to investigate two scenarios: (1) having information about further transportation modes and (2) a base scenario. The Overall Equipment Effectiveness Index (OEE) was also adopted to evaluate the container terminal’s effectiveness in both scenarios. Results showed that having information on further transportation mode significantly increased the container outflow, and the OEE index improved compared to the base scenario’s results. Therefore, we recommend an integrated data-sharing system where all the stakeholders can share their information with no fear of losing their market share.