Storage yard management for a transhipment hub port / SCI Paper Writing Skills

Storage yard management for a transhipment hub port

In this presentation, we will discuss the importance of the storage yard management in transshipment hub port.  Unlike gateway ports, majority of the containers unloaded from arriving vessels do not leave the port premises but they will be loaded onto other vessels. The transhipment of containers results not only in generating more traffic movements within the terminal but also the containers comes from many vessels and are transported to many other vessels (multipoints to multipoints).  As one of the important considerations for a transshipment hub port, besides cost, is that it must be able to turn vessels quickly, the container movement activities require complex planning and coordination in the storage yard.  Furthermore, with the arrival of mega container vessels like the Emma Maersk has set a further challenge for port operators. Generally, terminal operators focus much attention on implementing quay side equipment technology to meet the new standard of terminal performance required to minimize mega-vessel port stay. However, overall terminal productivity will not benefit from faster quay cranes unless the storage and retrieval of containers from the storage yard can be done efficiently. The efficiency of the yard in turn is very much dependent on the storage yard plan – a plan of where and when activities (storage and retrieval) will take place in the storage yard. A storage yard strategy will be introduced to address this challenge.