Container terminal plays an important role to serve container vessel¡¦s loading and discharging in seaport. Owing to high sunk cost and resource limited in operating ( e.g. rental, quay and yard cranes, berth window, yard and so on ), container terminals are mostly run by government or conglomerate of joint carriers . Practically, there are many container terminal operation types in the world. Among them, Kaohsiung Harbor Authority ( KHB ) leases out all terminals to several vessel carriers and the terminal lessee serves hers own vessels. In such operation type, Kaohsiung port terminal industries are faced with resource limited and berth window shortage problems. Above all, under the prevailing of global alliance tendency and ports serious competition, the terminal lessees will have the pressures of lack in resource sharing advantage and cost increasing. In such situation, the terminal performance and efficiency will be deteriorated in the long run. Thus, how to seek a better way, even changing the operation type, to enhance Kaohsiung port competitive ability is an imminent problem. Therefore, in order to maintain the Kaohsiung port¡¦s competitive advantage in international seaports, this thesis aims to discuss and evaluate the possibility of joint-venture type in Kaohsiung container terminal. We take Los Angeles¡¦s joint-venture case, which is a success cooperation, as an emulating example. And we act the expert investigation by AHP analysis to process this study. Finally, we expect this conclusion and suggestions can provide an opportunity to relating organizations for further study enabling them to come up with a suitable operation type in Kaohsiung harbor.

This master thesis is divided into five chapters. In the first one, evolutionary trends in the international container transport are described along with the standardization process and typology of various container types. Second part characterizes different contracts used in international transport and points out diversities in the position of individual parties as per contract chosen. Third chapter goes more in detail into selected modes of container transport. The main transport mode (by volume), i.e. marine transport, is thoroughly analysed in the fourth chapter, which continues into the last part, where author compares market position of the three main european container terminals based on four pre-set criteria.

This thesis provides a software prototype of Container Terminal Management system with the help of a Multi Agent systems technology. The goal that has been tried to achieve during this research work was to solve the management issues residing in a CT. The software prototype can be implemented as simulation software that will help the Terminal Managers to take necessary decisions for the better productivity of CT. The CTs are struggling with taking proper management decisions. There are many policies implemented but the use of a certain policy at a proper time is the main issue. It is possible with simulation software to visualize the affects of decisions taken by the implementation of a policy and see the expected output. This can really improve the performance of a CT. The management decision problem is solved by modeling the whole CT in a computer modeling language. The prototype shows all the actors appearing in a CT in the form of Agents and these agents are responsible for carrying out certain tasks. The prototype is the final contribution along with partial implementation. The model is proposed to be a web based system which removes the platform dependability problem and provide availability online. / Qazi Sohail Ahmad: qazisohail101@gmaili.com Syed Sikandar Bakht: sikandarbakht101@gmail.com

This thesis provides a software prototype of Container Terminal Management system with the help of a Multi Agent systems technology. The goal that has been tried to achieve during this research work was to solve the management issues residing in a CT. The software prototype can be implemented as simulation software that will help the Terminal Managers to take necessary decisions for the better productivity of CT. The CTs are struggling with taking proper management decisions. There are many policies implemented but the use of a certain policy at a proper time is the main issue. It is possible with simulation software to visualize the affects of decisions taken by the implementation of a policy and see the expected output. This can really improve the performance of a CT. The management decision problem is solved by modeling the whole CT in a computer modeling language. The prototype shows all the actors appearing in a CT in the form of Agents and these agents are responsible for carrying out certain tasks. The prototype is the final contribution along with partial implementation. The model is proposed to be a web based system which removes the platform dependability problem and provide availability online.

To satisfy the transportation service request of clients and to control the associated costs are the main targets of marine container transportation industry. To achieve the transportation service for clients, plenty of participants and procedures are involved in the Marine Supply Chain (MSC), leading to the need of exchanging a huge amount of information. This study is focused on how and what kind of information sharing should be exchanged in these participants and procedures of Maritime Supply Chain. We use UMM (UN/CEFACT Modeling Methodology of ebXML business process) to investigate the business processes between participants in Marine Supply Chain. We also conducted a case study in an important location of maritime supply chain, i.e., Port Container Terminal to discuss about the information sharing content and sharing pattern in MSC processes. The result shows that in the marine cargo delivery process, Port Container Terminal is responsible for Berth Schedule Planning, Berth Planning, Yard Planning and Gate Planning to achieve the container transport service for the clients. Therefore, plenty of participants and procedures have to be involved in the Marine Supply Chain, and plenty of information have to be interchanged. However, beside Customs Clearance procedure, there are no common information technology platform and standard for information interchange in marine container transportation industry. To improve the service quality of domestic marine cargo delivery, we have to establish an information sharing system. Moreover, I personally hope this study can be used as a reference of information system analysis and design. Improving the information sharing standardization and building information sharing pattern can simplify and improve the procedures of marine cargo delivery system.

The most important issue at a container terminal is to minimize the ship’s turnaround time which is determined by the productivities of quay cranes (QCs). The tandem lift quay cranes have 33% higher productivities than single lift QCs. However, the tandem lift operations bring new challenges to the vehicle dispatching at terminals and this has become a big issue in the application of tandem lift QCs. The vehicle dispatching at terminals is to enhance the QCs’ productivities by coordinating the QCs’ operation schedules and the vehicles’ delivery schedules. The static version of the problem can be formulated as an MILP model and it is a combinational optimization problem. When the type of QC is tandem lift, the problem becomes more complicated because it requires two vehicles side by side under the QC. Thus, the alignments of vehicles have to be considered by coordinating the delivery schedules between vehicles. On the other hand, because the containers are operated alone by the yard cranes, the vehicles could not be grouped and dispatched in pairs all the time. This dissertation investigates the static and dynamic version of the problem and proposes heuristic methods to solve them. For the static version, Local Sequence Cut (LSC) Algorithm is proposed to tighten the search space by eliminating those feasible but undesirable delivery sequences. The time windows within which the containers should be delivered are estimated through solving sub-problems iteratively. Numerical experiments show the capability of the LSC algorithm to find competitive solutions in substantially reduced CPU time. To deal with the dynamic and stochastic working environment at the terminal, the dissertation proposes an on-line dispatching rule to make real-time dispatching decisions without any information of future events. Compared with the longest idle vehicle rule, the proposed priority rule shortens the makespan by 18% and increases the QCs’ average productivities by 15%. The sensitivity analysis stated that the superiority of the priority rule is more evident when the availability of vehicles is not sufficient compared with the frequency of releasing transportation requests.

[pt] Este trabalho consiste na análise da eficácia do projeto de adequação e modernização de um Terminal de contêineres localizado no Porto do Rio de Janeiro através do método quantitativo de análise data envelopmentanalysis (DEA), comparando a estrutura atual do terminal com a estrutura projetada tendo como outputs o número de contêineres movimentados e número de contêineres movimentados sobre o tempo de permanência dos navios no porto que serão projetados pela analise da demanda do setor e pelo um estudo de simulação em software Arena. / [en] This work consists in analyzing the effectiveness of the project of modernization and adaptation of a container terminal located at the Port of Rio de Janeiro by the quantitative method, data envelopment analysis (DEA). The project was used to compare the current structure of the terminal with the designed structure, based on outputs as the number of containers handled and the number of containers handled on the stay of ships in port, which will be designed by the analysis of sector demand and a simulation study in Arena software.

Terminais de contêineres (TC) e sistemas logísticos em geral, estão atualmente imersos em estruturas de negócio e ambientes operacionais altamente complexos e dinâmicos. Nesse ambiente, pesquisadores e usuários das ferramentas de PO são requisitados a resolver novos tipos de problemas, que surgem a partir de uma crescente complexidade interativa entre os elementos que constituem esses sistemas. Entretanto, parece estar faltando aos tomadores de decisão ferramentas capazes de lidar com sistemas que necessitam a consideração de processos interdependentes, compostos por elementos interagindo e tomando decisões de maneira descentralizada. Neste cenário, a simulação baseada em agentes (SBA) é tida como uma ferramenta potencial para o desenvolvimento e análise de sistemas logísticos, uma vez que ela é capaz de construir análises de sistemas cujo comportamento está associado a propriedades emergentes decorrentes das interações entre seus componentes (agentes). Assim, a SBA é considerada uma possibilidade de abordagem para sistemas logísticos, capaz de tratar questões complexas ainda não tangenciadas por metodologias de simulação tradicionais. Apesar do potencial alegado, a aplicação da SBA ainda é incipiente no campo logístico, representada com baixo nível de maturidade na literatura. Dessa forma, o objetivo do trabalho é desenvolver uma aplicação SBA representando uma operação full-scale do pátio de um TC, a fim de confirmar a SBA como uma ferramenta potencial para representar sistemas logísticos , capaz de apoiar processos de tomada de decisão maduros. Com base no desenvolvimento proposto foi possível, metodologicamente e de maneira prática, avaliar a utilização de SBA, seus benefícios, dificuldades, desdobramentos técnicos e outras questões. Essa avaliação permitiu concluir que a SBA cumpre as promessas de flexibilidade, representatividade e potencial de sofisticação para representação de sistemas logísticos. Além disso, observou-se que a metodologia foi capaz de estender sua contribuição no sentido de expandir algumas das fronteiras conceituais da metodologia de simulação, tais como a discussão sobre o conceito de modelagem genérica e a integração entre simulação-otimização. / Container terminals (CTs), and logistics systems in general, are nowadays immersed in a dynamic and highly complex business and operational environment. Thus, researches and users of OR are being called to solve new types of logistics system problems, born from this growing interactive complexity between the system\'s elements. However, what seems to be missing in the decision-makers OR toolbox are tools able to deal with systems that need to consider several interconnected and interdepend functions and process. In this scenario, agent-based simulation (ABS) is considered to hold high promises for developing complex logistics systems, based on the fact that it is able to build analysis of systems whose behavior is associated to emergent properties deriving from interactions between its basic constituent elements (agents). ABS is considered rather a new approach for simulating systems, able to challenge more complex questions, not answered by traditional simulation methodology. Despite the advocate potential of ABS, its application still incipient within the logistic field, lacking in terms of maturity in literarture. In that way, the objective of the work is to develop an ABS application representing a full-scale CT yard management operation, in order to confirm ABS as a potential tool to represent logistics systems and support mature decision making processes. Based on the proposed development, the work is be able to conceptually, methodologically and practically evaluate the utilization of ABS - its benefits, difficulties, application unfolding, new representation boundaries and other possibilities. This evaluation allowed concluding that the ABS fulfills the high flexibility, representability and promises for logistics systems, even extending its contribution to some of the conceptual frontiers of the simulation methodology, such as generic modeling methodology discussion and simulation-optimization integration.

Uma compreensão aprofundada da dinâmica de competição portuária é particularmente importante dado o contexto atual do setor, que orienta à outorga de novos portos e terminais no Brasil, à luz da Nova Lei dos Portos, Lei Nº 12.815 de 2013. A avaliação dos reais impactos decorrentes do aumento de capacidade portuária em cada região será atividade fundamental para que, por um lado, o poder público oriente a alocação efetiva de recursos, sem prejudicar a operação dos complexos existentes; e para que a iniciativa privada, por sua vez, possa compreender os impactos dos possíveis novos empreendimentos sobre as suas operações e delinear estratégias comerciais compatíveis com o novo cenário competitivo. A partir de extensa revisão bibliográfica e da aplicação de técnicas a casos específicos, o presente trabalho detalha a dinâmica competitiva entre terminais de contêineres e avalia criticamente seis métodos utilizados para identificar a existência de competição: correlação de market share, comparação de taxas de ocupação, sobreposição de escalas marítimas, comparação de custos logísticos terrestres, representatividade da região de influência contestável e existência de poder de mercado sobre a região de influência. Dos seis métodos analisados, dois apresentam conclusões fulminantes para a questão, embora sua aplicação demande grande volume de informações; um é assertivo em condições normais de distribuição geográfica de cargas; dois apresentam condições necessárias, porém não suficientes para a identificação de competição; e um deve ser aplicado com ressalvas, uma vez que pode levar a conclusões equivocadas. / A further comprehension of port competition dynamics is particularly important in the current context of port sector in Brazil, which guides to the granting of new ports and maritime terminals, based on the Law no. 12.815 of 2013, the New Law of Ports. The evaluation of the real impacts arising from port capacity expansion in each region will be a crucial activity. One the one hand, the authorities must ensure the ideal resource allocation, while safeguarding existing terminals. On the other, the private initiative must comprehend the impacts of new terminals upon their operations, in order to draw up new commercial strategies compatible with the new competitive scenario. This study, based on an extensive bibliographic review and on the application of techniques to specific cases, details the competition dynamics among container terminals and evaluates critically six methods that allow its identification: market shares correlation, occupancy rates comparison, ship calls overlapping, terrestrial logistic costs comparison, contestable influence region representativeness and the existence of significant market power. Among the six analyzed methods, two present fulminant conclusions about competition existence, but they depend on a large volume of well detailed information; one shows assertive conclusion regarding normal condition of cargo geographical distribution; other two represent a necessary, although not sufficient, condition for competition and one must be used under reservations, once it may lead to erroneous conclusions.

Terminais de contêineres (TC) e sistemas logísticos em geral, estão atualmente imersos em estruturas de negócio e ambientes operacionais altamente complexos e dinâmicos. Nesse ambiente, pesquisadores e usuários das ferramentas de PO são requisitados a resolver novos tipos de problemas, que surgem a partir de uma crescente complexidade interativa entre os elementos que constituem esses sistemas. Entretanto, parece estar faltando aos tomadores de decisão ferramentas capazes de lidar com sistemas que necessitam a consideração de processos interdependentes, compostos por elementos interagindo e tomando decisões de maneira descentralizada. Neste cenário, a simulação baseada em agentes (SBA) é tida como uma ferramenta potencial para o desenvolvimento e análise de sistemas logísticos, uma vez que ela é capaz de construir análises de sistemas cujo comportamento está associado a propriedades emergentes decorrentes das interações entre seus componentes (agentes). Assim, a SBA é considerada uma possibilidade de abordagem para sistemas logísticos, capaz de tratar questões complexas ainda não tangenciadas por metodologias de simulação tradicionais. Apesar do potencial alegado, a aplicação da SBA ainda é incipiente no campo logístico, representada com baixo nível de maturidade na literatura. Dessa forma, o objetivo do trabalho é desenvolver uma aplicação SBA representando uma operação full-scale do pátio de um TC, a fim de confirmar a SBA como uma ferramenta potencial para representar sistemas logísticos , capaz de apoiar processos de tomada de decisão maduros. Com base no desenvolvimento proposto foi possível, metodologicamente e de maneira prática, avaliar a utilização de SBA, seus benefícios, dificuldades, desdobramentos técnicos e outras questões. Essa avaliação permitiu concluir que a SBA cumpre as promessas de flexibilidade, representatividade e potencial de sofisticação para representação de sistemas logísticos. Além disso, observou-se que a metodologia foi capaz de estender sua contribuição no sentido de expandir algumas das fronteiras conceituais da metodologia de simulação, tais como a discussão sobre o conceito de modelagem genérica e a integração entre simulação-otimização. / Container terminals (CTs), and logistics systems in general, are nowadays immersed in a dynamic and highly complex business and operational environment. Thus, researches and users of OR are being called to solve new types of logistics system problems, born from this growing interactive complexity between the system\'s elements. However, what seems to be missing in the decision-makers OR toolbox are tools able to deal with systems that need to consider several interconnected and interdepend functions and process. In this scenario, agent-based simulation (ABS) is considered to hold high promises for developing complex logistics systems, based on the fact that it is able to build analysis of systems whose behavior is associated to emergent properties deriving from interactions between its basic constituent elements (agents). ABS is considered rather a new approach for simulating systems, able to challenge more complex questions, not answered by traditional simulation methodology. Despite the advocate potential of ABS, its application still incipient within the logistic field, lacking in terms of maturity in literarture. In that way, the objective of the work is to develop an ABS application representing a full-scale CT yard management operation, in order to confirm ABS as a potential tool to represent logistics systems and support mature decision making processes. Based on the proposed development, the work is be able to conceptually, methodologically and practically evaluate the utilization of ABS - its benefits, difficulties, application unfolding, new representation boundaries and other possibilities. This evaluation allowed concluding that the ABS fulfills the high flexibility, representability and promises for logistics systems, even extending its contribution to some of the conceptual frontiers of the simulation methodology, such as generic modeling methodology discussion and simulation-optimization integration.