An integrated simulation model for channel contention and berth management at a maritime container terminal

The extension and application of a queuing network model to the management of core logistic processes at the Gioia Tauro marine container terminal is presented. Real features incorporated in the model require simulation to solve it. A manager-friendly simulator is designed for the real case study, under the constraint of guaranteeing a finer representation of: the congestion phenomenon at the port channel; the port admission policy for newly arrived vessels in the roadstead; the management of berthing slots; the assignment of cranes for discharge/loading operations. The application software is presented through a detailed discussion of its features, as these appear on panel for system definition and analysis. The simulator computes point and interval estimates for system performance measures. Statistical computations are based upon the issue of batching elementary observations either within the same run or across multiple runs. Simulation experiments are presented and discussed with the aim of recommending a cost-effective method for interval estimates in quantitative scenario analysis.