How to Effectively Plan Container Terminal Operations - Guide to Successfully Organize Terminal Operations on a Daily Basis

As one of the most integral logistical activities that take place in seaports, terminal operations must be planned in order for the shipping business to run smoothly. Whether it's discharging or loading, the high demand on service capacities makes everyday operations a challenge for most container terminals. From ensuring that goods move through the terminal efficiently to managing stakeholder demands, here's how to create an effective plan to keep the terminal operating at full strength.

 Container Terminal Operations | img via flickr

Understand and Cater to Each Stakeholder

One of the main reasons why terminal operations run into daily issues and delays are that the needs of one stakeholder are placed above others by those who are managing the seaport. Every terminal is answerable to not only importers, exporters and ship-owners but also freight forwarders, government institutions, port workers and shippers. Freight forwarders, on the one hand, want their containers to spend as little time as possible in terminals so they don't have to pay high storage costs while exporters and importers worry about their products arriving safely and being delivered on time. This is why it is important to take the main goal of each stakeholder into consideration when planning daily operations as all parties must be catered to.

Planning for Berths 

As the first item on the docket when managing a container terminal, every berth must be assigned to an arriving vessel without delay. As the ship will occupy the berth during its stay inside the port, it is necessary to do this in advance. Organizers must also take care to calculate the distance between the berth and the yard in order to cut down on how far delivery trucks need to travel. Berth planners have come into the fray in recent years and tools such as Gantt are perfect for those who wish to outsource allocating berths. It is also necessary to be mindful of tidal conditions as larger ships will need fair warning as well as berths in specific locations during low tide.

Vessel and Crane Duties 

Before the ships arrive, shipping lines will typically share the plan for stowage through the Electronic Data Interchange or EDI. Every terminal's shipping planner must use these instructions to figure out the sequence in which the goods in the container will be loaded or discharged and ensure that the stability of the ship is not compromised during the process. The main goal in this instance is to minimize the time it takes to load or discharge goods from ship to shore. While there are last minute changes in some instances, it is important to address these alternations as fast as they come. 

Yard Prep

Whether it's at South Asia Gateway Terminals or any other container handling hub, yard planners must also divide up the space available so that the transportation from the gate to the yard to the quay do not take more time than necessary. Deciding on where to stack and store goods so that the operational costs are low is also key while minimizing the number of times where rehandles take place is also crucial.

Planning for Vehicles

South Asian container terminal facilities must deal with a large number of workers and delivery vehicles that arrive at regular intervals to pick up goods. In addition to making sure the vehicles do not travel longer distances than they need to, yard planners must also assign yard cranes and support staff to unload the containers. This means delivery trucks will not have to linger too long inside the container yard. The driving routes established for the vehicles must also be clearly indicated to lower traffic.

Plan for Terminal Staff

No container terminal can function efficiently without a productive staff and workforce. Scheduling the working calendar so that the terminal is fully staffed at all times, 24 hours a day, is therefore, an absolute necessity. The employee schedule must also correlate with the crane and vessel arrivals as well as delivery time slots.