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Figure 1 Historical crane rates at Australian ports (Source BITRE Information

Sheet 55)

2.7 Container yard

Container yard capacity is measured in TEU throughput per gross hectare. The key factors
influencing this measure include:

 The area available.

 The distance the stacks are from the ship – longer distances, mean equipment has to
travel further, which reduces the number of containers that can be handled in a unit time
period.

 The manoeuvring requirements for terminal stacking equipment and density in which
containers can be stacked: straddle carriers result in lower densities than Rubber tyred
Gantry cranes or Automatic Stacking Cranes. Small terminals using reach stackers or
chassis operations give the lowest densities of all.
 average container dwell times for imports and exports, the longer a container resides in a
port, the longer that slot is occupied, and this reduces the number of times it can be re-
filled in a year.

 average stack heights

2.8 Landside interface

The landside interface is important in two aspects. Truck turnaround (container exchange) in the
terminal and the capacity of the local road network to handle the truck movements in and out of
the terminal.

2.8.1 Truck turnaround

A common measurement of the terminal’s service quality to road transport operators are truck
turnaround time (TTT) and the container exchange slot availability. TTT is the time between the
vehicle’s arrival at the terminal entrance gate and its departure from the terminal exit gate.

The TTT is driven by the performance of the terminal yard equipment in conjunction with the
trends on containers per truck, together with the number and location of truck exchange grids.

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 These factors directly affect the number of moves (lifts) and distance that terminal equipment
needs to travel over during the delivery and collection of containers. As yard equipment
numbers are finite, if port equipment is dedicated to the unloading of a ship, then the servicing
of road trucks can be impacted, which can result in queuing and congestion outside the
terminal. These factors are under the control of the Stevedore.
The overall performance is affected by the terminal configuration and choice in terminal yard
equipment. A key requirement is to have sufficient manoeuvring areas for larger trucks and
truck loading or unloading zones in optimal locations etc.
Trucks enter and depart the terminal via a ‘gate’, which is typically a booth that provides an
administrative function to confirm paperwork and the details of the container collection or
delivery are in order. In modern terminals this function is an ‘unmanned’ operation, using RFID
and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology employed to confirm truck particulars etc.
Smaller terminal utilise manual processes, comprising administrative staff and a window.

The terminal gate requires a sufficient number of ‘windows’, truck lanes and parking areas to
handle truck arrivals, such that queuing is tolerable even at peaks. These factors are also
controlled by vehicle booking systems that can smooth out the flow to set times and capacity.
The number of lanes, being driven by the processing time will also include an allowance for a
peaking factor recognising peak flows and gate capacity which should not become an
impediment to TTT.

2.8.2 Road network

The capacity of the local road network needs to match terminal truck movement characteristics.
Local road junctions and intersections should not impede the flow of trucks arriving and
departing the terminal. This again is important at peak times.

The characteristics of other traffic flows becomes important, and it is desirable to be able to
service the port 24 hours a day 365 days per year, as opposed to just daytime working periods.

2.9 Congestion, queuing and charges

In a commercially competitive port, there is a link between capacity, congestion and the fees
and charges that operators can command – as capacity is approached, stevedores are able to
charge higher fees for the same level of service. A key concern for port planners, is when does
congestion begin to become an issue, how rapidly does it grow and how does it drive higher
port charges?

2.9.1 Cost of the delays

Figure 2 illustrates the general relationship between the provision of additional berths, the
increased cost for the capital investment in the berth, and the reduction in costs due to the
reduced delays to shipping. It can be seen that there is a point where the capital and
operational costs are balanced.

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