Simulation-Based Port Storage Dimensioning to Mitigate Operational Instability

Port storage is an important resource in port operations, complex to manage and increasingly scarce. Considering the great disturbance in port operations due to lack of storage, this paper aims to propose a simulation-based approach for dimensioning the storage of port terminals. Discrete event simulation (DES) was applied in a test case of a container terminal, whose scope contains truck gates, container yard and ship berths. First, operational stability regimes were identified, which are dependent on the availability of storage static capacity. This availability, instead of directly affecting mean operational indicators, is related to the probability of storage shortage over time. Later, an approach for dimensioning port storage by means of simulation was proposed, which is based on recurrence time for a maximum required storage in the year. This approach is oriented to statistics and generalizable for port terminals with different characteristics. The results of this work may assist port managers to plan terminals with different cargo types, providing greater assertiveness of investment, minimizing the occurrence of congestion and hence improving port performance.