testata inforMARE
Cerca
02 July 2025 - Year XXIX
Independent journal on economy and transport policy
07:42 GMT+2
LinnkedInTwitterFacebook
FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics
The World Bank

MEASURING PORT PERFORMANCE

Patrick Fourgeaud



1 - PREAMBLE

This note proposes a more customized approach of indicators used to monitor port performance, forecast development and set targets in port sector projects. The main points are that, in most cases, it is not possible to determine benchmarks which would be applicable for any port, and that all expressions of port performance do not address the same requirements. Therefore, carefully identifying problems to be monitored and taking into account the main characteristics of the commercial activity should lead to more accurate indicators and targets.

Available data: In public ports, expressions of port performance are based on data recorded by port authorities which traditionally tend to focus on traffic recordings and parameters used in tariffing of port services. Most available and reliable data are related to the maritime interface where information is more easily collected than on the land interface. Port Authorities usually monitor berth occupancy and dwelling time of ships, characteristics of calls, performance of ship-to-shore cargo handling and availability of the main pieces of handling equipment. Additional but often less reliable data may be available as regards landward operations: dwelling time of cargo in ports' warehouses and storage areas, characteristics of Customs and other administrative procedures and, rarely, performance of handling for pick-up and delivery of goods...

Most of the time, developing a relevant set of indicators would require more information; a survey is the only way to identify whether existing data are reliable, the cause and extent of existing problems and the way they could be monitored.

Whatever criteria are chosen, they must be associated with a precise definition of what is recorded, as all port authorities do not take into account all parameters the same way; for example, they may include empty containers, shifted and transshipped boxes or the tare weight of unitized goods.

Forecast: These indicators are often used to forecast port productivity and assess future capacity. Computerized simulation systems can give accurate estimates of berth capacity and ships' waiting time. Various statistical programs designed for all purpose process modeling or specialized in transportation and port logistics may be used. This note will remind of some simplifications of the queuing theory, which can give rough estimates in some simple cases.

Performance and competitiveness: These expressions of performance display mainly a technical capacity. But shippers and ship-owners have additional requirements; they are also looking for:

  • reliability: a steady and predictable performance adapted to shipping lines schedules;

  • cost: a high performance at a competitive and predictable cost;

  • quality: no overage, no wastage or pilferage or any damage registered during handling and storage ope-rations. Progressively, producers and transporters have to comply with international standards (ISO 9000 or equivalent) and get their process certified; ports, at least those operating in a competitive environment, have to catch up with this trend;

  • adaptability: a capacity to listen to their problems and needs, negotiate and propose solutions.

A port is also a link in the transport chain and, of course, similar requirements apply as regards capacity, performance and quality of connections with short-sea and feeder shipping lines, and with inland transportation networks : road, rail, barges.

Complying with these requirements results is competitiveness and, ultimately, growing market share; ports process more traffic and shippers benefit from lower freight rates and insurance premiums. This can be assessed mainly indirectly. Fortunately, performance and competitiveness are more or less linked: high productivity is often synonymous with reliability and quality and, not systematically, with low costs. Therefore, performance and cost targets are an acceptable approximation of competitiveness.

1.2- technical valuation of port performance

Port operations are increasingly specialized and processed in dedicated terminals but many flows of goods are still handled at general purpose berths. Depending on the case, port performance should be assessed for an homogenous set of berths or a terminal. It is usually expressed as the average number of calls and the average flow-volume or weight-of goods over a standard period of time; number of calls per berth and per year, volume or weight of cargo handled per hour, per call or per day, per gang or per crane.

In addition, other criteria can be used to see how existing capacity and performance meet the requirements of: i) the shipper or the ship-owner: mainly average waiting time of ship, dwelling time of cargo and data related to quality if possible, and: ii) of the Port Authority: basically berth occupancy rate and global traffic.

All these parameters are not equivalent:

  • "snap-shot"performance (recorded during an hour, a shift, a call) describes the technical capacity of a terminal; a flow of goods recorded within a larger period depends also on parameters related to competitiveness, market share, seasonal effects, berthing capacity etc.

  • Some of them are used to monitor specific points of concern for port authorities, operators or clients and cannot improve simultaneously. For example, Port Authorities are looking for relatively high berth occupancy rates whereas shippers do not accept significant waiting time.

1.3- explanatory factors

High performance is observed in private terminals and poorest performance is often associated with ports run by public Port Authorities, still in charge of cargo handling and maintenance of equipment. Beyond such a statement, explaining a poor or a good performance may require a more thorough analysis.

Exceptionally high performances occur when all parameters concur positively: as far as containers are concerned, the typical high-performing terminal is dedicated to one or a few shipping lines and privately run, processes regular and well timed calls of large ships, with economies of scale allowing it to be geared with the most high-performing gantry cranes, and handles shipments representing the major part of the ship capacity. Similar parameters can be mentioned in the case of bulk (freighted) traffic.

Conversely, in poor performing ports, many causes, often interrelated, may be mentioned,:

  • Physical characteristics, mainly: nautical access: dredging backlog and other factors narrowing the access time-slot; land access: ill-maintained pavements, restricted access to land-transportation networks; and port capacity: lack of berths and storage areas, insufficient room for modern ship to shore operations;

  • Organizational parameters, related to ships: old ships with narrow hatches, large tween decks, slow moving derricks, spending too long idle time at berth; cargo: ill packaged, non unitized, damaged goods, organization of lashing-unlashing of containers; handling capacity: unsuitable and ill-maintained handling equipment, poorly trained work force, not enough crane drivers, unsuitable, congested and poorly managed storage areas; organization: non-productive methods, ill prepared calls, too restricted working-time, unwillingness of port operators to work at night, commercial operations interfering with ship-to-shore operations, excessive dwelling time of cargo for commercial motives, documentation delays; procedures: lengthy customs and other administrative procedures and controls, corruption.

Public port authorities but also other administrations, port operators, ship-owners, and shippers, involved in this process with their own objectives, may be partly responsible for these shortcomings. A rapid survey of the situation should help identify the main causes of the problems and choose adapted criteria to monitor further progress.

1.4- measuring port performances - basics

Poor performances are generally due to the organization of handling and storage operations and of maintenance. Therefore, the most common and practical way to measure port performance is to check whether organization and yard equipment can match the actual capacity of the main hoisting machines: generally quay cranes or gantries, which are the most expensive and high-performing pieces of equipment.

The first step consists in determining the nominal and the optimum-or commercial-output:

  • The nominal output of a crane or a gantry is the theoretical result when all parameters are optimized and reliability is absolute; it can be precisely assessed by taking into account :

    . the average load to be handled:

    .. break-bulk and unitized traffic: unit load plus accessories: spreaders... ;

    .. dry bulk traffic : weight of buckets plus capacity x density of product,

  • the average duration of a whole handling cycle (loading or unloading), taking into account the length and speed of each elementary move: hoist, translation, rotation, lowering and back to hold, with and without the load, according to the manufacturer's technical specifications;

  • The commercial output is lower; due to various factors:

    . physical factors such as nautical and weather conditions impairing average performance: tide, swell, wind or rain;

    . factors related to port operations: average ships' characteristics, time spent in stowage, trimming, for opening or closing of hatch-covers, lashing-unlashing of containers, etc.

    . equipment related factors: standard reliability of cranes, the time it takes to shift them, to change buckets or spreaders, and organization of work, i.e.: proportion of effective work-time during a shift;

The second step is to identify the main causes of poor performance and choosing adapted and measurable criteria.

Over a long period of time, additional delays must be deduced from the commercial output to take into account the extra time spent by ships when they are berthed, before and after commercial operations, waiting for various motives: due to nautical and weather constraints, because of locks or swaying bridges, waiting for port services (bunkerage, repairs), because of non flexible working time.

Benchmark: Most container gantry cranes have a theoretical output of 35 to 40 moves per hour or more. The commercial output, depending on local conditions, varies usually from 15 to 35 in average, with peak performance nearing theoretical performance.

The Delta Sea-Land Terminal at Rotterdam has recently invested in double-trolley gantry cranes and a fully integrated and automatized system between ships and stacking areas which is intended to reach 50 TEUs per hour and per hold, i.e., almost doubling the usual output.

In the case of continuous handling of bulk products, the commercial performance may be closer to the theoretical output (80 to 90 %) with peak performance exceeding theoretical performance, depending on the reliability of equipment and the characteristics and number of products to be handled during a call.

As far as the performance of the land interface is concerned, the problem is generally the lack of data;

  • Average cargo dwelling time. A distinction should be drawn between the impact of customs and other administrative procedures, of shortcomings in storage management and cargo handling, and of commercial practices (e.g., when port storage is less expensive than private warehousing). The average dwelling time should not exceed 5 days for containers, 7 to 10 days for general cargo, two weeks for bulk products. Commercial constraints may lead to longer delays.

  • the average time spent by a trailer waiting for its load to be located, handled, and to get its clearance, is usually known only through occasional surveys, even though pick-up and delivery of goods often accounts for a large part of the port congestion and inefficiency. It should not exceed 4 to 6 hours. 2 hours are the norm in modern container terminals.

Regarding equipment reliability, two parameters must be identified: i) the reliability in operation, i.e., the number and length of breakdowns occurring during commercial operations and: ii) the average availa-bility, after deduction of planned maintenance and all breakdowns.

For small pieces of equipment like tractors, trailers, forklifts, availability should be very high (95 % or higher), provided that their number matches the demand and standard preventive maintenance is performed.

Regarding gantries, cranes, RTGs, breakdowns may occur and stop port operations; with normal preventive maintenance, most of them should be limited to electricity and automation problems and repaired within a few hours. Availability should be more than 90 %. The norm in modern terminals is close to 98 %, or 2% unscheduled downtime.

An occasional lack of gantry-cranes drivers may reduce the above availability ; this parameter is not always identified.


2 - APPLICATION

2.1 - containers

Container terminals performance depends on:

  • ratio loaded vs. unloaded containers: empty boxes are not always included in the port statistics (they may be considered as other tare weights) but have to be handled;

  • unproductive moves, i.e., the handling of all the containers that do not have to be unloaded but have to be moved: mostly empty and light containers and those containing hazardous materials, loaded on top or on the deck;

  • the level of automation of the gantry-cranes; one of the limiting phases of the handling cycle is the time spent positioning accurately the spreader on a container (loading), or the container on a trailer, a MAFI trailer (specialized equipment used to shift containers within port limits) or a chassis maneuvering on the apron (unloading).

Most modern gantries are automated and equipped with anti-sway devices, and now, the problem is more the capacity to deliver or remove containers without delaying ship-to-shore operations.

  • the average weight of containers and the proportion of containers requiring special attention: flats, liquid bulks, reefers etc.; and the mix of containers of various sizes: 20'/40'/45' which will require to maneuver or change spreaders;

  • commercial constraints; most of the lines calling at a port may have similar commercial constraints, leading to unevenly distributed calls.

Highest performance is observed during calls of large container-carriers loading and unloading a large number of containers, with balanced flows of full containers in and out; terminals dedicated to a single company can be highly productive (mainly East-West traffic);

Various analytical approaches have been proposed; in 1998, Drewry proposed linear functions of the vessel size and of the proportion of the ship's capacity to be handled during one call.

(source: Drewry Shipping consultants: World Container Terminals 1997).



As far as costs are concerned, and since containerization is a completely standardized process, it is widely accepted that there is a single benchmark for all terminals operating a main flow of containers in optimum conditions: about US$100 for all handling and storage costs from ship to gate. Practically, real costs may vary from US$ 80-90 in some terminals to more than US$ 400.

the case study below compares two different situations in order to demonstrate how different parameters may affect performances.

Case no. 1: ship size: 3rd generation and larger, length: about 300 m, calling for 1,000 containers or 1,500 TEUs, average load per TEU:10 ton, proportion of 40-foot containers: 50 %, proportion of empty containers: 10 %, 2 to 3 gantries per ship (3 gangs),

In that case, the capacity of the gantry cranes can be fully exploited: the commercial output can be 25 to 30 move / hour / crane in average.

According to the above assumptions, performances can be expressed as follows:

TEU f = TEU full
TEU e = TEU empty

ratios : 37.5 to 45 TEU f+e /hour/gantry, 34 to 40 TEU f /hour/gantry
94 to 135 TEU f+e /hour, 85 to 120 TEU f /hour, 850 to 1,200 ton/hour,
2 to 3 shifts are required
1 call / 2 days, 180 calls, 180,000 cts 2 calls / 3 days, 240 calls, 240,000 cts
240,000 TEU f /year1, 320,000 TEU f /year
2,400,000 ton/year, 3,200,000 ton/year
8,000 ton/year per meter of berth 10,600 ton/year/meter of berth

This computation presupposes that several berths are available; a one berth configuration would not be flexible enough and could not perform efficiently; as soon as ships are moored, stevedoring operations are supposed to start; they sail off at the end of commercial operations without delay.

Ratios higher than 10,000 ton/year per meter of quay length may be obtained: i) when large container carriers are fully loaded or unloaded; ii) if traffic and port organization allow to raise the berth occupancy rate without congestion; for example, with 6 calls per week, i.e., 300 calls per year, the ratio becomes: 13,250 ton/year/meter of berth.

Conversely, lower performances are recorded when smaller container-carriers call for a limited number of containers and have to handle many empty boxes (mainly North-South traffic);

case no. 2: ship size: 1st and 2nd generation, length: less than 250 m, calling for 700 TEUs or 500 containers, average load per TEU: 13 ton, proportion of 40-foot containers: 40 %, proportion of empty containers: 30 %, 1 to 2 cranes and 1 or 2 ship derricks (3 gangs) per call, 2 calls every 3 days;

Performance: 20 to 25 move/hour with gantry-crane, 12 to 15 move/hour with cranes or derricks,

With this new set of assumptions, the former expressions of performance are modified as follows:

ratios : 28 to 35 TEU f+e /hour/gantry, 17 to 21 TEU f+e /hour/ crane or derrick,
62 to 91 TEU f+e /hour,
20 to 25 TEU f /hour/gantry, 12 to 15 TEU f /hour/ crane or derrick,
44 to 65 TEU f /hour/,
572 to 845 ton/hour,
2 shifts are required
120,000 TEU/year per berth, (1 cf previous case)
1,550,000 ton/year, 6,200 ton/year per meter of berth length.

This last result must be compared with 10,000 ton/m in case no.1; both examples correspond to different but well operated terminals.

2.2- break-bulk :

Due to the wide range of products, ships, equipment, methods..., assuming an average performance for all kinds of commodities and packaging makes little sense:

  • Specialized traffic like paper, frozen meat, fish or fruits should be studied separately, according to their packaging and to the type of ship and handling equipment (specialized or not); see appendix one, the case of fruit handling.

  • Most commodities in big bags, pre-slung or pre-palletized loads, pallets, nets etc., can be handled with a crane; a good organization should adapt to a rhythm of one cycle every 1.5 to 3 minutes (20 to 40 moves per hour), depending on the nature of the cargo, the unit weight of the load, the ship's size and other factors as weather conditions, tide and swell, etc. Whenever the volume of goods to be handled is large enough to allow for a reasonable cost recovery of additional equipment, special devices can be adapted to improve the unit load or to shorten the cycle.

examples:

cements bags : 2 ton pallets built in the hold or on the apron: 40 ton/hour/crane. Pre-palletized bags: 80 ton/hour/crane, and more with spreaders. Cement in bulk can be handled at much higher speed.

exotic wood: logs up to 6-8 tons, handled by the piece with hydraulic clamps: 120 to 160 ton/hour/crane. Logs handled with slings; less than 100 ton/hour; only in daylight.

2.3- dry bulk traffic

agri-food products / fertilizers :

These low-density products are transported in bulk-carriers ranging from small cargo-boats (5,000 dwt) to cape-size bulk-carriers used for basic products (100 to 130,000 dwt ships).

Handling of export products is operated mainly with conveyors, whenever possible, with performances varying from 100 to nearly 1,000 ton/hour per conveyor, depending on ship size, port equipment, product characteristics and density, brittleness, and environmental and safety considerations linked to dust.

Ship to shore operations of import products require cranes and hoppers (20 to 35 ton capacity - 150 to 300 ton/hour), or elevators (400 to 1000 ton/hour) : two to three cranes per ship, or one elevator and two or more cranes on panamax and larger ships;

On the apron, small cargoes are generally loaded in trailers; large cargoes are carried through conveyor belts to warehouses or silos. High performance may be reached only if ship to shore operations are dissociated from commercial operations. Direct delivery alongside is the major cause of poor performance in bulk handling.

ratios : small bulk-carrier, 1500 to 3000 t shipment: 100/120 ton/hour per crane : 2 cranes
operated in one day
from panamax up to cape-size, 60,000 t shipment: 1 elevator and 2 cranes :
1,100 ton/hour, 15 to 18,000 ton/day
operated in four days

That performance may be reduced when operating multi-product cargo-ships. Some sticky, dusty or hard-to-handle products, such as manioc roots, impair the average performance. Brittle or dusty products may require lower handling rate for quality, safety and environmental purposes.

ore - coal : Export cargoes are usually loaded with conveyors; 1,000 to 2,000 ton/hour or more. Import traffic is handled with large gantry cranes geared with very large grabs: up to 1,000 ton/hour/gantry crane or with special devices. Same constraints, related to quality, safety and environment, may have to be taken into consideration.

Bulk-carriers ranging from the panamax to the cape-size: throughput: up to 15 to 20,000 ton/day

2.4- liquid bulk traffic

Generally, unloading performances depend on the size of the ship which provides pumps and energy. They depend also on its viscosity, temperature, and on safety regulations, for hazardous products. Most liquid carriers are operated within one day, whatever the size.

throughput : 300 to 1,000 cu m /hour, up to 10,000 cu m /hour and more for very large tankers.


3 - THE LABOR ISSUE

The staffing issue is one of the most complex and its successful settlement is often a key factor in a port restructuring process. Some indications are summarized thereafter

3.1- principles

Globally, transportation systems are increasingly productive, automatized and capital intensive. In all segments of the transport chain, direct employment tends to be reduced and more qualified. As far as ports are concerned, the situation where old public organizations integrated many or all port-related functions, which ended usually in a too large and poorly managed workforce, limited or poor level of services and high operating costs, is changing. Now, the private sector is increasingly associated in more efficient and competitive port operations, mainly through concessioning of infrastructures and privatization of services. The result is reduced staffing at all levels, higher qualification requirements and improved human resources management. Conversely, better performing ports contribute to foster trade and develop national economies.


Whenever possible, first addressing the overstaffing issue will facilitate the involvement of the private sector . Since this situation is often the result of governmental policies considering port organizations as natural shelters for an unemployed and unskilled workforce, the same authorities have definitively a responsibility in helping dismantle the system and make sure that the consequences are properly cushioned. This supposes that adequate budgetary means and staff management skills are made available early enough in the process.

The concessioning process generally starts with industrial bulk and container terminals, because these activities are easily standardized and can be operated efficiently and with profit. Other fields of the port activity have often more severe problems and excessive staffing levels:

  • The remaining port activities depend more on local conditions; they are subject to variations, due to seasonal effects, meteorology, variation in packaging and handling methods, low frequency of some operations etc.;

  • with less economies of scale, operators of non unitized general cargo and miscellaneous bulks cannot easily invest in modern equipment and methods and these activities are less often reorganized;

  • the status of dock-workers placed under the responsibility of public authorities and hired intermittently by stevedores, once justified because of abusive practices, is still maintained in some countries; but, this organization, created to protect an undifferentiated low-skilled work-force in a context of weak labor regulations cannot evolve and does not correspond any longer to modern trends.

  • In addition, some ports still maintain skilled workers and large workshops in order to undertake most or all of maintenance work; same thing as regards dredging;

  • specific factors as social commitments of port authorities (health centers, housing etc.), inappropriate monitoring and tariffing procedures based on customs-like tax scales, are an additional cause of excessive administrative staffing.

The overstaffing issue is not easily addressed. Worldwide experience leads to recommend that the trade unions be brought to the negotiations table from the outset, when the reform program starts being devised. Actually, the most valid way to build confidence in the process while incorporating in it lessons of experience and market-oriented concerns is to bring together port users, port labor and port and maritime employers. The objective is to allow all stakeholders to share common concerns about competitiveness of port services, and a better understanding of how any weakening of this competitiveness would be detrimental to all, and in particular to the workforce which would be the first to bear the consequences of reduced economic activity, both inside and outside the port

3.2- proposed benchmarks

Port Authorities:

Some tentative benchmarks are proposed for Landlord Ports regulating a diversified activity, managing a proportionate public and private domain and not implied in commercial operations or services to ships such as pilotage or towage.

Size of the Port Authority     recommended staffing level
small authority: a few millions tons: about 50
average port authority: 10 to 20 M tons: from 150 to 200
large ports: example: R'dam: 300 M tons: 1,100
More generally, an indicative ratio would be: 100,000 ton per staff per year, with large variations:
  • small ports require more than this proportion, large ports are more productive;
  • general cargo requires more staffing than bulk traffic.

Port operations

Containers: The recent study by Drewry, cited supra, as well as other comparisons between efficiently run container terminals, show a relatively constant productivity of about 1000 TEUs per staff per year, for a large array of yearly throughput, from 150,000 up to 600,000 TEUs. This includes all staff: operational, administrative and management.

Bulks: these operations require very few people: most automatized processes include large gantries and belt conveyors, that require only skilled drivers, a few supervisors and adapted crews for instant maintenance in hydraulics, electricity and automation. Additional staff are required occasionally, at the beginning, for preparation, and at the end, for trimming of remaining cargo, and for the cleaning of equipment.

Other operations (small bulks and general cargo):

In most cases, licensed port operators have a diversified activity: handling of various commodities, shipping agency, freight forwarding, inland storage etc., that helps them balance the level of employment. Usually, they try to limit the level of unemployment, specially when the old system of guaranteed salary for dock-workers has been rescinded, but they cannot face peak periods. That may occasionally lead to operate undermanned ships, hire temporary workers for low skilled positions, differ storage operations etc.

An average productiveness can be computed only as regards cargo handling (ship to shore), for a given commodity and handling technique. Some examples below show the large variation in productiveness.

Examples:

1) boxes in 2-ton pallets built in the hold (fruits, frozen goods etc.):
gang: total, 15 to 17 dockers, not incl.: transfer and storage crew, crane driver, maintenance staff;
productiveness: 50 ton per hour 3 ton /h / docker
 
2) pre-palletized boxes, handled with cages:
gang: about 13, including transfer, not incl.: storage crew / crane driver / maintenance staff;
productiveness: 225 ton per hour 17 ton / h / docker
 
 
3) exotic wood in logs, handled with slings:
gang: 12 to 15 dockers, not incl.: transfer and storage crew / crane driver / maintenance staff;
productiveness: 80 ton per hour 6 ton / h / docker
 
 
4) exotic wood in logs, handled with hydraulic clamps:
gang: 10 dockers, not incl.: transfer and storage crew / crane driver / maintenance staff;
productiveness: 140 ton per hour 14 ton / h / docker


Economic approach

Some modern ports have computed the global workforce related to the port activity, including handling operations, ship services and administration of both authorities and private sector: these figures relate to the port communities and are used in economic studies.

Some examples:

Rotterdam (1997): 300 M tons about 25,000 jobs
All (25) French Ports (1995): 275 M tons about 35,000 jobs



4- NOTE ON BERTH OCCUPANCY RATE AND QUEUING THEORY:

Ships are berthed according to available space and other constraints as number and size of bollards, number and location of main pieces of handling equipment, nautical constraints etc. For example, a 1000-meter quay can theoretically receive three large Panamax-type ships or four or five smaller ones. Only simulation systems could take these details into account. Analytical approaches require that a number of berths be specified in advance. It must be done by considering the length of ships commonly operated. Thus, if a terminal actually accommodates ships with various sizes and berthing space can be optimized, its real capacity may be slightly underestimated when using the methods described below.

4.1- berth occupancy rate

This rate is usually computed over a year, to include seasonal effects:

Cargo handling performance may be monitored by recording:

cumulated length of commercial operations alongside the quay v/s...
...available time over the given period

The optimal use of infrastructure might be best monitored with the following ratio:

cumulated length of call alongside the quay (including idle time) v/s...
...available time over the given period (365 x 24 h)

The difference accounts for all tasks and procedures to be performed when the ship is berthed, at the beginning or the end of the call. It also includes the consequences of the organization of work: restricted working time, lack of flexibility (shifts scheduled at fixed hours) etc., and the consequences of other constraints that apply to ships mooring or sailing out (tide, current, availability of pilots and tugs, swing bridges, locks...).

A distinction must be made according to the way ships are chartered:

Liner-ships have to comply with a precise schedule. If no berth is available at the time of arrival, the call may be canceled, the cargo shifted to another port or waiting for the next call. Thus, whenever competition exists between ports, the berth occupancy rate usually does not exceed 50 to 60 %. Higher rates can be seen when port facilities are saturated and there is no alternative, or when it is possible to schedule precisely a high number of calls; e.g., terminals dedicated to a single intensive traffic like short-sea Ro/Ro traffic or some private terminals operating on East-West trade with very intensive and well coordinated activity.

chartered ships are usually less affected by port congestion, depending on the nature of the cargo, the demurrage rate. Calls may be planned only a few days or weeks in advance. Their length may vary according to the nature and the size of the shipment. High berth occupancy rates can be observed, up to 80 %, sometimes more, generating significant waiting time.

Expanding the working period to 3 shifts per day and to the week-end, whenever possible, is the first and simplest way of improving this ratio.

4.2- queuing theories and simulations

Port congestion can be precisely assessed by using simulation models taking into account each significant step of the process. In some case, rough estimates can be obtained through simplifying methods. A common one is based on the computation of the ratio: waiting time/operating time, according to the berth occupancy rate and the number of berths .

Theoretical requirements are: a set of identical berths where an homogenous fleet of ships call on a first come first save basis. Arrival patterns and distributions of service times are approximated by a statistical law (Erlang distribution), simulating processes ranging from the random distribution (Erlang 1) to increasingly regular ones (Erlang 2, 3...).

The average assumptions for a freighted traffic are:

  • no distinctive pattern of calls  -»  arrival at random,

  • and various types of cargoes  -»  service time at random.

  • or homogeneous traffic  -»  more regular service time, increasing order of the Erlang law1,

The average assumptions for liner traffic are:

  • strict compliance with a schedule, i.e., a fixed distribution pattern of arrivals,  -»  (Erlang §), practically Erlang law at 2 to 4th order.

  • variation of service time depending on the nature and size of shipment.  -»  increasing order.

This method is more suitable for chartered traffic and should not be applied to liner ships, as long as they do not wait. In such a case , the max berth occupancy rate depends primarily on the actual possibility to schedule calls evenly distributed.

This method represents correctly two phenomena:

  • a very rapidly increasing waiting time when the berth occupancy rate rises;

  • a very rapidly decreasing waiting time when the number of berths increases; dedicating an additional berth to an existing traffic improves flexibility and capacity to a much larger extent than the mere relative increase in the number of berths.

Generally, the maximum berth occupancy rate (corresponding to a low average waiting time) is lower with liners than with freighters.

nota:The Erlang function is implicit. It has been tabulated for some current cases or graphically translated. See in appendix 2 the table for E2/E2/N traffic (arrival and service time distributed according to an Erlang 2 law) and some graphs corresponding to usual combinations when arrivals are at random. The graphs give: waiting time v/s service time, according to the berth occupancy rate and the number of berths.





synthesis of the proposed approaches;

mode
commodity
handling method
shipment's size
output per call
 
unitizedcontainersEast-West traffic
Gantry cranes
1,500 TEUs / call85 to 120 TEUs/hour11,000 ton/year/ meter of quay length
 containersNorth-South traffic
gantries and derricks
700 TEUs / call60 to 90 TEUs/h6,000 ton/year/ meter of quay length
break-bulkcement:in/out2 ton palletsvariable120 to 240 ton/h 
 logs: unload.hydraulic clamps3 to 5,000 ton300 to 400 ton/h 
 logs: unload:slings3 to 5,000 ton< 300 ton/h daylight only
 fruitsbox on palletsvariable42 to 55 ton/h 
 " " "Pre-palletizedvariable225 ton/h 
unitiz. containerizedvariable700 ton/h 
dry bulkanimal feedst.elevators30 to 60,000 ton1,100 ton/h 
 " " " " " "cranes5,000 ton300 ton/h 
 ore/coalcranesvariable large1,000 to 1,500 ton/h 
liquid bulkcrude oilpumpslarge (VLCC)up to 15,000 ton/h 
 misc.pumpsvariable, small300 to 1,000 ton/h 


Berth occupancy rateLiner shipping40 to 60 %No delay; competitive traffic
 Freighted traffic60 %, up to 80 %Significant delays


Port equipment availabilityTractor - trailers90 - 95 %adapted fleet - adapted maintenance
 Gantries - cranes80 - 90 %adapted maintenance




Appendix n. 1: handling of boxes

Bananas, and other fruits, are packed in cardboard boxes, whose size and weight differ according to the final destination (roughly: 0.40 x 0.50 m; variable height ; 13,5 to 19.5 kg).

Three ways of handling these boxes are listed below, according to the resulting output:

i) boxes are handled in bulk; ships are loaded by building pallets on the apron and dismantling them in the hold (the cargo can be unloaded the same way). This is the traditional (and slow) way of handling boxes and bags, requiring a large work-force. On the other hand, the full capacity of reefers can be used (less broken stowage in old ships).

In average, a good handling throughput is about:

15 to 20 pallet/hour per hold,
i.e.: 720 to 960 box/hour,
or, with 19.5 kg boxes (48 boxes per pallet), about: 14 to 19 ton/hour;
on three holds, an expected throughput can be: 2,100 to 2,800 box/hour
or: 42 to 55 ton/hour.
With 20 working hours per day: 850 to 1,100 ton/day
or, with the same assumptions: 42 to 56,000 box/day

ii) pre-palletization is more and more widespread. Palletized fruits may be handled with cages holding two to four pallets at a time (when there is no more space in the hold to operate this way, each loading level is ended with several pre-slung pallets); cages are loaded/unloaded on the apron by one or two twin-fork front loaders, holding 2 pallets at a time; they are handled in the hold by four dock-workers using pallet-trucks. The average output, strongly depending upon organization of space and of operations, can be very high; at peak production, up to 150 pallet/hour per hold,

in average:

80 / 100 pallet/hour per hold,
with 80 pallets/hour/hold in average: 3,800 box/hour per hold
or: 75 ton/hour per hold,
on three holds: 11,400 boxes/hour
or: 225 ton/hour,
with 20 working hours/day: 4,500 ton/day;
or: 230,000 box/day,

iii) containerization: this is the last step of unitization; it is much more capital-intensive and not widespread. A 40' container holds 20 pallets. The handling throughput can be:


15 cont./hour per crane,
or: 300 pallet/hour per crane,
or: 14,000 box/hour per crane
or: 280 ton/hour per crane
with 20 working hours/day: an average shipment can be loaded in less than one day.


iv) a fourth method exists, where boxes are loaded and unloaded in bulk. Special devices are used, based on conveyors: mobile ones, assembled for each call, or mounted on gantries (ref: Antwerp). Productivity vary between the first and second case and may be higher, depending on the level of equipment.


Appendix no. 2: waiting time and berth occupancy rate: table and graphs

Table E2/E2/N: CNUCED
Graphs: French Ministère de l'Equipement: Service Central Technique des Ports Maritimes et des Voies Navigables

1): Arrival at random, service time at random

2): Arrival at random, service time Erlang 3

3): Arrival at random, service time: constant


4): Arrival and service time : Erlang 2

Berth occupancy rate


No. of


Berths
Ratio:
Average
waiting time
Vs. Average
service time
%
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
0.02
15
0.03
0.01
20
0.06
0.01
25
0.09
0.02
0.01
30
0.13
0.02
0.01
35
0.17
0.03
0.02
0.01
40
0.24
0.06
0.02
0.01
45
0.30
0.09
0.04
0.02
0.01
0.01
50
0.39
0.12
0.05
0.03
0.01
0.01
0.01
55
0.49
0.16
0.07
0.04
0.02
0.02
0.02
0.01
60
0.63
0.22
0.11
0.06
0.04
0.03
0.02
0.01
65
0.80
0.30
0.16
0.09
0.06
0.05
0.03
0.02
70
1.04
0.41
0.23
0.14
0.10
0.07
0.05
0.04
75
1.38
0.58
0.32
0.21
0.14
0.11
0.08
0.07
80
1.87
0.83
0.46
0.33
0.23
0.19
0.14
0.12
85
2.80
1.30
0.75
0.55
0.39
0.34
0.26
0.22
90
4.36
2.00
1.20
0.92
0.65
0.57
0.44
0.40

›››File
FROM THE HOME PAGE
European Commission meeting to define the strategy for the development of EU ports and maritime industry
Brussels
Call for papers by July 28th
Assarmatori asks for support for Italian seafarers employed on short-haul routes and for the renewal of ferry fleets
Assarmatori asks for support for Italian seafarers employed on short-haul routes and for the renewal of ferry fleets
Rome
Messina: State Aid regime needs to be redesigned for European shipyards
In the first four months of 2025, maritime container traffic between Asia and Europe grew by +4.8%
Tokyo
-6.4% drop in shipments to Asian ports. +9.0% increase in unloading volumes in Europe
The impact on Italy of a possible closure of the maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz would be significant
Rome
The merchant fleet for energy products controlled by the Italian shipping industry interested in these traffics amounts to approximately 80 units.
Cargo traffic in China's seaports grew by +3.7% last month
Cargo traffic in China's seaports grew by +3.7% last month
Beijing
Containers amounted to 26.7 million TEU (+6.1%)
In 2024, 576 containers were lost at sea out of over 250 million transported by ships
Washington
About 200 have fallen from container ships in the Cape of Good Hope region
FMC questions deal exempting World Shipping Council companies from US antitrust rules
Washington
Meanwhile, Sola, appointed by Trump on January 20 to the presidency of the federal agency, is leaving his post today.
The European maritime-port sector nitpicks the reform of the Community customs rules
Brussels
Note from CLECAT, ECASBA, European Shipowners, ESPO, Feport and WSC
EU Council agrees on reform of the Union Customs Code
Brussels
CLECAT is concerned about the persistence of the concept of "Single Liable Person" in the text
In the first three months of 2025, freight traffic in the port of Civitavecchia grew by +2.4%
Civitavecchia
Increase of +9.9% in Gaeta and decrease of -17.1% in Fiumicino
Le Aziende informanoSponsored Article
Accelleron consolida le partnership con Somas e Geislinger per sostenere l'efficienza e la sostenibilità del settore marittimo
Japanese shipbuilding company Imabari Shipbuilding acquires control of fellow Japanese JMU
Imabari/Tokyo
Ownership share increased from 30% to 60%
WTO: New tariffs have given a boost to trade that is unlikely to last
Geneva
Recovery driven by importers who brought forward purchases in view of expected tariff increases
Terminal Investments Limited of the MSC Group acquires 50% of the capital of Barcelona Europe South Terminal
Barcelona
The transaction was authorized by the Port Authority of Barcelona
There are no implementing decrees for the SalvaMare law and Italian citizens are paying for the management of fished waste that is not carried out
Rome
The Marevivo Foundation and the Federation of the Sea report it
In five and a half years, 1,244 tons of drugs have been seized in EU ports
In five and a half years, 1,244 tons of drugs have been seized in EU ports
Lisbon
The largest quantities pass through ports in Belgium, Spain, Holland, Italy and Germany
The International Convention on Ship Recycling will enter into force tomorrow
Copenhagen
BIMCO urges EU to include Indian shipyards in EU list of ship recycling facilities
Assologistica presents the "Cruscotto" project to ensure transparency and legality in the logistics sector
Milan
Ruggerone: it is an infrastructure of trust between clients and operators
Federagenti, cruises cannot and must not become the target of an indiscriminate hate campaign
Federagenti, cruises cannot and must not become the target of an indiscriminate hate campaign
Rome
A "Pact for the Sea" proposed with solutions to tackle overtourism for which passenger ships are not to blame
New step forward for the construction of the underground freight transport system in Switzerland
New step forward for the construction of the underground freight transport system in Switzerland
Bern
Cargo sous terrain plans to build a 500-kilometer system by mid-century
Carnival posts record earnings for March-May period
Carnival posts record earnings for March-May period
Miami
The number of cruise passengers embarked also peaked this quarter
Federlogistica, it is reckless to activate railway construction sites without a concerted plan
Genoa
Falteri: Isolating the port of Genoa from the railway network for three weeks means putting the whole of Northern Italy in difficulty
Multipurpose terminals privatized in eight Saudi ports
Multipurpose terminals privatized in eight Saudi ports
Riyadh
Four will be operated by Saudi Global Ports and four by Red Sea Gateway Terminal
Public debate launched on the project for Pier VIII in the port of Trieste
Public debate launched on the project for Pier VIII in the port of Trieste
Trieste
A total investment of 315.8 million euros is expected
South Korea's HD Hyundai partners with US Edison Chouest Offshore to build containerships in US
South Korea's HD Hyundai partners with US Edison Chouest Offshore to build containerships in US
Seoul
The possibility of building other types of ships and constructing port cranes is foreseen
Rixi: with the Omnibus decree, Phase B of the new Genoa breakwater is guaranteed
Rome
Expenditure of 50 million euros authorised for 2026 and 92.8 million for 2027
Israel-Iran conflict prompts Maersk to suspend calls at Haifa port
Copenhagen
Those at the port of Ashdod will continue instead.
Northern European Nations Commitment to Counter Russian Shadow Fleet
Warsaw
If the vessels do not fly a valid flag in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea - they specify - we will take appropriate measures in compliance with international law.
Freight traffic in French ports stable in the first quarter of 2025
Freight traffic in French ports stable in the first quarter of 2025
The Defense
Containers and liquid bulk on the rise. Increase in unloading loads and decrease in loading loads
Cognolato (Assiterminal): Today more than ever we need a coherent port policy
Rome
All the critical issues highlighted in recent years still remain open - he highlighted.
Alessandro Pitto confirmed as president of Fedespedi
Milan
The Board of Directors, the Board of Arbiters and the Board of Auditors have been renewed
A protest action by Greek seafarers is heated, with the PENEN and PNO unions launching very serious accusations, including mutual ones
Piraeus
The strike, declared illegal by the courts, blocks some ships of the Attica group in the port of Patras
Saipem awarded contract for a phosphate mining project in Algeria that includes the upgrading of the port of Annaba
Milan
The construction of railway lines is also planned
Suez Canal celebrates return of large-capacity containership transits
Suez Canal celebrates return of large-capacity containership transits
Ismailia
Today it was crossed by the vessel "CMA CGM Osiris" which can carry 15,536 teu
IMO, ILO, ICS and ITF urge protection of seafarers' rights against unjust criminalisation
London
The "Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers Detained in Relation to Alleged Offences" were adopted in April
Trump's new tariffs also hit container traffic at the Port of Long Beach
Long Beach
In the first five months of 2025, an increase of +17.2% was recorded
Transfer of the port of Carrara from the Ligurian to the Tuscan AdSP not without a discussion with the operators
Milan
Dario Perioli, FHP, Grendi and Tarros ask for it
Up to $768 billion in investments needed to adapt world ports to rising sea levels
New York
Port of Los Angeles Feels Impact of New Tariffs on Container Traffic
Los Angeles
A decrease of -4.8% was recorded in May
Assagenti proposes a task force to solve port, logistics and industrial problems
Genoa
A "problem solver" consultative body composed, in addition to the categories of the maritime cluster, of the manufacturing industries of the North-West quadrant
Cargo traffic at the port of Singapore fell by -4.6% in May
Singapore
New crane overturned for delivery in new Tuas port area
In the first quarter of 2025, freight traffic on the Swiss rail network fell by -6.4%
Neuchatel
Service performance at 2.35 billion tonne-km, down -8.2%
ANGOPI fears that new measures to ensure maritime continuity will penalise mooring services
ANGOPI fears that new measures to ensure maritime continuity will penalise mooring services
Ischia
Power: it is necessary to remove them from a perverse mechanism
Dutch HES International to operate bulk terminal in Marseille-Fos port
Marseille
The concession contract will have a minimum duration of 30 years
Ibiza government opposes Trasmed's overnight stay on board ferry program
Ibiza/Valencia
It is considered a "clandestine hotel", while the company defines it as a cruise service
Bruno Pisano appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Eastern Ligurian Sea
Rome
He will take up his post next Monday
Federlogistica proposes a comparison between operators on the congestion fee while waiting for a solution from the government
Genoa
In the first five months of 2025, container traffic in the port of Gioia Tauro grew by +10.3%
Joy Taurus
1,813,071 TEUs were handled
Trasportounito, truck waiting times in ports must be paid
Genoa
Tagnochetti: The Port Fee aims to redistribute the costs of all disruptions more equitably
Commissioners of the AdSPs of the Northern Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Western Liguria appointed
Rome/Genoa
Trade unions concerned about the future of Genoa Port Terminal workers
Political instability and green transition are the main problems that shipping faces
London
This is highlighted in the "ICS Maritime Barometer Report 2024-2025"
The new container terminal of the port of Termini Imerese presented
Palermo
Transfer of traffic handled by Portitalia to the port of Palermo
GCMD survey confirms shipping's commitment to decarbonisation
Singapore
Ports concerned about lack of certainty about demand from shipping companies
The EU Commission has re-identified Port Said East and Tanger Med as neighbouring container transhipment ports
Brussels
Road haulage extends congestion fee application to Livorno port
Livorno/Rome/Milan/Genoa
Fedespedi, they do not solve the problems, but have the only effect of increasing costs
The new Border Control Post has been inaugurated in the port of Livorno
Leghorn
The structure cost 15 million euros
The transfer of 80% of Louis-Dreyfus Armateurs' capital to InfraVia has been implemented
Suresnes/Paris
The Louis-Dreyfus family retains the remaining 20%
Port of Genoa, green light for extension of concession to Spinelli until September 30
Genoa
Ok also to the extension to the Campostano group
The National Maritime Fund has started the recognition of scholarships
Genoa
They are granted for basic training and security familiarization courses.
RFI and MIT sign the update to the program contract for approximately 2.1 billion
Rome
Around 500 million euros expected for the management of the railway network
San Giorgio del Porto delivers a vessel for the bunkering of liquefied natural gas
Genoa
It was built for Genova Trasporti Marittimi
Pisano (AdSP Liguria Orientale): the ports of La Spezia and Carrara have integrated almost perfectly
La Spezia/Bari
Extraordinary Commissioner of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority appointed
Raffaele Latrofa appointed president of the AdSP of the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea
Rome
He is the deputy mayor of Pisa
India's Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Acquires Control of Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard
Mumbai
Investment of approximately 53 million dollars
The Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority has been granted the powers and prerogatives of the Management Committee
Genoa
The measure pending the restoration of the ordinary top management bodies
The Three-Year Operational Plan 2025-2027 of the Central Adriatic Port Authority has been approved
Ancona
Favorable opinion of the Sea Resource Partnership Body
The public meeting of the International Containers Studies Center will be held in Genoa on July 2nd
Genoa
It will deal with the physical transformations of the container and the digitalization of processes
Andrea Ormesani is the new president of Assosped Venezia
Venice
The board of directors has been renewed. Paolo Salvaro remains general secretary
Witte (ISU): In 2024, the ship salvage sector stabilized from the low of two years ago
London
Finnish Elomatic to Install Tunnel Thrusters on 11 Carnival Cruise Ships
Turku
The works will begin next autumn and will end in 2028
The Assarmatori assembly will be held in Rome on July 1st
Rome
"Mediterranean against the current" the theme of the meeting
Fincantieri has delivered the new cruise ship Viking Vesta to the American Viking
Trieste/Los Angeles
It was built in the Ancona shipyard
The Genoa Coast Guard has placed the container ship PL Germany under administrative detention
Genoa
Italian Navy orders two new Multipurpose Combat Ships from Fincantieri
Trieste
The order to the shipbuilding company is worth 700 million euros
MSC Group to manage cruise services in the ports of Bari and Brindisi
Bari
Ten-year concession with possibility of extension
German Kombiverkehr Returns to Profit in 2024
Frankfurt am Main
The level of revenues remained unchanged at 434.6 million euros.
Deltamarin to design the six new ro-pax vessels ordered by Grimaldi for the Mediterranean routes
Turku
SAILING LIST
Visual Sailing List
Departure ports
Arrival ports by:
- alphabetical order
- country
- geographical areas
The practice of subcontracting in European logistics is creating a parallel labour market where rights are not enforced
Brussels
"Sorry, We Subcontracted You" Report Presented
Tomorrow Grendi will launch the group's fourth ship on routes to and from Sardinia
Milan
"Grendi Star", with a load capacity of 2,800 linear meters, will connect Marina di Carrara and Cagliari
FREMM frigates operational support contract signed between Orizzonte Sistemi Navali and OCCAR
Taranto
The agreement has a total value of approximately 764 million euros
Call to reform the entire driver training system in the transport sector
Rome
Seven proposals presented
In the port of Gioia Tauro, the Guardia di Finanza soldiers seized 228 kilos of cocaine
Reggio Calabria
Two dockers arrested
Port of Livorno, new observatory to find solutions to the problem of port congestion
Leghorn
Marilli: We will seek solutions to reach the possible revocation of the port fee
Lockton PL Ferrari closed the last fiscal year with gross revenues of 34 million dollars
Genoa
Insurance premium volume rose to 350 million
Polish Trans Polonia Group acquires Dutch Nijman/Zeetank Holding
Tczew
It specializes in the transportation and logistics of liquid and gaseous products
d'Amico Tankers Sells Two 2011-Built Tankers for $36.2 Million
Luxembourg
They will be delivered to buyers by the end of July and on December 21st.
The Italian Merchant Marine Academy plans 13 new free courses
Genoa
Over 300 positions available
A delegation of Wista Italy visits the ports of Catania and Augusta
Catania/August
The association is made up of women who hold positions of responsibility in the maritime, logistics and trade sectors.
In the first five months of 2025, the port of Algeciras handled 1.9 million containers (-6.3%)
Algeciras
Empty containers decreased by -5.5% and full ones by -6.4%
Reway Group enters the port railway infrastructure maintenance sector
Licciana Nardi
Two contracts awarded by the AdSP of the Eastern Ligurian Sea
Delcomar and Ensamar take over maritime services with the smaller Sardinian islands
Cagliari
The tender for the six-year concession of the connections has been awarded
Port of Trieste, the newly appointed Gurrieri torpedoes the newly appointed Torbianelli
Trieste
Russo (Pd): it's a squalid power game
Singapore's SeaLead expands its maritime shipping offering to connect Turkey and Italy
Singapore
Route connected to services transiting the Suez Canal
The US Container Security Initiative program has been extended to Morocco
Rabat
Amrani: Let's consolidate Tanger Med's role as a safe and world-class maritime hub
Very positive first quarter for Greek Euroseas
Athens
Pittas: the positive momentum continued in the second quarter
Assonat and SACE present a plan for Italian tourist ports
Rome
Kuehne+Nagel has opened a new branch in Naples
Milan
The aim is to support the operational growth of the group in Southern Italy
RINA has acquired the entire capital of Finnish Foreship
Helsinki
The Helsinki-based company specializes in consulting in the field of marine and mechanical engineering.
Container traffic down at Barcelona and Valencia ports in May
Barcelona/Valencia
Resumption of containers in transit at the Catalan port
Annual cargo traffic in Greek ports stable in 2024
Piraeus
Domestic volumes are growing, while foreign trade is decreasing
Perplexity of freight forwarders, customs agents and maritime agents of La Spezia at the transfer of the port of Carrara to the Tuscan AdSP
The Spice
Timidly, they "hope for consideration for the progress made so far"
Francesco Mastro appointed extraordinary commissioner of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority
Rome
He will take up office on June 30th.
John Denholm to be new president of the International Chamber of Shipping
Athens
He will take over from Emanuele Grimaldi in a year
Extraordinary commissioners of the two Ligurian Port System Authorities have been installed
Genoa/La Spezia
Matteo Paroli and Bruno Pisano at the helm of the institutions
Container traffic at Hong Kong port drops sharply in May
Hong Kong
1.05 million TEUs were handled (-12.7%)
Assogasliquidi-Federchimica shows the way to accelerate the decarbonization of road and maritime transport
Rome
Amadei: Our sector is ready and the time has come for courageous industrial choices
Eagle S tanker command blamed for cutting submarine cables in Gulf of Finland
Advantages
The accident was caused by the ship's anchor
Online platform to report critical issues that put transport workers at risk
Genoa
It was prepared by Fit Cisl Liguria
GNV to create a direct summer connection between Civitavecchia and Tunis
Genoa
It will run alongside the historic route via Palermo
The unification of Grimaldi's concessions in the port of Barcelona has been completed
Madrid/Barcelona
The contract expires on September 20, 2035.
In the first five months of 2025, cargo traffic in Russian ports fell by -4.9%
St. Petersburg
A decrease of approximately -12% was recorded in May
Raben Logistics Group Creates Subsidiary in Türkiye
Milan
It will have 20 employees and a 2,000 square meter cross-dock warehouse
Alberto Dellepiane confirmed as president of Assorimorchiatori
Rome
The composition of the entire association leadership remains unchanged
Agreement between Fincantieri and Indonesian PMM to develop solutions to face new unconventional underwater challenges
PORTS
Italian Ports:
Ancona Genoa Ravenna
Augusta Gioia Tauro Salerno
Bari La Spezia Savona
Brindisi Leghorn Taranto
Cagliari Naples Trapani
Carrara Palermo Trieste
Civitavecchia Piombino Venice
Italian Interports: list World Ports: map
DATABASE
ShipownersShipbuilding and Shiprepairing Yards
ForwardersShip Suppliers
Shipping AgentsTruckers
MEETINGS
The Assarmatori assembly will be held in Rome on July 1st
Rome
"Mediterranean against the current" the theme of the meeting
The public meeting of the International Containers Studies Center will be held in Genoa on July 2nd
Genoa
››› Meetings File
PRESS REVIEW
US has its eye on Greek ports
(Kathimerini)
Proposed 30% increase for port tariffs to be in phases, says Loke
(Free Malaysia Today)
››› Press Review File
FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics
Intervento del presidente Tomaso Cognolato
Roma, 19 giugno 2025
››› File
Structural adaptation works on dock 23 of the port of Ancona awarded
Ancona
Intervention worth over 11.8 million euros
Conference on the role of LNG and bioLNG for the decarbonisation of transport and industry
Rome
The Federchimica-Assogasliquidi event will take place on Monday in Rome
Dutch Bolidt increases presence in cruise ship sector with acquisition of American Boteka
Hendrik Ido Ambacht
Contship Italia has acquired the Genoese customs services company STS
Melzo
The Ligurian company was founded in 1985
Francesco Benevolo has been appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Central-Northern Adriatic Sea
Rome
He is the operations director of RAM - Logistics, Infrastructure and Transport
Montaresi resigns as commissioner of the Eastern Ligurian Port Authority
The Spice
In the eight months of administration - he underlines - we have not lost even a second
Gurrieri has been appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Eastern Adriatic Sea
Trieste
Pending the completion of the formal process for the designation of the president
The commissioners of the AdSP of Western Liguria have handed over their mandate to Minister Salvini
Genoa
The decision is part of the process of designation and nomination of the new leaders
Confetra criticizes the provisions of the decree-law Infrastructure for road transport
Rome
The Confederation urges the blocking of the process of appointing the presidents of the port authorities
Taiwanese Evergreen, Yang Ming and WHL saw revenue decline in May
Keelung/Taipei
The decline is accentuated for the two main companies
South Korea's KSOE wins order to build eight 15,900 TEU containerships
Seongnam
The unit value of each vessel is approximately $221 million.
First port terminal for car traffic of Greek Neptune Lines
Piraeus
It will be inaugurated next year in the French port of Port-La Nouvelle
The assembly of the association of Genoese maritime agents and brokers will be held on June 16th
Genoa
Round Table on Genoa, the hub of the North West and the Mediterranean
BN di Navigazione Board of Directors Renewed
Genoa
BluNavy aims to reach one million passengers by 2025
Viking Line designs world's largest all-electric ro-pax vessel
Viking Line designs world's largest all-electric ro-pax vessel
Åland
Record Monthly Container Traffic at Turkish Ports
Ankara
In May, almost 1.4 million TEUs were handled (+17.6%)
Sergio Landolfi has been elected president of the Customs Association of the Port of La Spezia
The Spice
The board of directors has been renewed
The ferry industry elite will attend the Interferry conference in Salerno in October
Victoria
Event titled "Connections"
Uniport launches an initiative to support ALS research
Rome
Fundraising for the NeMO Clinical Center Serena Foundation Onlus
The Propeller Club of Genoa has analyzed risks and opportunities of using AI in the maritime and insurance sectors
Genoa
The importance of training in the use of technology was highlighted
Chantiers de l'Atlantique delivers luxury cruising yacht Luminara to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Saint Nazaire
The ship will debut in Alaska
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
phone: +39.010.2462122, fax: +39.010.2516768, e-mail
VAT number: 03532950106
Press Reg.: nr 33/96 Genoa Court
Editor in chief: Bruno Bellio
No part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher
Search on inforMARE Presentation
Feed RSS Advertising spaces

inforMARE in Pdf
Mobile