Simulation for performance evaluation of the housekeeping process

The literature on the optimization of container terminal logistics has recently focused on space assignment and equipment management within the yard sub-system. Yet, to our knowledge, no models have been proposed for housekeeping, i.e. the process according to which a container is moved from one yard position to another during its stay in the terminal's storage area. Housekeeping has only been addressed as a conceptual choice lying behind yard operating rules when dealing with empirical investigations for intelligent yard stacking. Here we propose a queuing-based representation of the current housekeeping process in a real container terminal and solve it by discrete-event simulation to i) assess the efficiency of the housekeeping operations under unforeseen events or process disturbances and ii) estimate the related productivity and waiting phenomena which, in turn, affect the vessel turn-around time. Sample results returned by the simulator are presented to illustrate possible usage via scenario analysis.