Why are we still queuing? Exploring landside congestion factors in Australian bulk cargo port terminals

This empirical research improves the understanding of landside congestion factors in bulk cargo port terminals. It presents a model for identifying factors and interactions contributing to congestion severity.Ports play critical roles at the intersection of multiple independent supply chains and have an enormous potential to improve supply chains' competitiveness. However, this point of intersection for supply chains also creates significant coordination challenges best exemplified by the presence of landside congestion. Although landside congestion is an issue that plagues many ports and terminals, research on congestion remains limited, especially in bulk cargo port terminals. This lack of research may also partially explain the dominance of market-based mechanisms for managing congestion. Importantly, market-based approaches often fail or shift congestion to other parts of the supply chain because they are not aligned with the causal factors and their interactions that contribute to congestion.This paper analyses three case studies. Each case centres on an Australian bulk cargo port terminal for forest products and its associated landside supply chain. The research findings identify social, technical and behavioral factors and their different types of interactions at the terminal and related supply chains and reveal how these factors contribute to the appearance and severity of landside congestion. Based on these findings, the paper presents a new definition of landside congestion and a model for identifying and understanding interactions among congestion factors. Improved knowledge of landside congestion can refine congestion management through contextually tailored solutions depending on the factors’ presence and interactions

Using discrete-event simulation to compare congestion management initiatives at a port terminal

This research compares the impact of infrastructure congestion management initiatives at a bulk cargo marine terminal on truck queuing and emissions. Researchers have studied the impact of individual congestion management initiatives in marine terminals extensively. However, limited research has been conducted to comparatively evaluate the impact of several initiatives. Furthermore, researchers have mainly focused on container terminals to the detriment of bulk cargo terminals even though bulk cargo marine terminals can face significant congestion challenges.A discrete-event simulation model of a bulk cargo marine terminal is developed in this research using empirical data collected from weighbridges and truck geo-positioning systems. The model is used to conduct a scenario analysis of several congestion management initiatives and assess their sensitivity to increasing terminal throughput. The performance indicators used are truck turnaround times, waiting times, turnaround time reliability, and engine idling emissions. The modelling results indicate that terminal appointment systems are one of the most effective congestion mitigation initiatives, reducing truck turnaround times by up to 65% and engine idling emissions by up to 80% compared to no intervention. The benefits accrued from terminal infrastructure expansions rival those of appointment systems only in high terminal throughput scenarios.This research contributes to the body of knowledge by presenting an approach that improves understanding of the differential impacts of congestion management initiatives on truck and environmental performance in bulk cargo marine terminals. For practitioners, this research presents congestion management considerations that balance the competitive operational, cost, and efficiency interests of individual port users with tactical and strategic concerns regarding environmental impacts