`

average vessel LOA to total berth length decreases, the stevedore has a greater flexibility
to optimise berthing arrangements and consequently berth utilisation. Similarly, the
configuration of the berths will have an impact – a single facetted berth face will have
greater flexibility than a quay line with breaks. It is usual to have around 10% of the quay
length unused between berthed vessels.
 Wharf structural capacity – the structural capacity limits the capacity of cranes that can
be deployed at the port terminal, as cranes with longer outreach and twin and tandem lift
capabilities are generally heavier and will require a wider rail gauge and heavier wheel
loads. A greenfield port such as Hastings or Bay West will generally be designed to
match the wharf structural capacity with the planned STSC operating mass and
dimensions. New wharf added to existing wharf structures, whilst adding length, will still
be restricted by the crane gauge, as cranes need to be able to traverse the entire quay
length.

 1-way/2-way channel configuration – full 2-way channel systems minimise or eliminate

most channel delays due to occupancy. This is particularly important for long channel
systems.

2.3.3 Factors within control of the stevedore

Factors within the control of the stevedore are generally related to the terminal operating
systems, number and arrangement of Ground Slots and the numbers and characteristics of
equipment applied to the terminal operation. On the berth, key factors include:
 Number of shifts – Most Australia ports either already run 3 shifts of 8 hours at least six
days per week. The period of handover can impact on efficiency.
 Crane rates – the rate at which Ship to Shore cranes can transfer containers between
the ship and the wharf. The standard measures of crane rate are:
– Gross Crane Rate (GCR) is the average number of cranes’ moves per hour for a
crane over a year taking into account downtime for maintenance
– Net Crane Rate (NCR) is the average number of container lifts per hour for a crane
whilst it is working
– Ship Productivity is a measure of the average container crane moves per hour per
ship.
 Available cranes – as the number of cranes on each quay is increased each vessel is
more likely to receive its optimum number of cranes resulting in a more rapid exchange of
containers, thus reducing the Time at Berth (TAB).
 Container dwell times – If the capacity of the yard limits the terminal throughput,
reducing the average dwell time directly increases the maximum achievable. The
adequacy of connecting road and rail infrastructure can influence these aspects.

2.4 Quayline as the limiting component

As noted above, the infrastructure capacity of a port may be limited by any of the components
that comprise the port system, from the approach channels through the berth, container yard
and into the landside transport interface. Of these, the highest profile items are the:
 depth, width, length and 1-way/2-way configuration of the approach channels and basin
accommodating the vessels

 length and structural capacity of the quayline

GHD | Report for GHD - Victoria Second Container Terminal Port Advice , 31/34508/ | 17
  area and orientation of the container yard and the capacity of the handling system used
behind the quay

 the adequacy of transport infrastructure serving the port

For many European, Asian and Australian ports, the quayline is often the dominant limiting
infrastructure component – port managers and operators have greater flexibility in tightening
shipping schedules, or intensifying container stacking than they do in increasing throughput
across the quayline. Conversely, in North America where container ports employ chassis
operations (where containers are lifted directly on to wheeled trailers rather than stacked under
ASCs or similar) it tends to be the yard area that limits capacity.

2.5 Performance measures

Large container ships are very expensive to run, making any delays costly and thus reducing
economies of scale benefits that would otherwise result from running a large container ship.
Consequently, shipping lines demand minimal turnaround times for the volume of cargo
transferred at the port.

2.5.1 Berth utilisation defined

Berth utilisation is defined as the percentage of time the berth is occupied by vessels. The time
on the berth is referred to as the service time and includes berthing, mooring, documentation
checks, unloading/loading, letting go lines and de-berthing.
Berth utilisation is calculated by multiplying the cumulative length of vessels that call within a
period of time (i.e. the total length of the vessels lined up end to end), by the sum of their times
at berth and then dividing this figure by the total berth length multiplied by the period of time for
which utilisation is being measured.
∑ 𝐿𝑂𝐴 × ∑ 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒𝐴𝑡𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑡ℎ
𝑈𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 =
𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ × 𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒

2.5.2 Waiting time to service time ratio

The optimum limit of berth utilisation is determined by reference to the wait time/service time
ratio. This is a major factor considered by shipping lines as a measure of the level of service
provided by a terminal – as average berth utilisation increases, delays to shipping lines due to
the unavailability of berths and channel congestion will also increase adding cost to shipping
operations.
Most container ports seek to keep waiting time to service time ratios well below 20%, and the
target understood to be adopted by the PoMC following the Channel Deepening Project is 10%.
Globally the major ports achieve better service time ratios, particularly for services with slot
bookings and good service reliability. For initial planning purposes, it is considered that the
target upper limit of wait time/service time ratio for new ports in Victoria should be in the order of
10%.

2.5.3 Target berth utilisation

Average berth utilisation and the corresponding waiting time to service time ratios are generally
forecast using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to account for the complexity of the port system.
However, for high level port planning, queuing theory5 can be used. Queuing theory is a branch
of mathematics used to predict waiting times and service levels and is applied across many
industries, but was developed in response to the advent of telephone exchanges by Erlang.

5 Agner Krarup Erlang, Erlang is the international unit of telephone traffic

18 | GHD | Report for GHD - Victoria Second Container Terminal Port Advice , 31/34508/