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Port Bottleneck

System Analysis

System analysis is the process of deconstructing a process/procedure into its individual components.[1]TutorialsPoint. “System Analysis and Design – Overview,” www.tutorialspoint.com/system_analysis_and_design/system_analysis_and_design_overview.htm These components are then connected by their dependencies; as a result, the bottleneck of the system is typically the component with the most dependencies (arrows leading to it). Improving this bottleneck will have a larger impact on the whole system than improving another component.

This analysis uses system analysis to break down each component of moving a container from a truck to a ship at a port (and vice versa)[2]Pacific Marine & Industrial. “How Do Container Ships Work?” www.pacificmarine.net/marine-deck/cargo-securing/how-do-container-ships-work.htm. It should be noted that the first and last box of each system is an oversimplification, as this part of our solution focuses on ports. 

Trucks to Ships

System analysis of moving a container from a truck to a ship. [3]Pacific Marine & Industrial. “How Do Container Ships Work?” www.pacificmarine.net/marine-deck/cargo-securing/how-do-container-ships-work.htm.

Ships to Trucks

System analysis of moving a container from a ship to a truck. [4]Pacific Marine & Industrial. “How Do Container Ships Work?” www.pacificmarine.net/marine-deck/cargo-securing/how-do-container-ships-work.htm.

The analysis of the system shows that there are two clear bottlenecks: ship docking and moving containers using cranes. In order for the ship to dock, the ship has to be scheduled and the port has to be emptied. Then, for the crane to move containers, there are multiple logistical concerns such as container weight, destination and placement. These bottlenecks have formed the basis for the problems the Terrascope 2025 proposal addresses.

Why Unloading Containers can be a Bottleneck

As aforementioned, a main factor contributing to port congestion is the unnecessarily long time it takes for cranes to unload containers from ships. In North America it takes an average of 72 seconds for a container to be unloaded from a ship, while in Asia it is 27 seconds.[5]“Cargo Ships Are so Full That Ports Are Struggling to Unload Them.” Quartz, Accessed November 20, 2021. www.qz.com/2065671/cargo-ships-are-so-full-that-ports-are-struggling-to-unload-them/ Since different ports have distinct strategies of moving containers from ship to shore, there are a number of possibilities behind this time discrepancy.

Efficiency in automating containers arises from proper automation and skilled crane operators. For example, the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which is one of the most efficient ports in the world, has a system of automated quay cranes whose function is to attach to and lift containers from ships. These have been developed to the point where they add and remove containers from a ship at the same time, and operate 24/7 with only a few people required to oversee the process.[6]“How Do 80,000 ‘Lipsticks’ Help The Largest Port In Europe Run On Automation? | Richard Hammond’s Big.” YouTube, Accessed November 20, 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NULoelb7PzA Additionally, the port of Yokohama in Japan has the fastest container unloading time of all ports.[7]“Yokohama Crowned World’s Most Efficient Container Port.” Splash247, Accessed November 20, 2021. www.splash247.com/yokohama-crowned-worlds-most-efficient-container-port/. It unloads containers manually without automation, and it attributes its quick unloading time to its skilled crane operators.[8]“Ch6.”Port of Yokohama”.” YouTube, Accessed November 20, 2021. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xm-waXaUcc.

Inefficiency can be linked to lack of motivation among crane operators. According to a recent testament by a truck worker in the port of Los Angeles, “‘In 15 years of doing this job, I’ve never seen them work slower. The crane operators take their time, like three to four hours to get just one container.”[9]“ILWU13.” Accessed November 20, 2021. www.ilwu13.com/component/content/article/18-posts/8758-la-port-blasts-lazy-crane-operator-report-as-inaccurate-characterization?Itemid=101. One might argue this recent change is due to a decline in working conditions, such as recent backlog in the Los Angeles port. However, this issue likely arises from deeper problems, which may include low pay or lack of effective management.

While it is probable that the port strategies and management mentioned above account for the discrepancy in unloading time between the United States and Asia, there is a small amount of reliable evidence online. There is a general lack of experimental evidence that automating cranes significantly reduces time in comparison to not automating and that higher pay causes crane operators to lift more containers per hour. More research must be conducted by policymakers and regulators to fill this evidence void before policy changes become a feasible course of action. 

One method of experimentation is a randomized controlled trial. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a hard and logical type of evidence, leaving the viewer no room for skepticism or misinterpretation. In this context, it is an experiment conducted on randomly chosen ports that measures the effect of a certain treatment, for example, the effect of a training program for crane operators on the number of containers lifted per hour. If implemented with the correct statistics, the results of the RCT will indicate, with a level of uncertainty, whether the treatment has a significant impact on unloading efficiency. The data and evidence can then be used to develop a greater understanding of and possible solutions to the inefficiency of unloading containers, which is one of the main causes of port congestion.

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