Evans Barasa

 Topic: Container terminal management Student name: Institution: Date Essay outline: Title: transport and logistics management Thesis: a look at the challenges faced by the container terminals, and solutions that have proposed to address those challenges. I. Introduction a. Description of the natures of container terminals , b. Emerging solution and proposals aimed at addressing the above II. Background a) Growth of international trade b) Existing challenge at the port c) Approaches to deal with the challenges III. Proposals approaches: a) The concept of Integration and Coordination of intermodal transport services b) The concentration of support services Pros: a) Decongestion of the port b) Decrease idle time at the port c) Harmonization of ports operation, thereby enhanced cooperation d) Stimulation of economic growth, because of fast movement of goods and services Cons: a) Failure of a component makes the entire system predisposed to crippling b) Expensive to executive in terms of resources and suitable personnel IV. Conclusion: a) Proposed approaches have worked in other places b) The approaches are imperative to the modernization of the ports. Introduction: This paper is an analysis of the design, operations management and logistics control issues at the container terminals. International trade has seen an increase in intercontinental maritime transport. Aforementioned, it’s expected the issues such as increased traffic at the port to emerge. Equally related, the forces of demand and supply come into play, where the port becomes a marketplace for the exchange of good and services. Competition thereby comes into play. To withstand competition, demand for improved services for market players becomes imperative. New approaches have therefore come up in meeting such expectations. Efficiency through IT-supports and enhanced logistics controls systems have been developed for handling cargoes. Emphasis on quality services in the key ingredient to retain and build a new customer base. In it on this backdrop, that Shipping companies have started demanding reliability regarding strict adherence to timelines and delivery dates. Proposal for new approaches to use in the judgment and enhancing quality service delivery and performance are being invented. The focus is centered on the container terminals because they are the interface for the different transport modes. Shipping ports have to; consequently, invest profoundly to meet the stringent demands for faster services and at higher quality. New requirements are being advocated for bringing dynamism in the freight industry. Therefore the improvement in port productivity and efficiency is being driven by the stakeholders, by encouraging adoption of the effective operational system that will significantly help make the best use of port infrastructure and resources. New approaches are therefore being explored and adopted in this regard. Background: The invention of ports is dated several decades back, has facilitated a revolution in unternational trade with an exponential increase in experts and imports. International trade therefore represents a growing share of global output. Due to that, there has been intense focus on improving container terminals. Interdependence of maritime and continental container terminal requires a case to case upgrade in term of reliability and interrelations hence quality service delivery. It’s on this background that the analysis will employ the model of SERQUAL. It is a contraction of service quality. It looks at the decision problems in the continental terminals. These can be viewed at regarding design, planning and real-time control problems. We are going to look at what should be done on these aspects of container terminals. Integration and Coordination of intermodal transport services: Integrated planning of the interconnecting modes of transport at the port areas is paramount. The port infrastructure must have multimodal transports containing developed inland logistics zones that have modal hubs, support facilities like warehouses and related services. For instance the concept of extended gates where port clients can drop or pick up containers as if they were dealing directly with the port. Services such as customs are conducted at the extended gate. The port is freed and decongested as the connectivity between the port and hinterland are addressed simultaneously. Idle time is therefore minimized hence saving time and accelerating the flow and growth of businesses other sectors of the economy. The concentration of support services: This is related to the above, and it’s on which integration and coordination are premised. Some services can be handled within the same roof so that a port client reduces the number of visits one is required to partake before being cleared. Some bureaucracies can as well be harmonized, in the process of clearing to minimize bottleneck that hinders the smooth running of the port services. The two reasons above can, however, be crippled by the failure of a single unit. In perspective, the approach use is hierarchical, with the most important step being the first one. The integral functions or services become interdependent and interconnected. If one of the functions in the system, is disrupted, awkward congestion may be encountered, Equally, the process may be very expensive to maintain, as resources and expertise will need to be employed to ensure a smooth running of the port’s operations. It may also be a challenge to delegate functions, to avoid unnecessary overlaps. The time required to design such perfect framework may be expensive, in terms of money, time and other resources. Conclusion: In conclusion, ports act as stimulants that spur economic growth and development. They are feeders to the economy, as they facilitate easy and quick movements of goods and services. In this light, the operations of the container terminals must be designed to the best and most efficient structure, which will trigger economic growth and not act as hindrances. Its on this ground that new and dynamic approaches such as the above highlighted, which have proved to work in some places, should be encouraged and adopted to enhance productivity. Reference Li, W., Wu, Y., & Goh, M. (2015). Maritime Terminal Operational Problems. In Planning and Scheduling for Maritime Container Yards (pp. 5-29). Springer, Cham. Notteboom, T., & Rodrigue, J. P. (2006). Challenges in the maritime-land interface: Maritime freight and logistics. Report prepared for the Korean Government, Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, The Master Development Plan for Port Logistics Parks in Korea. Vacca, I., Salani, M., & Bierlaire, M. (2010). Optimization of operations in container terminals: hierarchical vs integrated approaches. In 10th Swiss Transport Research Conference (No. EPFL-CONF-152349).