Sea container terminals: new technologies and OR models

Abstract

Owing to a rapid growth in world trade and a large increase in the flow of containerized goods, sea container terminals play a vital role in globe-spanning supply chains. Container terminals should be able to handle large ships, with large call sizes within the shortest time possible, and at competitive rates. In response, terminal operators, shipping lines and port authorities are investing in new technologies to improve container handling and operational efficiency. Container terminals face challenging research problems that have received much attention from the academic community. The focus of this article is on highlighting recent developments in container terminals, which can be categorized into two areas: (i) innovative container terminal technologies and (ii) new OR directions and models for existing research areas. By choosing this focus, we complement existing reviews on container terminal operations.