For every hour a container vessel spends in port the ramifications stretch far beyond the quay. A ship at anchor cannot proceed to the next port, containers are delivered later to their destination, schedules are less reliable and available capacity is committed. Such delays can ultimately raise freight costs and disrupt entire supply chains.
Recent years have reminded us of how vulnerable maritime schedules can be. The fragility of the global maritime networks has been exposed by the disruptions of the pandemic, the drought restrictions at the Panama Canal, attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, and wider geopolitical tensions. Ports are under pressure when vessels are behind schedule. Port operations can cause delays that quickly ripple through the network.
This brings us to an important question: how to measure the performance of ports? Port authorities can blame terminal operators, terminal operators can blame shipping lines and carriers can blame congestion, customs procedures or external events. But the experience of many successful ports leads to another conclusion: vessel turnaround time is rarely a function of any one stakeholder. There are many elements that need to come together for efficient port calls.
Vessel time in port – a joint responsibility
The time a vessel spends at port is measured from the time the vessel arrives in the port area until the time it leaves the berth. There are many operations between those two moments: waiting at anchor, pilotage, towage, berth allocation, regulatory inspections, cargo handling, documentation and coordination with landside operations. Cargo handling is therefore just one part of the whole picture.
This distinction is important in that it broadens the search for solutions. The world’s most efficient ports have done this by reducing what can be called “time absorption”: the accumulation of unproductive hours from waiting, queues, uncertainty, poor co-ordination or administrative friction.
The aim is to reduce the time lag between a vessel’s arrival and the commencement of productive operations, and to enable the port to recover quickly when disruptions occur. Most important, vessel turnaround should be viewed as a system-wide performance metric, not a terminal problem.
The public sector: establishing the conditions for efficiency
Governments and port authorities are a key player as they define the operating environment in which all other stakeholders operate.
The first priority is efficient access to the sea. Cargo operations cannot start until a vessel has arrived at its berth. “Delays involving pilots, tugs, mooring crews, vessel traffic services, channel restrictions or navigational bottlenecks can therefore add directly to port time. In some cases, marine service improvements can produce gains similar to large investments in terminal infrastructure.
The second duty relates to regulatory efficiency. Customs, health authorities, immigration, security services and other public agencies are all integral parts of the port ecosystem. If their procedures are sequential rather than coordinated, vessels and cargo may be left in wait. Sharing information and aligning processes can save critical hours off the port call.”
Third major factor is governance. Predictable regulatory structures and transparent institutional arrangements are characteristics of good ports. Clear responsibilities, aligned incentives and effective coordination mechanisms reduce operational friction and lower the barrier for stakeholders to respond during disruptions.
In digitalization, public authorities are also becoming more and more important. Maritime Single Windows, Port Community Systems and other information sharing platforms are no longer just useful conveniences. They are turning into a vital infrastructure. As shipping schedules change rapidly, the ability to exchange accurate information in real time is becoming as important as physical port infrastructure.
Terminal Operators: Performance from the Capacity
The heart of the vessel turnaround process is still the terminal operator, but their role is more than just moving containers as fast as possible.
The best performing terminals combine operational discipline with available physical capacity. They use cranes well, streamline yard moves, reduce idle time before and after cargo operations and invest in equipment maintenance, workforce skills and planning systems. Importantly, they should also be able to sustain performance under adverse operating conditions.
Recent disruptions have demonstrated that resilience can be as important as efficiency. A terminal when it is working properly can be extremely productive. The more difficult test is when multiple large vessels come in at once, schedules get disrupted or an outside factor causes a sudden spike in demand.
Increasingly this has meant what might be called ‘burst congestion’, brief intense periods when a number of delayed vessels arrive at the same time and exert exceptional pressure on available capacity. In such circumstances, the speed at which a terminal can bounce back is just as critical as its day-to-day productivity.
This aim can be supported by digital technologies. Operational predictability can be improved by Terminal Operating Systems, predictive planning tools, dynamic yard allocation and better integration with shipping line information. The aim is not merely to speed up individual operations but to achieve a stable rhythm of operations that can absorb disruptions without falling into congestion.
Ports like Dar es Salaam show what can be done through a mix of infrastructure investment and operational reforms, digitalization and more disciplined berth management. Sustainable performance gains are typically the result of a combination of better infrastructure and better processes, not relying on one or the other alone.
Contributed by Jan Hoffmann, Global Lead, Maritime Transport and Ports, The World Bank.
