Port terminal performance evaluation and modeling

Background: The efficiency and competitiveness of port supply chain entities are two critical concerns for maritime transport that must constantly be enhanced. This paper presents an approach called ECOGRAISIM for evaluating the performance of the seaport supply chain. The objective is to achieve an effective operational plan for multimodal terminals. Methods: The proposed approach incorporates the ECOGRAI (Graph with Interconnected Results and Activities) technique with ESSIMAS (Evaluation by Simulation of Innovative Solutions for the Development of Mass Transport on the Seine Axis by electric rail coupons). An additional stage was incorporated to accomplish the performance control. A particular focus was put on action variables and procedures for container and massified transfer management. The multimodal terminal at Le Havre seaport was adopted as the case study. Results: Several scenarios of container transfer were defined and investigated based upon specific features, including delays, minimizing expenses and CO2 emissions. The results show that the operational planning method results in a higher service rate and significantly reduces delay, cost and CO2 emissions. Conclusions: The proposed approach is bound to be beneficial for maritime transport planners and decision makers.