Storage capacity for import containers at seaports

The advent of containerization has changed the storage needs of most ports. The mechanization of container handling has brought about a tremendous increase in the rate at which cargo is loaded and unloaded from ships. This rate increase however, has not been accompanied by a comparative increase in the maximum rate at which cargo arrives or leaves the port area by land. This increase in the disparity between the maximum maritime and landside cargo handling rates has intensified the use of storage space as a buffer between the two flows, resulting in a need for larger storage areas.; The limited availability of storage space has caused the demand of storage space in many ports to exceed supply. This results in congestion of the storage facility and expensive increases in ship turnaround times and cargo handling charges.; This research studies the storage of import containers at both general purpose terminals and specialized container facilities. Simple analytical techniques to estimate the minimum storage capacity needed to ensure that episodes of storage congestion are infrequent are developed. These techniques also serve to identify the effects that different throughput characteristics have on the use of storage.; The analysis used to study the storage system is developed from a planning perspective. The resulting expressions capture the main aspects of the storage problem with the fewest possible parameters, and are thus best suited for the planning stage of terminal design in which many different alternatives must be evaluated without much concern for detail. With these expressions alternatives to the design problem can be quickly and economically evaluated. Possible solutions can be selected and later further analyzed in more detail with computer simulations. All the parameters chosen for the analysis are generally readily available at a planning stage of the terminal design process.