Question

Tema Container Terminal (TCT) plans to build a new container terminal. You have been contracted to determine the land area for the new terminal. Explain the factors you will consider and how these factors will affect the land area for the terminal

Answer 1

Factors which affect the land area for the Tema Container Terminal (TCT) .

Land-use efficiency is important in ports, especially people who are constrained for space and experiencing congestion.

Container Dwell Time
Container dwell time is a measure of the time from which a container is

unloaded from a ship until it leaves the container yard to its final destination.

This mostly applies to import containers. For export containers, the reverse is

true and is therefore a measure of your time from when a container arrives at the

container yard until it's loaded on-board a ship.

Stacking Height
Increasing traffic in ports has basically increased the demand for space for storing

by both port users and operators. Increasing container traffic in addition to

storage yard capacity constraints have created quite complex operational chal-

lenges for port operators in providing efficient services

Dimensions of Containers
Loaded 20-footer containers in general can be

stacked above 40-footer containers due to the problem in handling

large boxes at a higher height. Moreover, due to the weight of such contain-

ers (40-foot), high stacking might be too heavy for the yard surface.

• Type of Containers

Containers such as hazardous, refrigerated and other

special containers that need some special handling affect the peak at

which the container can be stacked. The stacking height is affected here be-

cause there may be few “special” containers in the terminal and as result high

stacking may cause handling challenges. In addition, some containers that

carry cargoes that are “out-of-gauge” will not be stackable on standard boxes

in the terminal thanks to the heterogeneous nature of the container types.

• Status of Containers

Depending on the cargo type (imports, exports or

empties), the stacking height will vary. For instance, with imported cargoes,

stacking won't be too high to avoid difficult handling because these cargoes

Container Handling System
The container handling system includes the equipment required to receive, ma-

noeuvre, and dispatch standardized containers at the terminal. The type of con-

tainer handling system is a function of the type of equipment used which in

practice determines the stacking height of containers in a terminal.