Publications

Santos, A.M.P., Mendes, J.P. and Guedes Soares, C. , “A System Dynamics model for evaluating container terminal management policies”, Maritime Technology and Engineering, Guedes Soares, C. & Santos T.A. (Eds.), Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK, pp. 45-54

A System Dynamics model is proposed to study management policies for a maritime container terminal constrained by urban and environmental pressures, which is a commonly observed case. The generic System Dynamics model is built with the use of an appropriate Systems Archetype, which helps not only in the identification of the structural causes behind the system’s observed behavior but also in pinpointing strategies for dealing with the implications of the system’s structure. In particular, the proposed model allows the testing of the two types of management policies available for a maritime container terminal: those related to price, and those related to service quality. After the generic System Dynamics model is built, an example application to an existing container terminal is made. Specifically, the model is populated with data for the Alcântara Container Terminal in the Port of Lisbon. Model results show that increasing the service quality seems to produce the best results both in terms of throughput and profitability. Model results also show that following a policy of decreasing port price may have a negative impact, especially in terms of revenues and profitability.

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