The Basic Study for the Rationalization of Port Terminal Operation-II : Analysis of Physical Distribution Cost of General Cargo and Fleet Operation

Abstract

The authors adopted the transportation process of exporting general cargoes as total system and built its system model and analyzed physical distribution cost which was calculated through computer simulation. The object of model was selected the transportation between Japan and U.S.A. excepting inland transportion and imagined ports were Kobe, Yokohama, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The results of case study through simulation, wtich should be managed for the sake of reducing the physical distribution cost, were as follows: (1) The elements affected on physical distribution were ship's D.w., ship's speed, cargo handling rate, number of ships and number of berths. And they were correlative on each other, so it should be managed to make them reasonable in accordance with annual tonnage of cargoes delivered in management of ships and port facilities. (2) It should be managed to reduce ship's berthing time for cargo handling and ship's waiting time for berthing because the influence of demurrage is very high. For the purpose of reducing, it must be control equally the level of aforementioned each element. (3) The utilization factor of 10 berths of each port should be kept between 0.6 and 0.8. (4) The percentage of P.D.C. in terminals against total P.D.C. is considerably high. This points out the necessity of rationalization of physical distribution process in port area.