Summary and Outlook

Abstract

Based on the important function of seaport container terminals for the international trade flows in a containerised world, the present work is motivated by the increasing use of different design variants of automated RMGC systems at container terminals all around the world, which is driven by the trend towards using more eco-friendly and less labour-intensive terminal equipment—in particular in industrialised countries in Europe, North-America and parts of Asia. The main objectives of this work are to quantify and to explain the effects of RMGC-design alternatives on the operational performance of container-storage yards and seaport container terminals as a whole as well as to identify and to evaluate the effects of terminal-framework conditions and operational planning strategies on the operational performance and the design of RMGC systems at seaport container terminals.