Container Terminal Operations Training Course

Participants can interpret the main data sets used for terminal planning and control.

• ISO 6346 container identification, size, type and check-digit structure
• BAPLIE messages and bay plans used for vessel planning
• COPRAR and COPARN messages supporting load and discharge instructions
• Container attributes affecting handling: weight, reefer, dangerous goods and customs
• Terminal master data for blocks, slots, equipment and gate lanes
• Data-quality checks for duplicate records, status conflicts and missing weights

Participants can prepare berth plans that balance vessel windows, berth constraints and service priorities.

• Berth occupancy calculated from vessel length, draft and working duration
• Priority rules for contractual windows, feeder connections and service recovery
• Tidal restrictions, air draft limits and nautical access constraints
• Prepare berth gantt charts from estimated arrival and departure data
• Buffer assumptions for pilotage, mooring, unberthing and weather delays
• Conflict resolution between overlapping vessel calls and berth preferences

Participants can allocate quay cranes using workload, crane intensity and interference constraints.

• Gross moves, net moves and crane productivity measures distinguished
• Crane intensity derived from planned moves and vessel working time
• Assign quay cranes using outreach, lift capacity and rail constraints
• Crane interference rules for adjacent bays and safety separation
• Move-count balancing across cranes during vessel operations
• Reallocation triggers following crane breakdown, late arrival or stowage changes

Participants can translate stowage information into workable discharge and load sequences.

• Bay, row and tier coordinates interpreted from vessel bay plans
• Discharge sequences aligned with yard space and delivery priorities
• Loading sequences checked against cut-off, stability and stowage requirements
• Hatch-cover moves, lashing operations and crane stoppages scheduled
• Restows and over-stows identified before quay work begins
• Reconcile vessel planner changes with terminal execution instructions

Participants can assess yard capacity and establish practical block allocation rules.

• Yard geometry: blocks, bays, rows, tiers and transfer lanes
• Static capacity distinguished from usable capacity under operating constraints
• Calculate occupancy rates by block, container category and dwell time
• Stack height limits determined by equipment, safety and container condition
• Reserve buffer slots for peaks, rehandles and operational recovery
• Map traffic routes separating internal tractors, trucks and pedestrians

Participants can plan import stacks that support fast, controlled cargo release.

• Import stack allocation based on consignee, customs status and dwell
• Segregate holds, inspections, damaged units and unclaimed containers
• Delivery appointment demand translated into block and equipment requirements
• Rehandle risk assessed through stack depth, height and retrieval sequence
• Customs release status checked before gate-out instruction approval
• Empty return flows separated from import delivery traffic patterns

Participants can position export and transhipment containers for reliable vessel loading.

• Export receiving windows aligned with vessel cut-off and stowage sequence
• Pre-marshalling plans built from load lists and yard locations
• Transhipment connections prioritised by onward vessel departure windows
• Stack by port, weight, hazardous class and refrigerated requirement
• Late export arrivals managed through exception zones and escalation rules
• Yard reshuffles controlled through planned housekeeping move limits

Participants can apply operating controls for containers requiring specialist handling and monitoring.

• Reefer plug planning matched to power capacity and monitoring rounds
• IMDG Code segregation principles applied to yard storage locations
• Dangerous goods declarations checked against container and booking records
• Out-of-gauge and heavy-lift units assigned suitable storage positions
• Damaged containers isolated using inspection, reporting and handling controls
• Emergency access routes maintained around reefer and hazardous cargo areas

Participants can match equipment fleets and dispatch rules to planned container flows.

• Rubber-tyred gantry, rail-mounted gantry and straddle carrier operating patterns
• Internal tractor fleet sizing based on cycle time and move demand
• Dispatch rules compared: fixed assignment, pooling and dynamic allocation
• Queue lengths monitored at quay, transfer points and yard blocks
• Travel-distance reduction through pairing, dual cycles and route discipline
• Battery charging, fuelling and shift handover integrated into availability plans

Participants can design gate controls that reduce truck waiting and transaction failures.

• Gate process mapped from appointment booking through exit confirmation
• Optical character recognition and RFID functions within gate workflows
• Truck turnaround time separated into queue, transaction and service components
• Appointment systems matched to hourly gate and yard capacity
• Exception lanes managed for documentation, damage and weight discrepancies
• Weighbridge controls applied to verified gross mass and road limits

Participants can coordinate terminal plans with rail, barge and inland container movements.

• Rail window planning aligned with train length and wagon sequence
• Barge exchanges scheduled around berth, yard and equipment capacity
• Pre-advice records checked before inland transport arrival
• Transfer stacks designed for rapid rail and barge retrieval
• Intermodal cut-off controls linked to vessel connection commitments
• Handover procedures reconcile terminal inventory with inland operator records

Participants can use terminal operating system logic to manage moves, holds and operational exceptions.

• Terminal operating system functions for planning, execution and inventory control
• Move orders generated from vessel, yard and gate instructions
• Equipment control interfaces transmit jobs, positions and completion status
• Exception codes managed for misdeclared, damaged and missing containers
• Manual overrides controlled through authorisation, logging and reconciliation
• Shift handover reports capture unresolved exceptions and priority actions

Participants can calculate, interpret and act on terminal performance indicators.

• Vessel turnaround measured from all-fast through unberthing completion
• Gross crane rate and net crane rate calculated correctly
• Yard productivity tracked through moves, rehandles and equipment utilisation
• Gate service performance measured by truck turnaround and appointment adherence
• Dwell time analysed by cargo category, customer and customs status
• Daily performance boards linked to accountable recovery actions

Participants can incorporate equipment condition and maintenance constraints into operating plans.

• Planned maintenance windows incorporated into equipment deployment schedules
• Mean time between failures and mean time to repair interpreted
• Pre-shift inspections identify defects requiring immediate isolation
• Critical spare parts linked to equipment availability and repair priorities
• Maintenance and operations coordinate release-to-service decisions
• Condition-based maintenance signals used for intervention planning

Participants can apply operational controls for terminal safety, security and environmental risks.

• Bow-tie analysis identifies preventive and recovery controls for incidents
• Pedestrian segregation rules applied around mobile plant operating zones
• Lockout-tagout procedures controlled during equipment maintenance and repair
• ISPS Code access controls integrated with terminal gate procedures
• Spill response arrangements address fuel, hydraulic oil and dangerous goods
• Idle-time reduction and equipment utilisation support emissions management

Participants can coordinate operational recovery during major terminal disruptions.

• Recovery priorities set using safety, vessel departure and cargo commitments
• Late vessel arrivals assessed against berth and crane plan impacts
• Weather stoppages managed through restart criteria and backlog sequencing
• Equipment failures trigger dispatch changes, maintenance escalation and customer updates
• Yard congestion relieved through diversions, housekeeping and gate restrictions
• Shift control meetings assign actions, owners, deadlines and escalation thresholds

Participants can prepare capacity plans for seasonal peaks, schedule changes and infrastructure constraints.

• Forecast container volumes using service schedules, seasonality and dwell assumptions
• Berth capacity tested against vessel bunching and crane availability
• Yard capacity scenarios model occupancy, dwell and stack-height limits
• Gate capacity matched to hourly truck arrivals and transaction times
• Peak readiness plans define overflow areas, labour and equipment contingencies
• Capital and process options compared using throughput and service impacts

Participants can build, review and present a complete terminal operating and disruption recovery plan.

• Consolidate berth, crane, yard, gate and equipment planning assumptions
• Build a vessel-call plan from schedules, move counts and constraints
• Prepare yard allocation maps for import, export and transhipment flows
• Calculate productivity, occupancy, turnaround and equipment availability indicators
• Test the plan against simulated disruptions and competing service priorities
• Present recovery decisions, control measures and expected performance outcomes