Container ship size and the implications on port call workload

As the TEU capacity of container ships has risen, there has been an increase in the workload experienced by container terminals during a ship call. This study quantifies the changes in berth and quay workload resulting from increased ship size and the impact on ship‐to‐shore service levels of North European terminals. First trends in TEUs per ship metre length since 1975 are presented, then, accounting for changes in the TEU Ratio, this is converted into ship‐to‐shore moves to calculate a Berth Workload Index. Given the bay configurations of each ship, a Quay Crane Workload Index is then developed to determine the extent to which terminals have met these changes by deploying additional quay cranes or by improving quay crane performance. The study concludes by examining the impact of Maersk's Triple E Class container ship on the workload of a berth and quay crane.