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Liyenita Widjaja, MSc
Coastal Engineer
Moffatt & Nichol
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Cheng-Feng Tsai, MS, P.E.
Coastal Engineer
Moffatt & Nichol
Walnut Creek, California
Development of a port complex involves a large amount of capital investment, which is directly related to the port infrastructure and cargo handling equipment. To reduce the risk on investment, designing a model to simulate actual activities is a fast and cost-effective tool.
In this study, three different types of cargo transfer operations and their combination were analyzed using discrete event simulation to evaluate the expected port performance in different development phases. The study was performed for a new Greenfield port complex in Brazil, designed to accommodate the transshipment of crude oil from shuttle tankers arriving from the FPSO units to export vessels. The cargo transfer operations included ship-to-ship (STS) transfer, cross jetty transfer, and onshore storage tanks. Whilst each transfer operation is widely practiced on its own, a combination of the three methods has not been performed to date. For new operational methodologies such as those proposed for the port in question, the decision-making process can be difficult as little or no reference is available to benchmark the potential port’s performance.
Results of this study allowed the project stakeholders to identify the benefits and disadvantages of investing in different types of infrastructure, as well as identifying the port’s competitiveness with other port facilities in the region.