موانىء الشـحن .. الحاسبات تعمل

Shipping Ports .. Computers work

Shipping Ports

Containerization is considered one of the most important modern developments in the field of freight transport, as small scattered items are packed in standardized containers, then transported in fixed units by air, sea, land trucks or railways.
It is expected that the generalization of this means of transport will lead to an integrated global system for transporting goods between countries quickly and efficiently.

Storage warehouses in ports receive special attention in organizing the transport of goods by containers, as these sites transfer large numbers of containers of various sizes and weights from one means of transport to another to be sent to different destinations, for example, transferring containers from ships and aircraft to trucks and railway trailers or vice versa.

Seaports are the most crowded with containers and the most complex in organizing the transfer of containers, due to the large number of containers carried by a single ship and the multiplicity of means of transport that visit these ports. Containers are transported in special ships with holds designed specifically for this purpose, as cranes receive the containers stacked in any section of the hold, and these holds are filled and emptied completely mechanically.

(A ship in a shipping port is loaded with containers by cranes controlled by a computer (down). A crane moves a truck container to the left).

However, the availability of the latest means of transport and the best equipment and tools in the ports does not guarantee the effectiveness and proper functioning of the system, rather, coordination must be made between the various means of transport, so that trucks do not come to the ports to transport the containers before the arrival of the ships carrying these containers. The computer is used to speed up the transport of goods as much as possible and to use the means of transport and port equipment to the fullest extent.

The computer performs many tasks in the field of transporting containers through ports, showing the best way to fill the ship's holds with containers of different sizes and weights without burdening the ship beyond its capacity. The computer directs trucks to the sea docks so that they arrive at the appropriate time to load their containers onto the ships. The computer also instructs crane operators to load each container in its designated place or to unload it from it. If some containers do not arrive at the ship at the specified time, the computer quickly finds another way to fill the ship's holds with the containers that have actually arrived. Since most trucks rarely arrive at the ports at the exact times specified for unloading or loading, the computer manages these matters as quickly and as completely as possible.

The figure on page 149 shows a diagram of a typical dock facility for unloading and loading containers. From an administrative point of view, such a dock is considered a self-contained system, with inputs and outputs from loaded or empty trucks.

(A container truck at the port (below). A diagram showing some of the organizational functions performed by the computer system (left).

The following shows the sequence of events leading to the loading of the vessel with the containers. Customers order the containers to be shipped in advance and each of them specifies the number of containers, their dimensions, weights, unique numbers, and destinations. Information about the containers with one destination is collected and stored in the computer's records. The computer assigns the dates of shipment of the containers to their destinations on the available ships, then determines the arrival times of these containers at the dock and informs the customers of this.

The containers are sent to the dock by truck. The truck enters the system at the receiving gate where the truck driver is given a numbered, perforated plastic card that identifies the truck until it exits the system. The receptionist informs the computer of the dimensions, weights, and unique numbers of the containers that the truck is carrying. The computer checks its records to see if this information matches what it has. If it does, it reviews the information it has stored to see if a crane is available to transfer the containers to the ship immediately. .

If all the cranes are not busy, the computer raises a barrier to allow the truck to reach the dock directly. If the cranes are busy, the computer reviews its information again to see if the truck has a place in a parking lot waiting for its turn to unload its cargo. If the dock parking lot is full, the truck heads to the main truck parking lot to wait for a place in the dock parking lot.

If it is time for the truck to move to the dock parking lot, the computer calls it and displays its identifying number on a large screen in the public parking lot and guides it to where it should go. Then the truck driver inserts his plastic card into a special device, the computer recognizes his truck's cargo and raises a barrier to allow him to enter the dock parking lot.

(The smooth running of things in the shipping port depends on the regularity of the arrival and departure of containers to the dock. Therefore, incoming trucks are directed either directly to the dock, to the dock parking lot, or to the main parking lot.)

When it is time to unload the containers from the truck, the computer displays the truck's identification number on the docking station screen, and the truck heads to the dock. The driver uses his plastic card to have the computer check the truck's load again. If the truck is the one required, the computer raises the barrier to allow the truck to enter the dock. If the truck is not the one required, the computer raises another barrier and the truck returns to the docking station.

As the truck heads to the designated crane, the computer has instructed the crane operator, via a wireless typewriter, on where to store the containers on the ship. After unloading its cargo, the truck heads to the final checkpoint where the responsible employee enters all the information about the truck into the computer. If all is well and the containers are loaded properly, the truck driver hands over his plastic card and the computer raises the exit barrier, and the truck exits the system. If there is any confusion in loading the containers, the computer may ask the truck to return to the docking station or to the main parking lot.

When the ship is loaded, the computer prepares a list detailing the containers being loaded and their storage locations, and sends this list to the next port of call. The loaded containers may differ from those originally scheduled for loading, because some of them did not arrive, and the computer notes these differences for future reference if necessary. A similar approach is followed when loading trucks from a container ship. The computer receives details of the loaded containers and their storage locations before the ship arrives at the port, and this information is sent after the ship has left its last port of call. The computer instructs the crane operators on the containers that need to be unloaded, starting with those stacked high in the holds, which have been placed in these locations to facilitate their separation in the aforementioned dock. When the empty trucks arrive at the dock, the receptionist informs the computer of the container numbers that each truck is supposed to carry. The computer directs the trucks to the dock for loading, as previously mentioned. When the trucks are loaded, their loads are checked to ensure that each pallet is carrying the correct containers. If everything is fine, the trucks leave the system to their designated destinations.

(Contextual illustration of container handling operations).