Empty Container Practice at Off-Dock Depot and the Development of 3D Simulation Model: A Case Study

Abstract

The management of empty container movement is a complex process that involves numerous containers coming in and going out of a terminal or off-dock depot sorted by different types of transport, such as trains or trucks. This study focuses mainly on the landside empty containers (off-dock depot/ODD), where the trucks represent the primary function in the container supply chain management. For this purpose, simulation models are widely used in the analysis and design of port operations, as it has been proven that the simulation model is a very practical and reliable decision medium in the port. This study presents empty container practice and develops 3D simulation model based on a case study at two ODD companies. It can be concluded that the proposed development model using a 3D platform provides better visibility of operational flow and can be used as a potential platform for achieving the desired improvement, especially in the context of bottlenecks in the future.