Results

Port Resiliency and the Effects of Hurricanes on Port Operations

Journal: International Journal of Advanced Operations Management

Abstract:

This paper studies the negative effects of hurricanes on portoperations. Hurricanes push a large amount of sediment into the port andconnecting channels, thus decreasing the water depth. As a result, larger vesselsneed extra time to de-ballast the water from the ballast tanks in order to reducetheir draft and enter the port. Arena software is used to simulate port operationsbefore and after a hurricane. The simulation study addresses how de-ballastingcan affect the port key performance indicators. The model before a hurricaneallows ships to enter the port, unload and load containers, and leave the port,while the after-hurricane model forces the large vessels to first empty theirballast tanks before entering the port. The simulation models are used to studythe case of hurricane Harvey at the Port Houston. The results show thathurricanes have detrimental impacts on the port.