Simulation of an AIS System for the Port of Hamburg

This paper shows that the prediction of vessel arrival times with AIS (Automatic Identification System) is increasing the number of vessels a port can handle without additional superstructure. The Port of Hamburg is used as a case study to show the difference between the as-is situation and one with the integrated information system. The simulation shows improvements with two different risk levels to prove the concept. The simulation uses simplified versions of an algorithm that assigns vessels to free berths without disrupting the normal terminal usage. It was possible to clear up to 44% more ships each day just with an additional system that utilises already existing data for achieving more efficiency within the port.