Managing Terminal and Transport Processes with Access Management Services

Given the massive flows of containers that mega vessels deliver to seaport freight terminals, the terminal and transport operators face major accessibility and congestion challenges. To address those challenges, five information services, named as access management services, are identified that can mobilize interorganizational information flows to achieve effective terminal and transport processes. In those processes, previous research has examined the effects of such services only in the access phase, that is, when containers are loaded and/or unloaded, leaving out the potential effects in the pre‐ and post‐access phases. Consequently, the purpose is to clarify how the five identified access management services can affect activities and resources for all three access phases in the terminal and transport processes. Two empirical studies were performed: a prestudy, which involved 30 observations to identify terminal and transport processes in a seaport terminal, and an improvement study, which involved eight interviews and four focus groups to explain how the processes can be managed effectively. Access management services that can exchange information in real time can perform and utilize the activities and resources in all three access phases effectively. Namely, with the services, effective loading and unloading require fewer movements, drivers, administrators, controllers and less container lifting.