Port operations simulators are applications of

simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of Conceptual model, models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or proc ...

technology used to determine the outcomes of potential changes to factors affecting

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

s, security policies, traffic patterns, port expansion or growth,

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s, inclement

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

, or

terrorist activity Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

NISAC Port Operations Simulator

The National Infrastructure Simulation Analysis Center, a program within the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

, has developed a Port Operations Simulator, which is designed to model, simulate, and analyze the effects on port economic health as a result of potential shipping container and port security policies. There is also a companion program, the Economic Simulator, which analyzes the long-term economic impact of security policies in the port. The simulator was originally designed specifically for ports in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, and

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, but it can be modified to apply to other ports as well. The Houston adaptation has built-in scenarios, including loss of

electric power Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions o ...

, loss of

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s, labor disruptions, and major security threats. Users have the ability to direct controls in order to determine the best response and recovery plans to these types of scenarios.

SimPort

SimPort is a

serious game A serious game or applied game is a game designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment. The "serious" adjective is generally prepended to refer to video games used by industries like defense, education, scientific exploration, he ...

simulation in which the users must plan and manage a port expansion called the Second

Maasvlakte The Maasvlakte () is a massive man-made westward extension of the Europoort port and industrial facility within the Port of Rotterdam. Situated in the municipality of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the Maasvlakte is built on land reclaimed fr ...

at the

Port of Rotterdam The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe, and the world's largest seaport outside of East Asia, located in and near the city of Rotterdam, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004, it was the List o ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Each team in the game is given three

laptop A laptop, laptop computer, or notebook computer is a small, portable personal computer (PC) with a screen and alphanumeric keyboard. Laptops typically have a clam shell form factor with the screen mounted on the inside of the upper li ...

s and each user is given a role from the options of General Director, Commercial Director, or Director of Infrastructure and Management. The game consists of four one-hour rounds: Round 1 consists of defining strategies and creating an allocation plan; the subsequent rounds each represent ten years of management of the site. The game is targeted primarily at actual Port of Rotterdam staff, but is considered applicable to others in training and education settings. According to th
official website
the Port of Rotterdam has three aims in the use of this game: # Gain better insight into any unforeseen, undesirable and unintentional effects of one or more development strategies and design variations in the medium term (10–30 years) as a result of exogenous uncertainties (economic, market, technological) and due to strategic behavior of the parties involved. # Stimulate holistic and multidisciplinary thinking within the Port of Rotterdam on commercial and technical/infrastructural considerations, interests and choices. # Improve the results of negotiations with respect to contracts (customers) and equipment (infrastructure) in the port area.http://www.simport.eu/index.php

References

Ports and harbours Simulation {{Water-transport-stub

NISAC Port Operations Simulator

SimPort

See also

References