Port operations simulators are applications of

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

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 Hamburg, Manch ...

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

natural disaster A natural disaster is the very harmful impact on a society or community brought by natural phenomenon or Hazard#Natural hazard, hazard. Some examples of natural hazards include avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, floods, heat waves, landslides ...

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 cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

, or

terrorist activity Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

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, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

, 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 most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, 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 of transfer of electrical energy within a electric circuit, circuit. Its SI unit is the watt, the general unit of power (physics), power, defined as one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with oth ...

, loss of

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

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 Rotterdam (or simply 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 Maa ...

at the

Port of Rotterdam The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe, and the world's largest seaport outside of 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 of bus ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. Each team in the game is given three

laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...

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.

References

Ports and harbours Simulation {{Water-transport-stub

NISAC Port Operations Simulator

SimPort

See also

References