Abstract:
Ports are recognized as a significant part of the whole maritime supply chain therefore, port efficiency often means the speed and reliability of port services. Port performance indicators are simply measures of various aspects of port operation. This report attempted to assess the performance of Tin Can island port, specifically using key performance indicators of average waiting time, port throughput and average service time for the port; it also compared the performance of the port to other African ports, studied the equipment available at the port and investigated the challenges faced by the port in its operations. Secondary data from the Nigerian Ports Authority were used for the purpose of this study which includes data of arrival times, berthing times, service start times, ship/berth idle times, end of service times, ship departure times, berth worked/used, ship length, cargo throughput and berth effectiveness for ship calls at the port for a period of three months from April to June 2018. The data was analyzed using the queuing model and the results showed an average service time of 2.55 days, an average waiting time of 1.12 hours and an arrival rate of 2.44 ships per day with a total ship call of 221 vessels for the three months studied. The study ranked the port at 8th position in terms of performance compared to its African counterparts using indices of infrastructure quality, port operations effectiveness and logistics efficiency. The major problems faced by the port include; high cargo dwell time, lack of holding bay and trailer parks, high terminal handling charges and reliance on road as the major mode of evacuation of cargo from ports in which the condition of the road is very poor. The study recommended improving the infrastructures, monitoring performance of individual terminals and upgrading the rail mode of transport as a method of evacuating cargoes from the port to inland container depots.
