... for operations policies and times on the quay. Design/methodology/approach A discrete-event simulation model is used to reproduce container handling on both the quay and yard areas, along with the transfer operations between the two. The resulting times, properly estimated by the simulation output, are fed...

... of adopting exponential service time distributions and Poisson flows is highlighted. Practical implications Comparisons with a simulation-based solution deliver numerical evidence on the companion use of simulation in the daily practice of managing operations in a finite-time horizon under complex...