An empirical study on yard inventory change according to containers’ dwell times. This study was supported by grant of Sunchon National University, Korea

Purpose - Yard inventories increase when export containers are carried into the terminal and decrease when import containers are delivered to the consigners. The purpose of this study is to analyze container inventories according to the weekly ship arrival pattern at container terminals. Research design, data, and methodology - As container ships operate according to weekly schedules based on shipping companies and their routes, specific terminals provide a fixed-day service in a week. Thus, yard inventories can change with weekly fluctuations. The data used in this study were the actualdata at specific container terminals. Result - The dwell times of each container at a terminal represent an important variable that affectsyard inventories. Even cargo flows are steady in a given period, if dwell times are prolonged, yard inventories increase. Conclusion - Dwell time is another factor causing yard inventory change. Therefore, the calculation for yard inventories should consider the weekly ship arrival patterns and dwell times of each container. Further, at the planning stage, dwell time should be more carefully considered to calculate yard capacity.