A Data-Driven Approach to Port Efficiency and Vessel Scheduling in North America

Date

26/6/2025

Authors

George Apostolakis, Andreas Kouvaras, Alexander Artikis

Type

Conference

Journal

2025 Symposium on Maritime Informatics and Robotics (MARIS)

Publication

We enrich Automatic Identification System (AIS) data with fixtures data and ports data, in order to create a comprehensive maritime database. The dataset comprises AIS messages from vessels operating in North American waters throughout 2019–2022. Leveraging data pre-processing, clustering algorithms and structured matching techniques, we offer a novel framework for assessing port efficiency and vessel scheduling accuracy. We quantify key port performance metrics, such as on-time arrivals, delays, and laycan adherence. Our findings reveal insights into the impact of fixtures characteristics on fleet and port performance, highlighting variations in scheduling efficiency, port congestion, and the tendency of vessels to spend extended time at anchorage awaiting confirmation.