Berth to Yard: Connecting Every Link in the Port Optimisation Chain

In modern ports, no operation happens in isolation but many are still planned that way.

Across a port, each function is often owned by a different operator, each with its own systems, priorities, and constraints. A delay at the berth impacts stevedores, yard operators, equipment coordinators, and transport providers, yet these organisations rarely work from a single, shared view of the operation. This makes planning less about coordination and more about managing uncertainty.

Many teams have done exceptionally well despite these constraints, navigating bigger vessels, tighter schedules, heavier yard demands, and increasingly volatile conditions. But the core challenge remains: when every operator is working with partial visibility, even small inefficiencies ripple across the value chain.

The Cost of Disconnected Planning

For decades, port planning has relied on experienced teams working within manual or semi-automated systems. SEven within well-run terminals, familiar pain points persist:

Vessel congestion caused by limited berth visibility or inaccurate ETA data
Re-handling and double moves in the yard driven by reactive, localised planning
Under-utilised or over-worked equipment because workloads aren’t balanced across operators
Workforce fatigue, high labour costs and compliance risks due to late changes to vessel plans or yard conditions

Each issue is manageable on its own. Together, and without shared, trusted data, they slow throughput, increase emissions, and reduce reliability. The real barrier isn’t willingness to collaborate; it is the lack of transparent, integrated information that would allow the ecosystem to make coordinated, efficient

Where Optimisation Fits

There’s still some work to be done when it comes to the fragmentation that is preventing operators from streamlining operations, something that the ports sector are heavily focused on improving.

In the meantime, Biarri’s mathematical optimisation software is helping operators use accessible data, through existing and shared systems to model their operational part within the port ecosystem to accurately make decisions that better reflect upstream and downstream constraints.

What we enable is smarter, more adaptable decision-making,even when data is imperfect. Whether information comes from existing systems, manual inputs, or shared files, optimisation helps planners make decisions that reflect real-world constraints and respond quickly as conditions change.

Using mathematical optimisation, operators can model their part of the port more accurately and generate plans that understand upstream and downstream impacts. And in environments where some integration already exists, optimisation amplifies its value by ensuring every variable – vessels, cargo mix, labour, equipment, weather – is factored into each decision.

But the real strength lies in two capabilities that matter most in complex, uncertain environments:

1. Rapid, scenario-based planning that reflects how ports actually operate

Optimisation doesn’t just produce a “best” plan. It helps planners explore multiple feasible options: Plan A, B, C and pivot quickly as schedules shift or new information emerges. What becomes valuable is the speed and responsiveness of the planning process, not the illusion of perfect accuracy. Teams gain the ability to:

Test scenarios instantly rather than relying on instinct or spreadsheets
Adjust allocations, berths, equipment or labour as conditions evolve

2. A core platform built to grow as data and systems mature

The Biarri Workbench provides an extensible optimisation platform that evolves with the organisation. As new data sources, sensors, or integrations become available, they can be incorporated into deeper models and more sophisticated planning tools, without rebuilding from scratch.

In short, you get value today from whatever data exists, while building towards a more coordinated, data-driven future.

A Practical Example: From Stowage to Scheduling

When Qube partnered with Biarri to digitise stowage planning for the Spirit of Tasmania, the goal wasn’t full operational integration. It was to enable faster, more consistent planning grounded in the information available.

By combining real-time inputs, an intuitive interface, and features like auto-load, Qube planners could rapidly create, adjust, and compare load plans. The system’s responsiveness designed to work seamlessly on tablets right on the loading ramp, meant teams could react to changing conditions without slowing operations.

The value wasn’t about solving interoperability across operators. It was about giving planners a tool that makes every decision more informed and every adjustment faster. That same logic applies to berth sequencing, yard allocation, and equipment planning. Optimisation doesn’t require a fully integrated port ecosystem – just a reliable flow of core data and a platform that can grow as visibility improves.

From Isolated Systems to Intelligent Decision Support

Future-ready ports won’t be defined solely by physical expansion or new equipment, but by how effectively they can plan under uncertainty and adapt in real time.

Optimisation strengthens this capability by helping teams:
Move cargo faster with fewer bottlenecks
Use labour and assets more efficiently
Plan multiple scenarios and respond confidently to disruption
Improve the reliability of operations even when visibility is imperfect

Build towards more integrated, data-driven decision-making as systems evolve

It’s not about creating a perfectly connected port. It’s about making better, faster decisions today and having a platform that grows to meet tomorrow’s operational demands.

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