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Maintaining a full workforce is critical to the operational efficiency of ports, which are key to the functioning of global maritime transportation systems, as well as to the larger logistics systems and the industries they support. A shortage of skilled workers, or extended, large-scale, absenteeism at one or more ports can affect cargohandling operations, competitiveness, and even the efficiency of international trade. Through numerical experiments, we study (i) whether the effects of low-level workforce shortages can be ‘absorbed’ without loss of efficiency; (ii) the level at which shortages in a region can impact another region, or the performance of the wider maritime system. To test this, we investigate the ports used by the M2 shipping alliance of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company. The analysis is supported by advanced mathematical modeling and algorithmic procedures. Findings include that low- and even mid-level network-wide worker shortages can be absorbed, but at a greater cost to shippers. Moreover, when a worker shortage arises in some regions of the world, the impacts in other regions can be very significant. 

Maintaining a full workforce is critical to the operational efficiency of ports, which are key to the functioning of global maritime transportation systems, as well as to the larger logistics systems and the industries they support. A shortage of skilled workers, or extended, large-scale, absenteeism at one or more ports can affect cargohandling operations, competitiveness and even the efficiency of international trade. Through numerical experiments, we study (i) whether the effects of low-level workforce shortages can be ‘absorbed’ without loss of efficiency; (ii) the level at which shortages in a region can impact another region, or the performance of the wider maritime system. To test this, we investigate the ports used by the M2 shipping alliance of Maersk Line and Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC). The analysis is supported by advanced mathematical modeling and algorithmic procedures. Findings include that low- and even mid-level network-wide worker shortages can be absorbed, but at a greater cost to shippers. Moreover, when a worker shortage arises in some regions of the world, the impacts in other regions can be very significant. 

Reliable port services are key to maritime freight transport system performance. These systems are vulnerable to disasters of anthropogenic or natural cause, which can significantly impact port capacity, handling times and overall system performance. To improve resilience of individual ports, strategies involving capacity sharing and protective cross-port investments through coalition formation are proposed. This collaborative port protection and investment approach to improve individual and system-level port resilience is formulated as an Equilibrium Problem with Equilibrium Constraints. That is, the program is bi-level with multiple players in the upper level and a common liner shipping problem in the lower level. Its solution is obtained at a Nash equilibrium wherein no port stakeholder can achieve better performance by unilaterally changing its investment plan. A Stackelberg equilibrium between upper and lower levels infers that best investment decisions are made given competition between ports and the market’s response to improvements. The benefits of regional coalitions in this co-opetitive (competitive and collaborative) environment in terms of port and system resilience, port- and system-level demand fulfilment rates and return on investment are investigated from multiple perspectives, including the perspectives of shippers, port owners and the larger shipping network. With insights gained through study of the proposed coalition policies, this work aims to facilitate port authorities in making decisions on port capacity expansion, infrastructure investment and forming strategic partnerships. Shipping companies may also take into consideration the ability of a port to provide service under disruption events when choosing which ports to include in their service loops. 

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of key hospital units associated with emergency care of both routine emergency and pandemic (COVID-19) patients under capacity enhancing strategies. Methods: This investigation was conducted using whole-hospital, resource-constrained, patient-based, stochastic, discrete-event, simulation models of a generic 200-bed urban U.S. tertiary hospital serving routine emergency and COVID-19 patients. Systematically designed numerical experiments were conducted to provide generalizable insights into how hospital functionality may be affected by the care of COVID-19 pandemic patients along specially designated care paths, under changing pandemic situations, from getting ready to turning all of its resources to pandemic care. Results: Several insights are presented. For example, each day of reduction in average ICU length of stay increases intensive care unit patient throughput by up to 24% for high COVID-19 daily patient arrival levels. The potential of 5 specific interventions and 2 critical shifts in care strategies to significantly increase hospital capacity is also described. Conclusions: These estimates enable hospitals to repurpose space, modify operations, implement crisis standards of care, collaborate with other health care facilities, or request external support, thereby increasing the likelihood that arriving patients will find an open staffed bed when 1 is needed.