Storage pricing strategies for import container terminals under stochastic conditions

• Pricing strategies for reducing temporary storage costs.
• Tariff scheme with non-zero flat rate.
• Strategy to encourage customers to reduce dwell time.
• Optimal tariff to maximize terminal profit and overall benefits.
• Expected profits considering stochastic conditions are lower than deterministic ones.

This paper presents a model for determining the optimal storage pricing schedule for import containers. A generic schedule which is characterized by a flat rate and a storage time charge is adopted. The model considers analytically the stochastic behavior of the storage yard, as input/output flows are random variables, and includes the migration to an off-dock warehouse. Two objective functions are proposed: maximizing terminal operator profits and minimizing total integrated cost of the system. Some numerical experiments are provided and a sensitivity analysis is performed to investigate the effect of main variables and approaches on the optimal solution.