Towards attaining efficient management of berth maintenance in Saudi Arabian Industrial Ports

Despite the significance of ports as critical economic infrastructure, the berth facilities usually deteriorate due to heavy loading, unloading, aging, environmental weather conditions, marine growths, and lack of efficient maintenance management. Marine berths require proactive maintenance management to limit deterioration and defects as no berth facility is maintenance-free. Thus, delay in carrying out maintenance work for the marine berths can be devastating to the operational process involving ship entry, loading, and unloading operations. The aim of this research is to coordinate both operations work, and maintenance works that take place inside the berth of a local industrial port in Saudi Arabia, by developing a novel framework that integrates both works without affecting the efficiency and functionality of the berth. The study focused on defining the operational process of the port and identifying the elements with direct and indirect effects. In addition to determining the priority for the entry of ships inside the berth, it also identified the factors involved in designing a framework that included maintenance work as a component of the monthly berth occupancy schedule. By applying a mathematical model, a framework was established, which includes all the important elements of the process. As a result of the mathematical method formulation process, a database was designed that organizes and coordinates the operations of all berths within the port. This creates time to carry out the required maintenance work monthly as well as ease of coordination with the contractors responsible for the implementation of those works.