Berth utilisation describes how berth capacity is used, but the term is not always calculated the same way. For a useful operational view, distinguish berth occupancy—the share of available time that a berth is occupied—from the working-time ratio—the share of occupied time during which defined work takes place.
Read both alongside vessel waiting, cargo throughput and the services needed to move vessels. A full berth is not necessarily a productive berth, and an empty berth is not necessarily suitable for the next vessel.
Berth occupancy versus berth utilisation
The World Bank Port Reform Toolkit describes a berth utilisation ratio based on time ships are worked compared with total occupied time. It recommends examining occupancy together with working time and throughput. To avoid ambiguity, this guide labels the measures explicitly. Read the toolkit’s explanation.
Measure | Formula | What it tells the planner |
|---|---|---|
Berth occupancy rate | Occupied berth-hours ÷ available berth-hours × 100 | How much of the defined berth capacity was occupied. |
Berth working-time ratio | Hours of defined work at berth ÷ occupied berth-hours × 100 | How much occupied time contained the activity being measured. |
Throughput per occupied berth-hour | Cargo handled ÷ occupied berth-hours | The output associated with occupied time, in a stated cargo unit. |
Some reports use “berth utilization” for an occupancy-style measure. Check the formula before comparing two dashboards. Neither spelling nor label establishes that the underlying definitions match.
Define occupied time consistently, for example from all fast to last line. Define work according to the reporting purpose: cargo handling, a specified service activity or another recorded operation. If multiple teams work simultaneously on one vessel, count elapsed working time once for the working-time ratio; summing team-hours would measure something different.
A worked example
The following figures are illustrative, not customer results or target values. Assume two comparable berths are available continuously for a seven-day reporting period, with one vessel at a time on each berth.
Input or calculation | Result |
|---|---|
Available time: 2 berths × 7 days × 24 hours | 336 berth-hours |
Total occupied time within that period | 210 berth-hours |
Recorded working time within occupied time | 147 hours |
Occupancy: 210 ÷ 336 × 100 | 62.5% |
Working-time ratio: 147 ÷ 210 × 100 | 70% |
These measures answer different questions. The 62.5% figure describes use of available time. The 70% figure describes work during occupied time. Neither figure, on its own, establishes that the operation is efficient or that capacity should be expanded.
If 24 berth-hours were unavailable for maintenance and the reporting policy excludes them, availability becomes 312 hours and occupancy becomes about 67.3%. That increase comes from the denominator changing, not from more vessels being served. Show planned closures and the availability convention alongside the result.
1. Agree the measurement before setting a target
Choose a reporting period and record the timestamps and exclusions used. For visits that cross a reporting boundary, count only the occupied and working hours inside that period. Avoid counting the same berth space twice.
A simple berth-hour calculation works for discrete berth positions. Where several vessels share a continuous quay, a length-and-time measure may be more appropriate. Its denominator is available quay length multiplied by time; define usable length, vessel footprint and clearance assumptions before using it. Do not compare that percentage directly with a discrete-berth calculation without explaining the difference.
Keep separate views for berths with different vessel or cargo restrictions. A pooled average can conceal pressure on the only berth capable of accommodating a particular call.
2. Plan against suitable space, not an empty slot
Before moving a vessel into a gap, check that the location is compatible with its dimensions, draft and operational requirements. Include the relevant tidal, air-draft and berth restrictions in the planning decision.
Revisit the allocation when vessel arrival estimates, cargo requirements or expected completion times change. Preserve the previous plan so the team can see why a change was made and which later movements it affects.
marineM Berth Planner supports a visual berth timeline, operational constraints, conflict alerts and what-if comparisons. Planners can compare proposed allocations and make adjustments around their operation.
3. Check marine service readiness with the berth plan
A berth window is useful only if the vessel can reach it. Check the pilot’s availability and appropriate class, rest requirements, tug availability and bollard-pull requirements, together with transfers, mooring teams or line boats where required.
An apparently earlier slot may require a tug to reposition from another location or a pilot transfer to happen sooner. Those dependencies affect whether the change is workable and what it means for other jobs.
Marine Services Planner generates assignment recommendations around the time a vessel needs to be at its berth or SPM. Planners can accept recommendations or make manual changes. Connecting berth and service planning helps them assess the resources behind a proposed movement.
The operational story When the berth plan changes, can the vessel still move? follows this decision in more detail.
4. Find what interrupts work alongside
Separate time before work begins, interruptions during work and time after completion. Add reason codes that the operational team can use consistently, rather than placing every gap under “delay”.
The constraint might be equipment, labour, cargo availability, storage space, documentation or the conditions needed for departure. Review the relevant records with the responsible team before changing the berth schedule.
This does not mean the berth planning system controls every terminal activity. Cargo, crane, yard and gate information may come from other systems or agreed updates. Make those handovers explicit so the plan uses information that operators can maintain.
5. Coordinate arrival times around confirmed readiness
Just-in-time arrival requires more than a revised ETA. IMO’s guidance connects arrival at the pilot boarding place with the availability of the berth, fairway and nautical services. Coordination therefore extends beyond the berth planner to shipping and service stakeholders. Read IMO’s Just In Time Arrival Guide announcement.
Share changes early, distinguish requested and confirmed times, and make clear who is responsible for each update. Check operational and commercial arrangements before treating a berth window as a commitment. An exchanged timestamp alone does not guarantee that a vessel can berth without waiting.
6. Compare scenarios when the plan changes
When a vessel is late, compare the available options: retain its berth, move it to another suitable position, adjust a later call or use a different feasible service slot.
Consider the effect on other vessels, qualified pilots, tug positioning, transfers and relevant tidal or air-draft constraints. A change that improves one visit can create a conflict elsewhere.
Use recommendations to support the planner’s decision. Record manual overrides and their reasons so later review can distinguish an accepted trade-off from a planning error. The objective is a workable sequence of movements, not the highest possible occupancy percentage.
7. Review waiting, throughput and capacity together
Use berth occupancy alongside waiting time, working-time ratio and cargo throughput. Review comparable vessel and cargo groups, and look at peaks within the week as well as the weekly average.
High occupancy with rising waiting warrants investigation, but a port-wide percentage does not identify the constraint. Check suitable berth capacity, service availability, operating windows and terminal dependencies before deciding whether the answer is a different plan, another resource or infrastructure investment.
Use the port KPI guide to define the wider visit and service measures. Establish a consistent baseline and evaluate subsequent changes against similar conditions, with safety and service quality considered alongside output.
Make berth utilisation useful to the planning team
Better measurement starts with a shared definition. Better planning connects that measurement with the vessel, suitable space and the resources required for its movement.
Ports can use marineM for berth planning, marine services planning, both together or as part of a wider Port Management Information System. The scope should follow the responsibilities of the port and the information available from its partners.
Request a demonstration to explore berth and marine service planning around your operation.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate berth occupancy rate?
Divide occupied berth-hours by available berth-hours for the same period and multiply by 100. State how closures are treated and which berths are included. For a continuous quay shared by several vessels, define an appropriate length-and-time measure instead of assuming fixed berth positions.
What is a good berth utilisation percentage?
There is no universal target in this guide. A useful target depends on the metric, berth compatibility, arrival patterns, vessel and cargo mix, service capacity and acceptable waiting. Review the percentage together with waiting and throughput rather than adopting a generic “ideal” rate.
Can occupancy fall while berth performance improves?
Yes. If comparable work is completed in less occupied time, a berth may handle the same or more activity while occupancy falls. Check throughput, visit mix and service quality before concluding that a lower percentage means underuse.
How do marine services affect berth utilisation?
Pilots, tugs and other required services influence when a vessel can arrive, shift or depart. A free berth may remain unused when the necessary services are unavailable; a vessel may also remain alongside awaiting a feasible departure. Their availability needs to be considered with the berth window.