Rosa González, an academic at the University's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, is developing a system that improves the allocation of space and cargo transfer times for cargo ships.
The academic and researcher of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , Rosa González, was recently awarded funding from Fondecyt Regular 2025 for her research, "Improving port performance by enhancing berth planning at multipurpose port terminals."This project addresses a crucial problem for the efficiency of operations in multipurpose port terminals - those that receive a wide variety of cargoes, such as containers, bulk, cars, and breakbulk - which consists of efficiently allocating the sites where ships are parked, taking into account the diversity of existing cargoes and with different levels of priority.
"The operational differences between these terminals and specialized terminals are evident in the time it takes to set up cranes for certain vessels and the need to perform partial cargo transfers for those vessels with lower priority. This process can generate multiple berths at different sites to satisfy the available berth windows. This is why this research has a significant social impact, as it provides practical solutions to real industry problems, such as the efficient allocation of cargo space in ports," explains Rosa.
The researcher, who has been doing research in this field for more than 15 years, says that her interest in this topic arises from the relevance of port optimization for foreign trade in Chile. "The maritime port industry is fundamental for the country's economic development, especially in times of crisis, such as those experienced in recent years. In collaboration with port terminals such as DPW San Antonio, Lirquén, and the Arica Port Terminal, we have been able to access real data that enables us to effectively address the operational challenges of the industry,"she says.
In this research, the academic collaborates with leading researchers.Her national collaborators include Karol Suchan, from Universidad Diego Portales, and Marcela González from Universidad de Talca, who are also involved in training future PhDs specialized in port efficiency. The international team includes Eduardo Lalla, from University of Twente; Frederik Schulte, from TU Delft; Frank Meisel, from University of Kiel; Stefan Voss, from University of Hamburg and Fernando Camacho, from Tecnológico de Monterrey.
"This project is a continuation of my previous research, which was also funded by Fondecyt. That project addressed the planning of operations at port terminals, specifically with respect to the allocation of container space and crane management. With the new funding from Fondecyt Regular 2025, the focus will shift to the maritime interface, in particular the allocation of sites for vessels, a crucial aspect for improving efficiency in multipurpose ports," she concludes.