Abstract
Abstract Less developed trade areas and feeder networks, such as the Norwegian coast, contain smaller ports that do not offer cranes for container handling. This means that shortsea container ships operating in these areas need to be geared and have crane operators as part of their crew. A challenge that ship operators are experiencing is increasing difficulties in recruitment of crane operators; the demand is higher than the supply. Observing that specialised crane operation skills are only needed during port calls and that vessels spend much of their time sailing, the crane operators’ workload capacity is not fully utilised. Upgrading the ship cranes for remote control and moving the crane operators to a shore-based control centre could be a remedy for this situation. This paper forms a case study to investigate the scheduling of the geared fleet of the shortsea container ship operator North Sea Container Line (NCL), with the aim to answer the question: If crane operators are located in a remote operations centre, can their capacity be better utilised such that the number of operators for a fleet can be reduced? Simulation results are discussed to provide insight into how remote operation of cranes can alleviate the current challenges in recruiting ship crew with crane operating skills, and how remote crane operations would impact scheduling across fleets.