Earlier this week, we had the pleasure of celebrating a very special achievement: Nicole Nellen successfully completed her doctoral thesis at Technische Universität Hamburg, titled “Minimierung von Containerumschlägen auf Seehafenterminals durch Direktumschläge” (Minimizing Container Handling Operations at Seaport Terminals through Direct Transshipment).Nicole has been a valued colleague at the Institute of Maritime Logistics, and we are delighted to see her reach this important milestone. It was wonderful to celebrate this special occasion and recognize the dedication and perseverance that brought her here.In her research, Nicole investigated how direct container transfers between vessels and trucks could help reduce handling operations at seaport terminals. Using a discrete-event simulation model, she explored the potential to reduce the number of container handling operations and the required straddle carriers, while also examining the challenges caused by delayed truck arrivals. Her findings highlight both the opportunities of this approach and the complexity of synchronizing processes across the maritime supply chain.Dear Nicole, congratulations on this outstanding academic achievement! We wish you all the very best for the future and hope you take great pride in everything you have accomplished. 🥂
