INDUSTRY INSIGHT CONFERENCE RECAP: TERMINALS
time, an unprecedented reliability goal in container shipping. “To make that happen,” Mihic says, “they came to us. They said, ‘DP World, we need you to perform at this level.’” He shows an internal chart mapping out vessel exchanges at major DP World ports — Jebel Ali, London Gateway, Busan, Jeddah — detailing the cranes deployed, the moves per hour, and the expected turnaround times. “To meet Gemini’s commitment, we have to achieve a certain level of berth moves per hour (BMPH) at our ter- minal,” Mihic says. “That’s the pit-stop equivalent in our world. Every minute counts.” Globally, DP World handles 70,000 vessel calls per year. The future chal- lenge, he warns, lies meeting the demands on a sustainable level to meet the demands of the network. “This isn’t just a DP World issue,” he says. “If you ask ChatGPT who runs the world’s best terminals, the top 10 are all in Asia. That tells us something: if you’re not in Asia, you’re already behind the curve.” Design is destiny: Building the next-generation terminal In racing, Mihic notes, “80 percent of performance comes from design, only 20 from the engine.” In ports, that means designing the right asset strategy — deciding whether to deploy automated stacking cranes (ASC), rub- ber-tyred gantries (RTG), or even box- bay systems. “These choices define your competi- tiveness for decades,” he says. “Once you pick your design, you’ve effectively set your lap time.” Equally critical is a maintenance strategy and standardization. With more than 60 ports worldwide, DP World must manage thousands of cranes, yard vehicles, and systems. “You need to decide how to main- tain, replace, and standardize across
DP World’s global reach.
the portfolio,” he says. “Otherwise, every terminal becomes a one-off prototype.” Energy efficiency is another per- formance metric from business and environmental prospective. In 2024, DP World moved 88 million TEUs, how we move and which type of energy source we use determines our business performance and carbon footprint. “If we deploy innovation redesigned our operations with advanced sys- tems, horizontal transport, and solar power,” Mihic explains, “we could sig- nificantly lower energy consumption and reduced carbon footprint. That’s a massive opportunity.” This leads back to his McLaren analogy: “At McLaren’s innovation centre, they introduce something new every 17 minutes. But it only gets approved if it reduces lap time. For us, our single currency could be energy efficiency. Reducing wasted energy means reducing wasted time — and that’s how we win.” Five focus areas for the future terminal DP World recently partnered with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to assess the global port industry. The conclusion: success will depend on five key pillars.
1. Facility design: Ports must evolve to handle ever-larger vessels — some now exceeding 24,000 TEUs — and anticipate future generations. 2.Asset strategy: Selecting, standard- izing, and maintaining equipment across global networks is essential to maximize lifetime value. 3.Automation: Every asset must communicate with others — from cranes and trucks to yard manage- ment systems and digital twins. Automation is necessary evolution, not an optional luxury. 4.Digital capabilities: Harnessing data to drive decisions and integrate with customers’ supply chains. 5.People: Mihic cautions that auto-
mation isn’t just about robots replacing humans. It’s about changing the nature of work.
“Tomorrow’s crane operators will sit in offices, not cabins, working with digital twins and real-time visuals. It’ll feel more like playing a video game than driving a crane in the rain.” Lessons from the past: The industrial revolutions that built the future To understand where ports are going, Mihic takes a step back — three cen- turies back, in fact. “Every industrial
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