Date: Fri, 05 Jun 1998 17:28:22 -0600 From: Christopher Thrash Subject: file for GURPSnet archive Some research I did for the GURPS Traveller playtest, on real-world berthing and landing costs. There's no playtest-specific information, and the subject has been discussed before elsewhere. Thought others might be interested. Chris --=====================_897110902==_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="berthing.txt" Berthing Costs There has been some discussion on the subject of starship expenses, particularly Berthing Costs. The concensus was that the costs in the various versions of Traveller were unrealistic, but that no one had the expertise to say by how much. I have been doing some research. The figures below are real-world; thanks to the Colorado Springs International Airport and the Port of Houston Authority. First, what are we talking about? Book 2, p. 8; MT (Imperial Encyclopedia), p. 90; and T4, p. 97: "Berthing Costs. Landing fees, handling costs, facilities use charges, and other starport fees are a common practice, and such charges must be paid as they occur. The average cost is Cr100 to land and remain for up to six days; thereafter, a Cr100 per day fee is imposed for each additional day spent in port. In some locations, this fee will be higher, while at others local government subsidies will lower or eliminate it." TNE, p. 222, reads identically, except cost is Cr1000 for the first 6 days. GURPS Space, p. 38: "Starport Docking Fees (per 1,000 cy per day) $500" There are two candidate models for "starports" in the real world: commercial seaports, and commercial airports. I looked at both. The rates quoted are current as of 15 May 1998. Colorado Springs International Airport is about a "Class III" facility; it has full services but no significant repair or rebuild capability. Charges for non-preferential (i.e., not previously contracted - charter instead of scheduled airline) aircraft are: Landing fee: $3.04 per 2,000 lb landed gross weight Gate fee: $55.50 per use (enplane or deplane operation) Ground power: $25.00 per use Ticket counter: $31.00 per use (less than 6 positions) $73.00 per use (6 or more positions) Apron parking: $100.00 per use (> 2 hours) Presumably, scheduled airlines get a significant break on this, but I didn't check. Port of Houston Authority covers a collection of terminals best described as "Class V" - there are full shipbuilding facilities available. Fees here are significantly more complicated, but divide generally into two categories: dockage and wharfage. Dockage are those fees that pertain to the ships themselves. Many fees are based on the size of the ship, measured in Length Over All (LOA): Harbor fee: $130.35 (vessels 100-249 ft LOA - ~ 229-311 dtons) $385.00 (vessels 250+ ft LOA - ~ 311+ dtons) This covers "expense of administration, ... maintenance and operation of fire prevention and suppression, personnel and equipment, with the view of preventing fires, aiding vessels in distress, and aiding in the extinguishing of fire in vessels and equipment and in their cargoes aboard such vessels, or upon wharves and in other facilities in the harbor." I found no mention of "harbor pilots", as such. Dockage: LOA (ft) $/ft/day (main) $/ft/day (container) 0-199 1.62 1.80 200-299 1.85 2.16 300-349 1.96 2.16 350-399 2.13 2.42 400-449 2.94 3.19 450-499 3.06 3.30 500-549 4.07 4.39 550-599 4.17 4.48 600-649 4.86 5.10 650-699 4.92 5.20 700-799 6.28 6.64 800-899 7.30 7.98 900+ 8.50 9.53 Notice that these are not linear - there are breakpoints, which correspond to the lengths of the various wharves. The larger a ship is, the fewer wharves it can actually use. Rates are charged in 12-hour blocks, and go down over time: 3d day 90% 4th day 75% 5th day 60% 6th+ day 50% Failing or refusing to vacate a berth when ordered: $1,500/hour (main terminal) $700/hour (container terminal) Note that you can be ordered to vacate for refusing to pay overtime to unload your ship. You then wait until all the ships that *are* willing unload before you get your turn again. Water: $35.00 + $4.50/1,000 gal. Electric Power: no data (supplied by subcontractors) Wharfage fees apply based on the cargo, rather than the ship. All fees have a $15-20 or one hour minimum. Clearing Berth: $187.00 (500 tons of cargo or less) $256.00 (more than 500 tons of cargo) This charge does not apply to bulk, container, or vehicle cargo. Terminal fee: $2.65/vehicle $4.00/passenger Cranes and handling equipment: $200-400 per hour, no operator provided Loading and Unloading: $19.80/ton (main port) $23.00/ton (container port) $6.38/ton (container, net weight), or $63.50/container (loaded) $26.00/container (empty) There are discounts for more than 3000 units or 500 hours per year. Any single package (not container), 5-20 tons: +$3.18 20-35 tons: +$5.02 35-100 tons: +$9.60 Wharfage: $2.20/ton $0.88/ton (bulk, delivered in pipeline) Cargo can remain on the wharf for up to 30 days without charge ('free time'). After that: Demurrage: $5.00/day (container) +$1.00/day (loaded, days 11-20) +$2.00/day (loaded, days 21-30), etc up to +$8.00/day (loaded, days 81+) $0.15/ton/day (days 31-37) $0.21/ton/day (days 38-50) $0.35/ton/day (days 51+) There are also a tremendous number of services available, from marking crates to opening and resealing boxes for Customs inspection. --=====================_897110902==_--