The barge turnover process at loading jetty is a crucial factor determining the operational efficiency of bulk commodity terminals. This study offers an analytical approach based on real-world observational data to identify and quantify factors influencing barge change duration in the coal loading process. A total of 156 barge turnover data of four different sizes (240 ft, 250 ft, 270 ft, 300 ft) from two different jetty locations and capacity were collected and analyzed using a combination of descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results show there are no significant differences in change duration across barge sizes (p value 0.069), with the 270 ft barge having the lowest average time (28.4 minutes) compared to other sizes. The cross-jetty analysis reveals no differences in changeover time with (p value 0.829). The novelty of this study lies in the integration of multiple-variable analytical data to analyze the barge size–berth location–change duration relationship in a real-world operational context, a previously rarely quantitatively addressed in the maritime literature. These findings not only strengthen the theoretical understanding of barge changeover dynamics but also provide a basis for data-driven decision-making to reduce waiting times, reduce demurrage costs, and increase terminal throughput.