An optimization methodology for intermodal terminal management (original) (raw)
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Coordinated optimization of equipment operations in a container terminal
Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, 2019
Increasing international maritime transport drives the need for efficient container terminals. The speed at which containers can be processed through a terminal is an important performance indicator. In particular, the productivity of the quay cranes (QCs) determines the performance of a container terminal; hence QC scheduling has received considerable attention. This article develops a comprehensive model to represent the waterside operations of a container terminal. Waterside operations comprise single and twinlift handling of containers by QCs, automated guided vehicles and yard cranes. In common practice, an uncoordinated scheduling heuristic is used to dispatch the equipment operating on a terminal. Here, uncoordinated means that the different machines that operate in the container terminal seek optimal productivity solely considering their own respective stage. By contrast, our model provides a coordinated schedule in which operations of all terminal equipment can be considere...
Due to the considerable growth in the worldwide container transportation, optimization of container terminal operations is becoming highly needed to rationalize the use of logistics resources. For this reason, we focus our study on the Quay Crane Scheduling Problem (QCSP), which is a core task of managing maritime container terminals. From this planning problem arise two decisions to be made: The first one concern tasks assignment to quay crane and the second one consists of finding the handling sequence of tasks such that the turnaround time of cargo vessels is minimized. In this paper, we provide a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model that takes into account non-crossing constraints, safety margin constraints and precedence constraints. The QCSP has been shown NP-complete; thus, we used the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), a probabilistic technique inspired from ants' behavior, to find a feasible solution of such problem. The results obtained from the computational experiments ...
Integrated scheduling of equipment for quayside transport in automated seaport container terminals
2008
Highly automated seaport container terminals like the CTA in Hamburg or the ECT in Rotterdam deploy automated guided vehicles (AGVs) to transport containers from quayside to yard and vice versa. Unlike straddle carriers or automated lifting vehicles, AGVs are not able to lift containers by themselves. They need either a quay crane or a yard crane to load and unload containers, consequently cranes and AGVs need synchronized schedules to avoid waiting times.
2014
In container terminals, discharging and loading of vessels are critical planning decisions which highly depend on the interaction between the quay cranes and internal trucks, they also have a significant impact on the terminal performance and revenue. Decisions on the assignments of quay cranes and internal trucks to the berthed vessels are typically made sequentially. However, the applicability of the handling plan can be improved when these two decisions are made simultaneously. This paper introduces an approach for assigning quay cranes and internal trucks to the berthed vessels simultaneously with consideration of the internal truck limited availability. A two phase solution methodology is proposed. In the first phase, a mixed integer programming model is formulated which provides the number of quay cranes assigned to each vessel, as well as the number of internal trucks assigned to each quay crane at each time period. In the second phase, a heuristic is used to solve the specif...
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
The multiple processes taking place on a daily basis at an intermodal container terminal are often considered individually, given the complexity of their joint consideration. Nevertheless, the integrated planning and scheduling of operations in an intermodal terminal, including the arrivals and departures of trains and vessels, is a very relevant topic for terminal managers, which can benefit from the application of Operations Research (OR) techniques to obtain near-optimal solutions without excessive computational cost. Applying the functional integration technique, we present here a mathematical model for this terminal planning process, and solve it using heuristic procedures, given its complexity and size. Details on the benchmark comparison of a genetic algorithm, a simulated annealing routine and a tabu search are provided for different problem instances.
Simulation and Planning of an Intermodal Container Terminal
Simulation, 1998
A decision support system for the management of an intermodal container terminal is presented. Among the problems to be solved, there are the spatial allocation of containers on the terminal yard, the allocation of resources and the scheduling of operations in order to maximise a performance function based on some economic indicators. These problems are solved using techniques from optimisation, like job-shop scheduling, genetic algorithms or mixed-integer linear programming. At the terminal, the same problems are usually solved by the terminal manager, only using his/her experience. The manager can trust computer generated solutions only by validating them by means of a simulation model of the terminal. Thus, the simulation tool also becomes a means to introduce new approaches into traditional settings.
Operations Research Proceedings
This paper deals with the combination of two decision problems, which occur consecutively while planning the charge and discharge operations of container ships in container terminals. The Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) considers the allocation of ships to berths in the course of time. The Crane Assignment Problem (CAP) addresses the assignment of quay cranes to ships. We provide a heuristic approach for the integrated solution of these problems and present computational results based on real world data.
Optimization Process for Berth and Quay-Crane Assignment in Container Terminals with Separate Piers
Athens Journal of Τechnology & Engineering
The objective of this research is the study of container terminals with two separated piers within the same port basin. The main problem is how to optimize the berth and crane allocation and to minimize the overall service time for the vessels and to improve the utilization of the terminal assets. The optimization of the seaside subsystem of the container terminals combines three typical operational problems: ship-to-berth allocation, quay-crane to ship assignment and quay-crane scheduling. Due to their characteristics, they have a high correlation and should be considered together. The problem can become even more complex in the Container terminals with a different layout where quays and berths are not placed in the line or where berths are situated in different piers. In this paper, a specific methodology is presented with a focus on the optimization process. This process consists of three stages namely: initiation, allocation and adjustment. The core of the problem solutions in stage 1 is the execution of crane scheduling problem according to cargo volume and container distribution on the vessel. The result of this stage is three operational scenarios that set out two key variables: duration of the handling process and the number of cranes required. According to the results from stage 1, ship-to-berth assignment and allocation of cranes isexecuted. The practical approach implemented here, targets to high prediction, reliability and efficiency of the operational plans to satisfy the requirements of the shipping companies. This approach requires a fixed number of quay-cranes during the handling operations and high utilization rate of the cranes. The results of the overall optimization have been shown on the few examples.
Models and Methods for Operations in Port Container Terminals
PROMET - Traffic&Transportation, 2010
The management of a container terminal is a complex process that involves many decisions. Among the problems to be solved, there are the spatial allocation of containers on the terminal yard, allocation of ships to berths and cranes, scheduling priorities and operations in order to maximize performances based on some economic indicators. Since the container port facilities are very expensive, it is desirable to optimize their performance, making better management decisions. This paper wants to present the contribution of the simulation and optimization techniques with the aim of improving the cooperation between different types of equipments, increasing the productivity of the terminal and helping in minimizing costs. In particular, the Petri net is used to present berth operations, and the genetic algorithm is used for scheduling container loading/unloading operations by cranes in order to minimize the maximum time it takes to serve a given set of vessels. KEYWORDS: transportation,...