Title: A berth allocation strategy using heuristics algorithm and simulation optimisation

Authors: Daofang Chang, Wei Yan, Chun-Hisen Chen, Zuhua Jiang

Addresses: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, PR China. ' Logistics Engineering School, Shanghai Maritime University, 1550 Pudong Avenue, Shanghai 200135, PR China. ' School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798. ' School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 1954 Huashan Road, Shanghai 200030, PR China

Abstract: The Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) becomes critically important to the operational efficiency of a container terminal due to rapid advances in container terminal management. For reducing the total berthing time and cost, intensive research concerning only the berthing stage has been conducted. Accordingly, a broader viewpoint, i.e., an integration of berth allocation and yard planning, has not been well addressed. As such, a novel BAP strategy, which combines dynamic berth allocation and yard planning, is investigated in this study. An example of a specific container terminal in Shanghai is used to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Keywords: container terminals; quay length; operational efficiency; dynamic berth allocation; heuristic algorithms; simulation optimisation; logistics; container terminal management; container yards; yard planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2008.021382

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2008 Vol.32 No.4, pp.272 - 281

Published online: 21 Nov 2008 *

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