Robust berth scheduling with uncertain vessel delay and handling time

In container terminals, the actual arrival time and handling time of a vessel often deviate from the scheduled ones. Being the input to yard space allocation and crane planning, berth allocation is one of the most important activities in container terminals. Any change of berth plan may lead to significant changes of other operations, deteriorating the reliability and efficiency of terminal operations. In this paper, we study a robust berth allocation problem (RBAP) which explicitly considers the uncertainty of vessel arrival delay and handling time. Time buffers are inserted between the vessels occupying the same berthing location to give room for uncertain delays. Using total departure delay of vessels as the service measure and the length of buffer time as the robustness measure, we formulate RBAP to balance the service level and plan robustness. Based on the properties of the optimal solution, we develop a robust berth scheduling algorithm (RBSA) that integrates simulated annealing and branch-and-bound algorithm. To evaluate our model and algorithm design, we conduct computational study to show the effectiveness of the proposed RBSA algorithm, and use simulation to validate the robustness and service level of the RBAP formulation.     

A container yard storage strategy for improving land utilization and operation efficiency in a transshipment hub port

This paper studies the storage yard management problem in a busy transshipment hub, where intense loading and unloading activities have to be considered at the same time. The need to handle huge volumes of container traffic and the scarcity of land in the container port area pose serious challenges for the port operator to provide efficient services. A consignment strategy with a static yard template has been used to reduce the level of reshuffles in the yard, but it sacrifices on land utilization because of exclusive storage space reservation. Two space-sharing approaches are proposed to improve on the land utilization through dynamic reservation of storage space for different vessels during different shifts. Meanwhile, workload assignment among reserved spaces will also satisfy the high-low workload balancing protocol to reduce traffic congestion in the yard. A framework which integrates space reservation and workload assignment is proposed. Experimental results show that the framework is able to provide solutions for containers handling within much less storage space, while guarantee the least yard crane deployment.     

A branch-and-price algorithm to solve the integrated berth allocation and yard assignment problem in bulk ports

In this research, two crucial optimization problems of berth allocation and yard assignment in the context of bulk ports are studied. We discuss how these problems are interrelated and can be combined and solved as a single large scale optimization problem. More importantly we highlight the differences in operations between bulk ports and container terminals which highlights the need to devise specific solutions for bulk ports. The objective is to minimize the total service time of vessels berthing at the port. We propose an exact solution algorithm based on a branch and price framework to solve the integrated problem. In the proposed model, the master problem is formulated as a set-partitioning problem, and subproblems to identify columns with negative reduced costs are solved using mixed integer programming. To obtain sub-optimal solutions quickly, a metaheuristic approach based on critical-shaking neighborhood search is presented. The proposed algorithms are tested and validated through numerical experiments based on instances inspired from real bulk port data. The results indicate that the algorithms can be successfully used to solve instances containing up to 40 vessels within reasonable computational time.     

单向航道船舶进港次序与泊位分配协同优化

为提高单向航道离散泊位港口的服务水平,研究船舶进港次序和泊位分配的协同优化。考虑船舶进出港及泊位作业的实际约束,以计划期内所有船舶的锚地、泊位等待成本、滞期成本和偏离成本之和最小为目标,构建了一个混合整数规划模型,结合问题特征设计了引入禁忌搜索算法的和声搜索算法进行求解。算例结果给出了计划期内每艘船舶的进港次序和靠泊泊位,并通过与单独优化方案的对比和不同规模算例求解效果的分析,验证了模型和算法的有效性;分析进出港时段变动对船舶作业成本的影响,确定不同船舶抵港规模下的最佳进出港时段长度,为单向航道港口时长设置提供借鉴。     

A decision model for berth allocation under uncertainty

This paper studies the berth allocation problem (BAP) under uncertain arrival time or operation time of vessels. It does not only concern the proactive strategy to develop an initial schedule that incorporates a degree of anticipation of uncertainty during the schedule’s execution, but also studies the reactive recovery strategy which adjusts the initial schedule to handle realistic scenarios with minimum penalty cost of deviating from the initial schedule. A two-stage decision model is developed for the BAP under uncertainties. Moreover, a meta-heuristic approach is proposed for solving the above problem in large-scale realistic environments. Numerical experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.     

Berth allocation planning in the public berth system by genetic algorithms

This paper addresses the problem of determining a dynamic berth assignment to ships in the public berth system. While the public berth system may not be suitable for most container ports in major countries, it is desired for higher cost-effectiveness in Japan’s ports. The berth allocation to calling ships is a key factor for efficient public berthing. However, it is not calculated in polynomially-bounded time. To obtain a good solution with considerably small computational effort, we developed a heuristic procedure based on the genetic algorithm. We conducted a large amount of computational experiments which showed that the proposed algorithm is adaptable to real world applications.     

An effective heuristic algorithm to minimise stack shuffles in selecting steel slabs from the slab yard for heating and rolling

Steel production is a multi-stage process. A slab yard serves as a buffer between the continuous casting stage and the steel rolling stage. Steel slabs are stored in stacks in the yard. Shuffling is needed when picking up a slab for heating and rolling, if it is not in the top position of a stack. This paper studies the problem of selecting appropriate slabs in the yard for a given rolling schedule so as to minimise the total shuffling cost. The study uses the hot strip rolling mill in Shanghai Baoshan Iron and Steel Complex as an application background. We propose a new heuristic algorithm to solve the problem. This is a two-phase algorithm that first generates an initial feasible solution and then improves it using local search. The new algorithm is compared with the algorithm in use on randomly generated test problems and on real data. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm yields significant better solutions. The average improvement over the old algorithm is 15%.     

汽车滚装码头泊位调度优化模型与算法研究

本文研究滚装码头混合泊位分配和劳动力分配的联合调度优化问题。首先,考虑潮汐时间窗约束、装卸劳动力约束、泊位缆桩分布约束以及泊位不规则布局因素,建立以最小化船舶总服务时间为目标的混合整数规划模型。其次,采用内外嵌套算法设计策略,提出求解该类问题的组合算法。其中,外层是多种群并行进化的遗传算法,生成多种船舶计划顺序,内层为基于规则的启发式算法,用于计算给定计划顺序的目标函数值。然后,基于实际运营数据,生成多组不同规模的算例进行全面数值实验,结果表明所提出的算法可在10分钟内求解包含50艘船、100个泊段的算例。最后,开展基于真实滚装码头运营实例的案例分析,对所提模型和算法在实际码头调度问题中的适用性与高效性进行验证。     

Crane scheduling in container yards with inter-crane interference

This paper examines the problem of scheduling multiple yard cranes to perform a given set of jobs with different ready times in a yard zone with only one bi-directional travelling lane. Due to sharing of the travelling lane among two or more yard cranes, inter-crane interference, a planned move of a yard crane blocked by the other yard cranes, may happen. The scheduling problem is formulated as an integer program. It is noted that the scheduling problem is NP-complete. This research develops a dynamic programming-based heuristic to solve the scheduling problem and an algorithm to find lower bounds for benchmarking the schedules found by the heuristic. Computational experiments are carried out to evaluate the performance of the heuristic and the results show that the heuristic can indeed find effective solutions for the scheduling problem, with the heuristic solutions on average 7.3% above their lower bounds.     

基于两阶段混合动态规划算法的龙门吊路径优化

产业界已出现利用多台轨道式龙门吊同时作业以提升集装箱码头装船效率的情况,由于需要确定每台龙门吊的取箱作业集合以及增加了“避免碰撞”、“顺次移动”等现实约束,故其移动路径规划问题在模型建立与求解上比单台轨道式龙门吊更为复杂。本文针对两台轨道式龙门吊同时作业的情形,建立了龙门吊移动路径网络模型,并开发了基于贪婪算法与动态规划的两阶段混合算法,并通过仿真算例,借助与基于实际调度规则所得到的调度方案的对比,验证了模型及优化算法的有效性与实用性。     

Manpower allocation with time windows

In this paper, we propose a manpower allocation model with time windows which is of practical interest. This model originates from a real-life port manpower allocation problem where demand is generated from locations in the yard for servicemen who are dispatched from a central point and where the objectives are to minimize the number of servicemen used, travel distances, travel times and waiting times. We develop a tabu-embedded simulated annealing algorithm and a squeaky wheel optimization with local search algorithm for the problem. Experimental results are reported which show the effectiveness of our approaches.     

随机条件下大规模突发事件救援中的伤员转运问题

研究大规模突发事件发生后将大批量伤员从灾区运往外地的随机优化问题.首先建立伤员转运的随机多点运输模型,该模型以缩短整个转运时间为目标;由于突发事件导致的运输情况变得不确定,表现为任意两地间的运行时间是随机的,所以该模型是随机模型.然后,在算例中分别采用lingo程序和贪婪算法求解,通过比较可以发现,在大量伤员需要到外地治疗而运输工具相对有限时,用提出的模型和采用的lingo程序比用贪婪算法求解更有效地缩短转运时间,在应急管理中具有很好的应用价值.     

基于矩阵式遗传算法的进出口集装箱堆场箱位分配策略

为提高集装箱码头堆场系统的运作效率,本文针对集装箱码头进出口堆场的空间分配问题,建立了在“作业面”作业模式下以集卡水平运输距离最短为目标,考虑各箱位作业量均衡的集装箱箱位分配模型,对计划时段内的进出口箱箱位分配进行全局优化．采用矩阵式的实数编码方式的遗传算法对模型进行了求解,使用最优解保存策略保证了最终的优化结果．最后通过仿真算例,验证了本文所建立的箱位分配模型对优化堆场空间资源分配,提高进出口箱流转速度的适用性．     

考虑翻箱的场桥调度和提箱集卡数量的集成优化

在集装箱码头的进口箱堆场中,码头预约机制、待提箱的实时位置和场桥作业调度方案是制约堆场作业效率和堵塞情况的关键。为缓解进口箱堆场的拥塞情况并提高作业效率,在固定的预约时段内,考虑实时压箱量最少的翻箱规则,兼顾场桥间不可跨越和保持安全间距等现实约束,以场桥最长完工时间最小为目标,构建数学优化模型,设计了嵌入修复算子的改进遗传算法用于求解;通过算例实验验证了算法的有效性和方案的优越性,可为堆场实际作业提供决策参考。     

Berth scheduling for container terminals by using a sub-gradient optimization technique

A method for establishing a berth schedule consisting of berthing times and berthing positions of containerships in port container terminals is addressed in this paper. Each vessel requires a specific amount of space on the berth during a predetermined length of time for unloading and loading containers. The berth schedule must be constructed in a way to satisfy requests from carriers on berthing times and minimize handling efforts during ship operation. A mixed integer program is formulated for the berth-scheduling problem, which can be solved using a commercial package. In order to overcome the computational load of the mixed integer program, the formulation is converted into another integer linear program in which the solution space of the berth and the time is discretized. A Lagrangean relaxation model of the discretized model is solved using a sub-gradient optimization technique. Results of a numerical experiment are provided and discussed.     

带时间窗口的超市物流配送不确定规划模型

主要研究了不确定环境下带时间窗口的超市物流配送问题。假设超市的日需求量是不确定变量,在配送过程中车辆的行驶时间也为不确定变量。为了最小化配送过程中车辆行驶时间,建立了不确定机会约束模型。然后应用不确定变量的运算法则对模型进行等价转化,并为求解模型设计了算法。最后给出了一个数值算例来说明模型的实际应用。     

基于贪婪禁忌搜索算法的垂岸式堆场出口箱装船翻箱研究

基于垂岸式自动化集装箱码头不同装船周期出口集装箱堆场多贝位混合堆存、场桥大车在贝位间频繁移动取箱装船特点,考虑装船发箱时场桥移动等操作时间及翻箱取箱次数对出口箱装船效率和连续性影响,建立多贝位出口箱装船堆场翻箱模型,提出两阶段贪婪禁忌搜索算法,将翻箱规则嵌入算法中,有效限制算法时间和解空间增长速度。通过算例,将提出的翻箱规则与现有常见翻箱规则进行对比,验证模型及算法的有效性与实用性。结果表明,提出的模型和算法可以在合理的求解时间内输出较优的翻箱方案,减少装船时场桥发箱作业时间,提高装船作业效率。     

An effective mathematical formulation for the unidirectional cluster-based quay crane scheduling problem

The quay crane scheduling problem plays an important role in the paradigm of port container terminal management, due to the fact that it closely relates to vessel berthing time. In this paper, we focus on the study of a special strategy for the cluster-based quay crane scheduling problem that forces quay cranes to move unidirectionally during the scheduling. The scheduling problem arising when this strategy is applied is called the unidirectional quay crane scheduling problem in the literature. Different from other researches attempting to construct more sophisticated searching algorithms, in this paper, we seek for a more compact mathematical formulation of the unidirectional cluster-based quay crane scheduling problem that can be easily solved by a standard optimization solver. To assess the performance of the proposed model, commonly accepted benchmark suites are used and the results indicate that the proposed model outperforms the state-of-the-art algorithms designed for the unidirectional cluster-based quay crane scheduling problem.     

煤炭码头船货匹配下泊位动态分配多目标优化模型及算法

本文针对输出型煤炭码头船货匹配下泊位动态分配问题,构建了堆场-取装线-泊位-船舶联合分配优化数学模型,并设计了采用仿真推演策略解码的遗传算法求解。首先,综合考虑船舶、泊位、堆场、取装线、煤种、航道开放时间和装船作业规则等要素,以船舶在港时间最短和作业效率最大为目标建立了相应的多约束多目标优化模型。然后,综合多目标优化、遗传算法以及仿真推演技术,设计了相应的遗传算法求解,包括:组合式编码、采用仿真推演策略的解码方法,追加了具有合法性检查的染色体生成算法,设计了采用多种策略的遗传操作等。最后实例表明,本算法的执行效率高而且优化效果好。     

考虑码头内外堆场竞争的集装箱堆存定价模型

针对由于集装箱吞吐量增加造成翻箱成本增加与码头堆场拥堵,考虑内外堆场竞争,构建集装箱堆存定价模型,研究内外堆场竞争下的堆存定价决策和货主移箱决策,分析码头堆场操作成本、场外堆场运输成本、货主需求参数和码头堆场收益的内在关系。算例结果表明:一旦过了免费期立即移箱到场外堆场,货主成本最小。随着场外堆场运输成本的增加,码头堆场的堆存定价和箱量增加,提高码头堆场收益。随着码头堆场操作成本降低,码头堆场堆存价格随之下降,但码头堆存箱量增加,提高码头堆场收益。此外降低堆场定价对货主需求的影响参数以及提高运输成本对货主需求的影响系数,有利于提高码头堆场收益。