Integrated Optimization of Berth Allocation and Quay Crane Assignment Under the Parallel Berthing Mode at Container Terminals

Abstract

Berths and quay cranes are crucial assets at container terminals; to enhance productivity and reduce costs in terminal operations, it is essential to utilize these assets effectively. In this paper, firstly, we propose a new problem based on the berth allocation and quay crane assignment problem (BAQCAP) in the context of the successfully implemented parallel berthing mode for container vessels in reality, namely BAQCAP under the parallel berthing mode (BAQCAP_PBM), in which two feeder vessels can berth in parallel at the same berth. Secondly, we establish the mathematical model of the BAQCAP_PBM, aiming at minimizing the sum of the maximum completion time, total waiting time, and total delay time of vessels, in which the calculation of safety distance between two vessels has been improved. Thirdly, to solve the BAQCAP_PBM, we employ a hyper-heuristic genetic algorithm, which incorporates two rule-based heuristic approaches tailored for parallel berthing and generation of initial solutions. Finally, the validity of our model and the efficiency of our algorithm are demonstrated through computational comparisons and simulation studies.