A Comprehensive Modeling of the Discrete and Dynamic Problem of Berth Allocation in Maritime Terminals

In this study, the discrete and dynamic problem of berth allocation in maritime terminals, is investigated. The suggested resolution method relies on a paradigm of optimization with two techniques: heuristic and multi-agent. Indeed, a set of techniques such as the protocol of negotiation named contract net, the multi-agent interactions, and Worst-Fit arrangement technique, are involved. The main objective of the study is to propose a solution for attributing m parallel machines to a set of activities. The contribution of the study is to provide a detailed modeling of the discrete and dynamic berth allocation problem by establishing the corresponding models using a multi-agent methodology. A set of numerical experiments are detailed to prove the performance of the introduced multi-agent strategy compared with genetic algorithm and tabu search.

Berth Allocation Model for Container Terminal using Genetic Algorithm Technique: Case of Apapa Wharf, Lagos, Nigeria

The Nigeria ports plays a vital role in socio-economic growth by being a cheap mode of conveying shipments for importation and exportation. The number of vessels coming into the Nigerian ports every year is on the average of about 4,900. A well flourishing and efficient ports and cargo management will in no doubt put a developing economy such as Nigeria in a leading pedestal with developed nations. Thus, stakeholders in container terminals are concerned about discharging containers as fast as possible, with the purpose of saving terminal costs. This study is driven to minimize the time being used up by ships in container terminal using genetic algorithm (GA) and thus attain maximum efficiency. The limited berth space in the wharf lead to berth allocation problem (BAP) and an optimal solution is required. Moreover, high berth occupancy results in congestion where vessels are queuing to be served. This leads to high turn-around time and results in bad service for the container terminal. The aim of this study is to develop and implement a genetic algorithm based model for berth allocation (i.e. GAMBA) with the view to minimize the total delay times of vessels at container terminals. A study of the operations in Apapa wharf was done with the view to understand the berth allocation process vis-à-vis the challenges therein. The relevant parameters required for berth allocation were identified and GAMBA was developed using the identified parameters. GAMBA was implemented using real life data collected from the container terminal, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria. The results showed that increasing the quay length by 250m has a very similar outcome on the container port’s efficiency as reducing the proportion of increasing handling time by 0.0025 h/m. This revealed that the outcome on the container port’s efficiency by increasing the quayside length was the same as reducing the proportion of increasing management time. Based on these results, the optimized allocation of container storage and the automation of the handling process can be proposed as cheaper alternatives to construction and development of the containers port in relation to increasing the productivity of the port.

A New Memetic Approach to Solve the Strategic Berth Template Problem

The berth allocation problem is one of the main concerns of port operators at a container terminal. In this paper, the authors study the berth allocation problem at the strategic level commonly known as the strategic berth template problem (SBTP). This problem aims to find the best berth template for a set of calling ships accepted to be served at the port. At strategic level, port operator can reject some ships to be served for avoid congestion. Since the computational complexity of the mathematical formulation proposed for SBTP, solution approaches presented so far for the problem are limited especially at level of large-scale instances. In order to find high quality solutions with a short computational time, this work proposes a population based memetic algorithm which combine a first-come-first-served (FCFS) technique, two genetics operators, and a simulating annealing algorithm. Different computational experiences and comparisons against the best known solutions so far have been presented to show the performance and effectiveness of the proposed method.

Population-based Metaheuristics for the Dynamic Minimum Cost Hybrid Berth Allocation Problem

This study considers the Dynamic Minimum Cost Hybrid Berth Allocation Problem (DMCHBAP) with fixed handling times of vessels. The objective function to be minimized consists of three components: costs of positioning, waiting, and tardiness of completion for all vessels. A mathematical formulation of DMCHBAP, based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP), is proposed and used within the framework of commercial CPLEX 12.3 solver. As the speed of finding high-quality solutions is of crucial importance for an efficient and reliable decision support system in container terminal, two population-based metaheuristic approaches to DMCHBAP are proposed: combined Genetic Algorithm (cGA) and improvement-based Bee Colony Optimization (BCOi). Both cGA and BCOi are evaluated and compared against each other and against state-of-the-art solution methods for DMCHBAP on five sets of problem instances. The conducted computational experiments and statistical analysis indicate that population-based metaheuristic methods represent promising approaches for DMCHBAP and similar problems in maritime transportation.

HADES: A Multi-Agent Platform to Reduce Congestion Anchoring Based on Temporal Coordination of Vessel Arrivals—Application to the Multi-Client Liquid Bulk Terminal in the Port of Cartagena (Spain)

Ports are key factors in international trade, and new port terminals are quite costly and time consuming to build. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize existing infrastructure to achieve sustainability in logistics. This problem is more complex in multi-client port terminals, where quay infrastructure is shared among terminal operators who often have conflicting interests. Moreover, the berth allocation problem in liquid bulk terminals implies demanding restrictions due to the reduced flexibility in berth allocation for these types of goods. In this context, this paper presents HADES, a multi-agent platform, and the experience of its pilot use in the Port of Cartagena. HADES is a software platform where agents involved in vessel arrivals share meaningful but limited information. This is done to alleviate potential congestion in multi-client liquid bulk terminals, promoting a consensus where overall congestion anchoring is reduced. A study is presented using a mixed integer linear program (MILP) optimization model to analyze the maximum theoretical reduction in congestion anchoring, depending on the flexibility of vessel arrival time changes. Results show that 6 h of flexibility is enough to reduce congestion anchoring by half, and 24 h reduces it to negligible values. This confirms the utility of HADES, which is also briefly described.

An Efficient Procedure for Inserting Buffers to Generate Robust Berth Plans in Container Terminals

Uncertainty is an inevitable aspect of seaside operations in container terminals. Operators therefore need to find robust plans that can resist the impact of uncertainties. Instead of solving a stochastic berth allocation problem, this paper proposes an efficient procedure for inserting buffers into baseline berth plans to strengthen the schedule stability. Such a method is highly versatile and compatible with various solutions to berth allocation problem with different objectives. Numerical results obtained by using simulation on a representative set of instances of the problem are reported; these indicate that the proposed procedure not only increases the flexibility of operations with minor loss of resource utilization but also addresses the impact of service priority. Hence, the contribution in this paper will provide a short path that bridges the gap between berth allocation problem in deterministic and stochastic circumstances.