Yard crane scheduling problem in a container terminal considering risk caused by uncertainty

Abstract In a container terminal, the arriving times and handling volumes of the vessels are uncertain. The arriving times of the external trucks and the number of containers which are needed to be brought into or retrieved from a container terminal by external trucks within a period are also uncertain. Yard crane (YC) scheduling is under uncertainty. This paper addresses a YC scheduling problem with uncertainty of the task groups' arriving times and handling volumes. We do not only optimize the efficiency of YC operations, but also optimize the extra loss caused by uncertainty for reducing risk of adjusting schedule as the result of the task groups' arriving times and handling volumes deviating from their plan. A mathematical model is proposed for optimizing the total delay to the estimated ending time of all task groups without uncertainty and the extra loss under all uncertain scenarios. Furthermore, a GA-based framework combined with three-stage algorithm is proposed to solve the problem. Finally, the proposed mathematical model and approach are validated by numerical experiments.

[1]  Hai-gui Kang,et al.  Study on berth and quay-crane allocation under stochastic environments in container terminal , 2008 .

[2]  Mitsuo Gen,et al.  Genetic algorithms and engineering design , 1997 .

[3]  David Simchi-Levi,et al.  A New Generation of Vehicle Routing Research: Robust Algorithms, Addressing Uncertainty , 1996, Oper. Res..

[4]  W. C. Ng,et al.  Crane scheduling in container yards with inter-crane interference , 2005, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[5]  Tom Van Woensel,et al.  The time-dependent vehicle routing problem with soft time windows and stochastic travel times , 2014 .

[6]  Ceyhun Güven,et al.  Modelling and optimisation of online container stacking with operational constraints , 2019 .

[7]  Lixin Miao,et al.  Quay crane scheduling with non-interference constraints in port container terminals , 2008 .

[8]  Nubia Velasco,et al.  A multi-population algorithm to solve the VRP with stochastic service and travel times , 2018, Comput. Ind. Eng..

[9]  Mihalis M. Golias.  A bi-objective berth allocation formulation to account for vessel handling time uncertainty , 2011 .

[10]  Mihalis M. Golias,et al.  Robust berth scheduling at marine container terminals via hierarchical optimization , 2014, Comput. Oper. Res..

[11]  Tom Van Woensel,et al.  Vehicle routing problem with stochastic travel times including soft time windows and service costs , 2013, Comput. Oper. Res..

[12]  Kap Hwan Kim,et al.  Heuristic algorithms for routing yard‐side equipment for minimizing loading times in container terminals , 2003 .

[13]  Youfang Huang,et al.  Integrated internal truck, yard crane and quay crane scheduling in a container terminal considering energy consumption , 2015, Expert Syst. Appl..

[14]  Loo Hay Lee,et al.  A decision model for berth allocation under uncertainty , 2011, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[15]  Wen-Jing Hsu,et al.  Dynamic yard crane dispatching in container terminals with predicted vehicle arrival information , 2011, Adv. Eng. Informatics.

[16]  Chen Li,et al.  Integrated scheduling of a container handling system with simultaneous loading and discharging operations , 2016 .

[17]  Richard J. Linn,et al.  Dynamic crane deployment in container storage yards , 2002 .

[18]  Qiang Meng,et al.  Deployment strategies of double-rail-mounted gantry crane systems for loading outbound containers in container terminals , 2008 .

[19]  Mucahit Sislioglu,et al.  A simulation model proposal to improve the productivity of container terminal operations through investment alternatives , 2018, Maritime Policy & Management.

[20]  Udatta S. Palekar,et al.  Analysis and Algorithms for the Transtainer Routing Problem in Container Port Operations , 2002, Transp. Sci..

[21]  Stefan Voß,et al.  Operations research at container terminals: a literature update , 2007, OR Spectr..

[22]  Gamini Dissanayake,et al.  Rescheduling policies for large-scale task allocation of autonomous straddle carriers under uncertainty at automated container terminals , 2014, Robotics Auton. Syst..

[23]  Michael G.H. Bell,et al.  An uncertainty-aware AGV assignment algorithm for automated container terminals , 2010 .

[24]  Dung-Ying Lin,et al.  The Storage Space Allocation Problem at a Container Terminal , 2017 .

[25]  Chung-Lun Li,et al.  Interblock Crane Deployment in Container Terminals , 2002, Transp. Sci..

[26]  Kap Hwan Kim,et al.  A beam search algorithm for the load sequencing of outbound containers in port container terminals , 2004 .

[27]  Jan Tijmen Udding,et al.  An exact method for scheduling a yard crane , 2014, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[28]  Mark Goh,et al.  Discrete time model and algorithms for container yard crane scheduling , 2009, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[29]  Youfang Huang,et al.  Yard crane scheduling in a container terminal for the trade-off between efficiency and energy consumption , 2015, Adv. Eng. Informatics.

[30]  Kap Hwan Kim,et al.  An Optimal Routing Algorithm for a Transfer Crane in Port Container Terminals , 1999, Transp. Sci..

[31]  Chung-Piaw Teo,et al.  Berth management in container terminal: the template design problem , 2006, OR Spectr..

[32]  Lu Zhen.  Container yard template planning under uncertain maritime market , 2014 .

[33]  Lu Zhen,et al.  Tactical berth allocation under uncertainty , 2015, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[34]  Li-feng Xi,et al.  A proactive approach for simultaneous berth and quay crane scheduling problem with stochastic arrival and handling time , 2010, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[35]  Stefan Voß,et al.  Container terminal operation and operations research — a classification and literature review , 2004 .

[36]  Shell-Ying Huang,et al.  Dynamic Space and Time Partitioning for Yard Crane Workload Management in Container Terminals , 2012, Transp. Sci..

[37]  Chung-Yee Lee,et al.  The critical role of ocean container transport in global supply chain performance , 2013 .