A novel continuous berth scheduling model at multiple marine container terminals with tidal considerations

Purpose The paper aims to propose a new mathematical model for allocation and scheduling of vessels at multiple marine container terminals of the same port, considering the access channel depth variations by time of day. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a new mathematical model for allocation and scheduling of vessels at multiple marine container terminals of the same port, considering the access channel depth variations by time of day. The access channel serves as a gate for vessels entering or leaving the port. During low-depth tidal periods the vessels with deep drafts have to wait until the depth of the access channel reaches the required depth. Findings A number of numerical experiments are performed using the operational data collected from Port of Bandar Abbas (Iran). Results demonstrate that the suggested methodology is able to improve the existing port operations and significantly decrease delayed vessel departures. Originality/value The contribution of this study to the state of the art is a novel mathematical model for allocation and scheduling of vessels at multiple terminals of the same port, taking into consideration channel depth variations by time of day. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first continuous berth scheduling linear model that addresses the tidal effects on berth scheduling (both in terms of vessel arrival and departure at/from the berth) at multiple marine container terminals.