Type of Publication: Article in Journal

Straddle Carrier Routing at Seaport Container Terminals in the Presence of Short Term Quay Crane Buffer Areas

Author(s):

Kress, D.; Meiswinkel, S.; Pesch, E.

Title of Journal:

European Journal of Operational Research

Volume (Publication Date):

279 (2019)

Number of Issue:

3

pages:

732-750

Language:

Englisch

Keywords:

Scheduling, Container logistics, Seaport logistics, Vehicle routing, Vehicle dispatching

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2019.06.028

Citation:

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Abstract

We address an optimization problem that arises at seaports where containers are transported between stacking areas and small buffer areas of restricted capacity that are located within the reach of quay cranes. The containers are transported by straddle carriers that have to be routed such that given unloading and loading sequences of the containers at the quay cranes are respected. The objective is to minimize the turnaround times of the vessels. We analyze the problem’s computational complexity, present an integer program, and propose a heuristic framework that is based on decomposing the problem into its routing component and a component that handles the time variables and buffer capacities. The framework is analyzed in computational tests that are based on real-world data. Based on these tests, we analyze the question of whether or not it pays off to deviate from the approach of permanently assigning a fixed number of straddle carriers to each quay crane, which is the strategy that is currently implemented at the port.