Optimization of Dangerous Cargo Vessels Lock Scheduling Based on Improved Human Urbanization Search Algorithm

To address the challenges of low transit efficiency and extended waiting times for dangerous cargo vessels under current regulations, a lock chamber scheduling strategy is proposed, incorporating the definition of safety distances for dangerous cargo vessels during berthing within lock chambers. A lock chamber arrangement model is developed with the objective of maximizing chamber area utilization. To enhance solution efficiency, an improved Human Urbanization Search algorithm based on the Levy flight strategy (LHUS) is formulated, accompanied by a specifically designed algorithm encoding scheme. A case study utilizing vessel transit data from the bidirectional five-stage ship lock of the Three Gorges Project is conducted, and the performance of the proposed LHUS algorithm is compared with that of the Bottom-Left algorithm. The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm improves the average lock chamber area utilization by 5.79% in the downstream direction and by 6.4% in the upstream direction. The lock chamber scheduling model incorporating safety distance constraints is shown to effectively enhance chamber area utilization and reduce transit risks for dangerous cargo vessels.