Multi-Period Coordinated Optimization on Berth Allocation and Yard Assignment in Container Terminals Based on Truck Route

Berths and yards are the most critical parts of container terminals. Their efficiency directly influences the terminal operation efficiency. The multi-period coordinated optimization on berth allocation and yard assignment has been studied considering a multi-period interaction between the berth and yard. The coordinated optimization problem is formulated as an integer programming, aimed at minimizing the total truck travel distance, where the decision variables are the berthing positions for visiting vessels and the storage positions for export containers. In this work, the complexity of this problem is theoretically demonstrated. A tabu genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem to obtain the optimal berthing and export container stacking positions. With this algorithm, the rule is applied to generate the initial feasible solutions, and crossover and mutation operations are simultaneously applied to optimize the initial solutions. Finally, two different scenarios, the determinate berth allocation scenario and the determinate yard assignment scenario, are presented to compare the influence of berth allocation and yard assignment on truck travel distance. The numerical experiments demonstrate that the berthing positions, stacking positions and the period segments directly affect the truck travel distance. And the multi-period coordinated optimization problem can effectively shorten the truck travel distance and improve the efficiency of the terminal operation, which supports the decisions of terminal operators and maintains the efficient development of the terminal.