Optimal Berth Planning in Container Terminals: A Novel Algorithm for Quay Crane Scheduling

Marine transport rising along with demand and supply abundance disclose the vital role of this mode in global supply chain which made the ports as important logistic hubs of this chain. Therefore, an efficient plan for improving services and optimal use of port equipment in the competitive condition is essential. The current study aims to utilize algorithms for optimizing the seaside operations problems scheduling in Shaheed Rajaei port in Iran. To this aim, Mixed Integer Linear Programming models were used for modeling the berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and quay crane scheduling with two integrating approaches. The models were validated by GAMS and a combination of Particle Swarm Optimization with Dynamic Programming methods were used for estimating the near optimal solutions. The objective function minimizes the imposed costs related to difference of berthing location from best location, difference of end service time from determined departure time, number of assigned cranes, and number of crane setups in every vessel. According to results, the deep integrated model with the developed QCSP algorithm that solved with PSO performed better than the functional integrated with combined methods. Findings could be helpful in costs management in studied port.