Heuristic algorithms for container pre-marshalling problems

A container pre-marshalling problem is to find a sequence of container movements to reach final container layout satisfying certain conditions. Two container pre-marshalling problems that are denoted as problem Type-A and Type-B are defined in this paper. Two labelling algorithms, which denote as Heuristic-A and Heuristic-B, are proposed to solve these two container pre-marshalling problems, respectively. Experiments retrieved from past literature and generated by computer program are used to verify the performance of the two algorithms. According to the output results, these proposed algorithms are able to yield a competitive solution in comparison with other methods. Computational results and model variations are discussed.

► Two labelling-based heuristics are proposed for two container-pre-marshalling problems.
► Containers should be piled in specific order as Type-A problem.
► Same attribute containers should be piled in given area as Type-B problem.
► The proposed algorithms can yield fewer movements to complete the pre-marshalling.
► Decreasing buffers will increase the movements for problem Type-B.