Modelling of dual-cycle strategy for container storage and vehicle scheduling problems at automated container terminals

•We model the integration of AGV dispatching and container storage allocation.•Both unloading and loading processes are considered.•Small-sized problems can be solved optimally.•Large-sized problems are solved efficiently by GA.

This study proposes a new approach to determine the dispatching rules of AGVs and container storage locations, considering both unloading and loading processes simultaneously. We formulate this problem as a mixed integer programming model, aiming to minimise the ship’s berth time. Optimal solutions can be obtained in small sizes, however, large-sized problems are hard to solve optimally in a reasonable time. Therefore, a heuristic method, i.e. genetic algorithm is designed to solve the problem in large sizes. A series of numerical experiments are carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the integration approach and algorithm.