An optimization approach for coupling problem of berth allocation and quay crane assignment in container terminal

This paper addresses an effective approach to solve the issue of berth allocation and quay crane assignment in a multi-user container terminal. First of all, the studied coupling problem is formulated with the interactions between berth allocation and quay crane assignment considered. Then, an evolutionary algorithm with nested loops was developed to obtain optimal solutions. The algorithm is well structured, where two inner loops are used to solve sub-problems of berth allocation and quay crane assignment respectively; an outer loop is then utilized to find an approximate solution based on the results of the two inner loops. The results of numerical experiments show that the proposed approach can improve the essential operations in container terminals.

► We formulate the coupling problem of berth and quay crane allocation. ► We propose an evolutionary algorithm based on nested loops. ► The performances of berth and quay crane schedules are improved. ► The proposed approach is efficient in solution quality.