Berth and quay cranes allocation problem with on-shore power supply assignment in container terminals

Abstract

On-shore power supply (OPS) is a promising carbon emission-reduction technology for vessels and ports. Optimizing its allocation for berthing vessels is a new operational challenge due to different deployments on shore and on board. This article proposes an innovative solution to enhance the effectiveness of berths and on-shore power utilization in container terminals. The proposed solution integrates continuous berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and OPS allocation to address optimization challenges. First, a mixed-integer programming model is formulated based on the in-depth analysis of the OPS service coverage and carbon emissions of vessels, aiming to increase service efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and minimize carbon taxation. Then, an adaptive immune clone selection algorithm is developed to solve this problem. Adaptive and elite strategies are adopted to enrich population diversity. To improve convergence speed, a heuristic algorithm is designed based on the established model. Numerical experiments based on practical instances confirm the model's validity and the proposed algorithm's superiority over benchmark methods. The proposed integrated optimization strategy yields an average cost reduction of 2.14% and reduces carbon emissions by 2.90% by combining carbon taxation and OPS implementation. The study also highlights that OPS utilization is determined by fuel price and vessel retrofit ratio. Managerial insights suggest that raising the OPS service coverage to 50% and the vessel retrofit ratio to 70% would greatly benefit the port both economically and environmentally. To increase OPS utilization, coordination between port and shipping companies is necessary.