Exact and heuristic methods for the integrated berth allocation and specific time-invariant quay crane assignment problems

Abstract

The Berth Allocation Problem and the Quay Cranes Assignment Problem are two decisive seaside operations planning problems in maritime terminals. Therefore, integrating these two problems is critical in improving any terminal's performance and enhancing its attractivity. This paper deals with the integrated problem for a continuous quay's topology and dynamic vessels' arrivals. In addition to a berth plan respecting the quay cranes' capacity constraints, the specific time-invariant quay cranes' assignments must also be determined. A novel mixed-integer linear formulation (MILP) and a Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) approach are presented. The developed approaches are tested on randomly generated instances. In particular, the MILP formulation is compared to existing exact methods. The numerical experiments showed that the MILP formulation provides state-of-the-art results. Furthermore, the VNS approach presents a consistent alternative for the MILP, especially for large-scale instances.