Integrated rescheduling optimization of berth allocation and quay crane allocation with shifting strategies

Abstract

Container terminal operations are a core aspect of vessel operations in ports and necessitate an intelligent rescheduling approach to manage complex uncertainty scenarios. This paper investigates the problem of berth allocation and quay crane (QC) assignment with shifting strategies. A variable-length rolling mechanism (VLRM) is designed to identify uncertainty scenarios and determine the optimal rescheduling time point. Notably, we introduce a novel cross-wharf shifting movements strategy (CWSM) and develop a rescheduling model that accounts for constraints related to tidal time windows. The proposed Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search algorithm (ALNS) is tailored to solve this problem effectively. Computational results from various instance sizes validate the efficacy of both the model and the ALNS algorithm. These results demonstrate that the ALNS algorithm exhibits distinct advantages in solution quality and computational time for large-scale instances. Furthermore, the inclusion of tidal time window constraints significantly amplifies the complexity of uncertainty scenarios, emphasizing their importance and the impossibility of neglecting them. The cross-wharf shifting movements strategy, presented herein, effectively mitigates the impact of uncertainty scenarios within a defined scope while enhancing adjustment flexibility.