A Simulation-based Optimization Approach to Container Terminal Berth Planning Under Time Uncertainty

Although container liner shipping has strict planning regulations, there are still uncertainties in practical operations due to weather and other reasons, which have a significant impact on the container terminal berth planning. In response to this problem, this paper investigates the deviation rule of the operation law of container liners and constructs a berth planning optimization model based on the operation time uncertainty. A solution algorithm is designed, in which a genetic algorithm is applied as the outer framework and the simulation process is embedded. According to the characteristics of the problem, an initial population generation strategy is designed to facilitate the solution algorithm. Finally, a case study based on the Dalian port container terminal is carried out to optimize the berth planning under uncertain time. Case results verify the effectiveness of the model and algorithm. Copyright © 2020 by Science Press.