An Agent-Based Solution for the Berth Allocation Problem

This work presents the development of MABAP, a decision support system based on the agent technology that helps in solving the problem of berth allocation for ships within a port. The Berth Allocation Problem (BAP) regards the logistics involved in planning and controlling the berthing of vessels. A software architecture in terms of agents is presented; Berths and Ships representing the actors in the system, Berth Request and Berth Planner as representatives of ships and berths in the planning process, and finally the Dock and Central agents representing the dock or pier. The architecture modeling was done using PASSI methodology for the design of agent-oriented systems, and the implementation was done in JADE, a Java-based development environment for multiagent systems. To validate the resulting support system, tests were carried out in which the user can choose different port-policy scenarios, ranging from maximizing vessels throughput to maximize berths use.