Genetic Algorithm which is based on the Darwinian principle of natural selection has been successfully applied to Berth allocation problem (BAP), which can decide the ships’ berthing position and berthing time at a container terminal. Considering the service priority, handing time deciding variables, safety clearance, as well as the berths’ physical conditions, a dynamic berth allocation with d...

In this paper, we study the design and control of automated guided vehicle (AGV) systems, with the focus on the quayside container transport in an automated container terminal. We first set up an event-driven model for an AGV system in the zone control framework. Then a number of layouts of the road network (guide-path) are carefully designed for the workspace of the AGVs in a container termina...

The Baltic Sea shipping is at a crossroads as sulphur regulation will lead to excessive cost increases from the year 2015 onwards and CO2 emission trading is planned to be implemented for the entire shipping sector within the EU area. Therefore, shipping is going to be minimized and hinterland transportation (road and rail) will act as substitute. This research analyzes the situation on one of ...

A truck scheduling problem for container transportation in a local area with multiple depots and multiple terminals including containers as a resource for transportation is addressed. Four types of movements of containers as inbound full, outbound full, inbound empty and outbound empty movements as well as the time windows at both the origin and the destination are considered. The total operati...

In this contribution we present a generic object oriented simulation model for overland transport of containers. The main entities in the model are containers, container terminals and vehicles for transportation of containers. A terminal or service center may have several handling centres which are the nodal points for inter terminal transport (ITT). Handling centres possess equipment for loadi...

This study aims at providing a relatively straightforward methodology to serve as a decision-making tool when more than one packaging solution could be available to a user. It involves a life cycle inventory (LCI) analysis and comparison of three currently available 3.79 l (1 gallon) packaging systems for liquid milk. Two of the primary container types studied use reusable plastic crates (RPCs)...

 We introduce a dynamic and stochastic transportation problem consisting of two subproblems. For parcel transportation in hub-and-spoke networks, swap containers are used to carry out hub-to-hub shipments. This constitutes a pickup and delivery problem on the operational level. On the tactical level, empty swap containers are balanced over the hub-network in order to match the stochastic deman...

Hinterland transportation has become increasingly critical for global container supply chain performance. However, the literature on the management of the container supply chain tends to overlook the issues related to hinterland transportation. The problem we consider here is faced by a deep-sea terminal operator who wants to open an inland terminal to facilitate its operations. When developed ...

The Inland Container Transportation Problem describes the movement of full and empty containers among a number of terminals, depots and customers in a hinterland region. A trucking company with a homogeneous fleet of trucks has to serve customers which either receive goods by inbound containers or ship goods by outbound containers. While keeping given hard time constraints the total operating t...