An Exact Method for Berth Allocation at Raw Material Docks
| Authors: | Li Shaohua, Key Laboratory of Process Industry Automation, Ministry of Education, China
Tang Lixin, Northeastern University, China
Liu Jiyin, Loughborough University, United Kingdom |
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| Topic: | 7.2 Marine Systems |
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| Session: | Marine Systems |
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| Keywords: | Optimization problem; Mathematical models; Linear programming; Bounding method; Algorithms |
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Abstract
This paper studies a short-term berth allocation problem encountered in the Baoshan Iron and Steel complex. A mathematical model is developed for the problem to minimize the total tardiness particularly considering special industrial characteristics. A lower bound derived by performing a Lagrangian relaxation, along with appropriate branching rules, is incorporated into a branch and bound algorithm for the berth allocation problem. Real data collected from the Baoshan Iron and Steel Complex are used to test the performance of the algorithm. Computation result indicates that the optimal berth scheduling can be obtained for the industrial-sized problem within an acceptable running time.
