Mathematical modelling of container transfers and storage locations at seaport terminals

This paper models the seaport system with the objective of determining the optimal storage strategy and container-handling schedule. It presents an iterative search algorithm that integrates a container-transfer model with a container-location model in a cyclic fashion to determine both optimal locations and corresponding handling schedule. A genetic algorithm (GA), a tabu search (TS) and a tabu search/genetic algorithm hybrid are used to solve the problem. The implementation of these models and algorithms are capable of handling the very large problems that arise in container terminal operations. Different resource levels are analysed and a comparison with current practise at an Australian port is done.