A container yard storage strategy for improving land utilization and operation efficiency in a transshipment hub port

• Published in: European journal of operational research 2012-08, Vol.221 (1), p.64-73
• Main Authors: Jiang, Xinjia, Lee, Loo Hay, Chew, Ek Peng, Han, Yongbin, Tan, Kok Choon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Assignment problem; Consignment strategy; Containers; Exact sciences and technology; Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; High-low workload balancing protocol; Land utilization; Logistics; Marine and water way transportation and traffic; Materials handling; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Port operation; Ports; Space-sharing yard template; Storage; Strategy; Studies; Traffic congestion; Traffic control; Traffic engineering; Traffic flow; Transportation terminals; Workload; Workloads
• ISSN: 0377-2217; 1872-6860
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2012.03.011

► Balance the equipment productivity and the land usage under consignment strategy. ► A framework integrates space reservation and workload assignment. ► Two different approaches to determine the sharing space. ► Improve the land productivity under different realizations of the workload. ► The variable sharing space method performs better among the two. This paper studies the storage yard management problem in a busy transshipment hub, where intense loading and unloading activities have to be considered at the same time. The need to handle huge volumes of container traffic and the scarcity of land in the container port area pose serious challenges for the port operator to provide efficient services. A consignment strategy with a static yard template has been used to reduce the level of reshuffles in the yard, but it sacrifices on land utilization because of exclusive storage space reservation. Two space-sharing approaches are proposed to improve on the land utilization through dynamic reservation of storage space for different vessels during different shifts. Meanwhile, workload assignment among reserved spaces will also satisfy the high-low workload balancing protocol to reduce traffic congestion in the yard. A framework which integrates space reservation and workload assignment is proposed. Experimental results show that the framework is able to provide solutions for containers handling within much less storage space, while guarantee the least yard crane deployment.