The integrated planning of berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and pilotage scheduling

Abstract

Port logistics plays a crucial role in the efficiency of global trade, encompassing key operations such as berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and pilotage scheduling. Traditional approaches often treat these processes independently, leading to inefficiencies in resource utilization, increased operational costs, and prolonged vessel turnaround times. This paper addresses these challenges by proposing an integrated planning framework that simultaneously optimizes berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and pilotage scheduling. A novel integer programming model is proposed to jointly consider decisions related to pilotage, berthing, and handling operations, with the objective of minimizing vessel delays and pilot-related costs. To address the computational challenges encountered in practical applications, an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) metaheuristic, enhanced with tailored berth allocation heuristics and problem-specific operators, is designed. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the integrated framework under diverse operational scenarios. The results demonstrate that the integrated approach is effective in reducing vessel turnaround times, improving resource utilization, and lowering total costs. Furthermore, a detailed sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the impact of variations in pilot availability, time-window constraints, and channel capacity on scheduling outcomes. These findings provide actionable insights for port operators aiming to enhance operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and highlight the advantages of a holistic view of berth allocation, quay crane assignment, and pilotage scheduling.