Study on berth planning problem in a container seaport: Using an integrated programming approach

This paper provides an integrated solution for two common processes in a container seaport: namely, the Berth Allocation Process (BAP) and the Crane Scheduling Process (QCSP). These are formulated through a Bi‐Level Programming (BLP) approach, which is used to characterize the highly interrelated relationships between the two processes and simultaneously, identify an integrated solution for both. The upper‐level problem (BAP) is termed ‘NP‐hard’ as its computational complexity increases exponentially with the number of incoming ships for mooring, while the lower‐level problem (QCSP) is a mixed‐integer linear program. A revised genetic algorithm and a branch‐and‐bound method (B&B) are then applied for the solutions of upper and lower level problems, respectively.