Optimization of Resource Allocation in Automated Container Terminals

Automated container terminals have been constructed to reduce emissions and labor cost. Resource allocation problems in automated container terminals have a critical effect on handling efficiency and cost. This paper addresses this problem with quay crane (QC) double cycling in automated container terminals. An optimization model is developed to obtain an optimal resource allocation schedule considering the operation cost, and the cost objective function proves to have convex behavior with optimal solutions. The performance of the operation system and its asymptotic behavior are derived with respect to different resource allocation schedules by formulating the operation processes. Finally, numerical experiments are conducted to verify the system’s performance and validity of the proposed model, and some insights are given about how to increase the terminal’s efficiency.