Yard Stacking Strategy for Breakbulk Cargo Terminals: Integrating Cargo Classification Adaptation and Berth Scheduling Optimization

In response to the escalating cargo throughput at ports, the demand for stacking at breakbulk cargo terminals has surged, leading to increasingly strained yard space. The existing yard stacking strategies are no longer sufficient to meet the efficiency demands of modern port operations. This paper introduces a stacking strategy that comprehensively considers berth scheduling, yard resource constraints, cargo turnover, and cargo type fitness. By integrating discrete berth scheduling, cargo turnover, diverse cargo characteristics, and fitness conditions into a unified model, we develop algorithms to solve this complex problem. The findings indicate that: (1) the proposed stacking strategy optimizes the overall distance from the berth to the yard and minimizes the number of trailer transports, reducing the transported miles by over 35% compared to other strategies. (2) The average number of trailer transports is decreased, shortening cargo transportation time, lowering transportation costs, enhancing the overall transportation efficiency of the terminal, and reducing logistics time. (3) The overall space utilization rate of the terminal yard is elevated to 8.7%, expanding the cargo capacity of the yard and consequently lowering the storage cost per unit of cargo due to improved space utilization and increased cargo capacity.