Research on Conatiner Allocation and Yard Crane Collaborative Scheduling for U-Shaped Automated Container Terminals

With the rapid growth of global trade, port terminal operations face the dual challenges of improving yard efficiency and achieving green and sustainable development. In U-shaped automated container terminals, where both internal and external trucks need to access specific channels of the yard for side-loading and unloading, the collaborative optimization of container allocation and yard crane scheduling becomes particularly important. This paper addresses the challenges of container allocation and yard crane scheduling at U-shaped automated container terminals. It develops a bi-objective optimization model aimed at minimizing the yard's maximum completion time and the overall energy consumption of yard cranes. The model comprehensively considers yard crane task assignment, operation sequence, and interaction location planning with horizontal transportation equipment. To solve this model, a hybrid multi-objective optimization algorithm (NSGA-II-PSO), is proposed. The effectiveness and advantages of the algorithm are validated using real-world operational data from a specific terminal. The experimental results show that the proposed model and algorithm perform excellently in optimizing yard operation efficiency and reducing energy consumption, providing a scientific and efficient scheduling solution for practical terminal operations.