Considering the Impact of Adverse Weather: Integrated Scheduling Optimization of Berths and Quay Cranes

To promptly address the disruptions caused by various sudden weather events to the normal operations of the quay apron, this study focuses on the optimization of integrated berth and quay crane (QC) scheduling under the impact of adverse weather. It emphasizes two key influences of adverse weather: port closures and the uncertainty in vessel handling times induced by weather conditions. A decision mechanism is designed, and strategies such as vessel dispatch, cargo omission, and backhaul are incorporated. Meanwhile, constraints including the prohibition of QC crossover and the spatio-temporal limitations on vessel berthing are taken into account. With the optimization objective of minimizing the total scheduling cost, a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model is constructed. A variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm is developed for solving the model, which proposes multi-layer encoding and a corresponding hybrid initialization strategy. Finally, comparative experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the model and the rationality of the algorithm. Sensitivity analysis is also performed on the duration of port closures and QC handling efficiency. The research results can provide decision support for ports in formulating response strategies against adverse weather.