The Vessel Traffic Scheduling Problem in a Container Port
Abstract
Traffic congestion in a container port can lead to uncontrolled execution of vessel service plans, causing severe vessel delays and long waiting time. This seminar presents a vessel traffic scheduling problem that aims to manage incoming and outgoing traffic flows in a container port by optimizing the utilization of the navigation channels and the anchorage areas. The problem is formulated using an integer programming model. For real-world instances, the model typically contains a large number of decision variables. In view of this, a column generation algorithm is devised to effectively handle the enormous variables and generate an optimal solution. Computational results on instances from the Port of Shanghai show that the optimization model is effective in reducing vessel delays and mitigating traffic congestion compared to the decision rules currently adopted by port operators.
Biography
Dr. Shuai Jia is a research fellow with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore. His current research interest lies in developing optimization models and algorithms for solving large-scale transportation and logistics management problems. He obtained a Ph.D. degree in transport and logistics management from Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Prior to commencing Ph.D. studies, he was a system and software engineer with the Port of Shanghai, where he developed multiple decision support systems for port logistics management optimization. His research papers have appeared in premier transportation journals such as Transportation Science and Transportation Research Part B.