A hybrid ant colony and genetic algorithm to solve the container stacking problem at seaport terminal

Abstract

This article addresses the container storage problem (CSP) in a port terminal. The good management of the storage space is essential to ensure the productivity of a port. This explains the usefulness of studying this problem. In this paper, we consider a modern container terminal which uses straddle carriers instead of internal trucks. We propose a linear mathematical model which takes into account operational constraints and minimizes the total distance traveled by straddle carriers between the quays and the container yard. For the numerical resolution, we design an effective hybrid ant colony and genetic algorithm (HAC/GA). Numerical simulations and comparisons made with CPLEX show that this algorithm gives very good results.