Land utilization in the container terminal: a global perpective

Conventionl wisdom in terms of land utilization has been derived from a micro view—strategies concerning land utilization have been formulated based on the need of terminal operators. The major factors considered are the cost, the manoeuverability, the stacking ability of the yard operating systems etc. Regretfully, they have failed to deal with issues concerning land utilization in a broader aspect. Factors considered from a micro view point cannont explain why there are huge differences in the storage capacity of land, the utilization rate of this storage capacity and varying land productivity achieved among container terminals throughout the world. Few researchers have examined he issues from a macro view point, revealing a lack of far-sightedness. Therefore, they cannot explain the global differences in land utilization among terminal operators. The aim of this paper is to examine this issue from a macro view point and provide principles for terminal development.     

洋山四期工程全自动化集装箱码头总体布置

洋山四期工程是一个拥有大规模深水岸线但陆域纵深狭窄的专业化集装箱港区,陆域纵深是制约港区综合通过能力的瓶颈。为了更有效地利用土地和深水岸线资源、实现资源利用的最大化,在深入分析工程建设条件及建设目标的基础上,通过合理确定装卸工艺系统,因地制宜地布置堆场、道路和辅助设施,优化交通组织等组合措施,总体上达到了功能布局合理、土地利用率高、综合能力大的既定目标。     

Empirical studies on yard operations Part 2: Quantifying unproductive moves undertaken in quay transfer operations

The impact of higher container stacking on yard operations has been treated as one of the major factors influencing the efficiency of terminal operations. For terminal operators who have to increase their storage capacity by way of higher container stacking, the consequences must be carefully measured. This paper examines the unproductive container movements undertaken in one high throughput terminal with high land productivity, and provides an example of how terminal operator handles the yard operations and the possible impact on areas of operation.     

Empirical studies on yard operations Part 2: Quantifying unproductive moves undertaken in quay transfer operations

The impact of higher container stacking on yard operations has been treated as one of the major factors influencing the efficiency of terminal operations. For terminal operators who have to increase their storage capacity by way of higher container stacking, the consequences must be carefully measured. This paper examines the unproductive container movements undertaken in one high throughput terminal with high land productivity, and provides an example of how terminal operator handles the yard operations and the possible impact on areas of operation.     

自动化集装箱码头堆场调度规则研究与优化

堆场作业效率是体现自动化集装箱码头海侧装卸船能力、陆侧收发箱水平的重要指标。针对自动化集装箱码头堆场作业过程中出现的堆场调度工况不合理、效率较低的问题,进行堆场调度规则研究。通过对堆场各工况实际作业需求进行分析,确立堆场海侧、陆侧作业调度原则,优化不同工况调度顺序,增加自动化堆场作业重进重出比例,改善自动化码头堆场调度逻辑,并对比调度规则优化前后的堆场作业效率。结果表明,优化后的堆场调度规则可以显著提升自动化码头堆场作业效率和对外服务水平,提高自动化码头核心竞争力。     

An energy-cost approach for evaluation of operating systems in container terminals

The planning, design and development of a container terminal with optimum size and capacity and with a minimum capital cost is fundamentally dependent upon the loading and discharging operations at the quayside. Achieving this purpose, terminal operators have to choose the best operating system in the container yard. The decision on which equipment is used at container terminals depends on several factors. The purpose of this study is to provide a new decision making tool using the first law of thermodynamics. It considers a port as a control volume of a fluid system and models the port and its traffic on it. The results of this study evaluate container yard operating systems and set up a basis for decision making to select the best alternatives.     

长江上游集装箱码头陆域堆场平面布置及港内道路纵坡研究

以长江上游重庆寸滩集装箱码头工程的建设条件为基础，提出了代表性的3种集装箱堆场陆域平面布置方案，结合集卡上坡行驶油耗实测试验，分析了港口道路坡度对集卡燃油经济性的影响，对指导长江上游集装箱码头陆域堆场平面布置设计具有一定的参考价值.     

大型集装箱码头陆域布局优化

为解决宁波大榭招商国际集装箱码头现有陆域布局散乱、土地利用不充分、堆场容量不足的问题,对码头陆域布局进行优化研究,以期集约化利用土地,增强码头的竞争力和发展潜力。基于调研和分析,梳理当前陆域布局中存在的主要问题;对泊位通过能力和堆场容量的计算分析,合理确定码头总体的运量规模,并以此指导陆域布局调整和优化工作。从土地利用和堆场容量两个方面进行评价,优化工作取得良好的效果。研究提出一种大型集装箱码头陆域布局优化的可行思路,可为类似项目研究提供借鉴。     

Modeling yard crane operators as reinforcement learning agents

Due to the importance of drayage operations, operators at marine container terminals are increasingly looking to reduce the time a truck spends at the terminal to complete a transaction. This study introduces an agent-based approach to model yard cranes for the analysis of truck turn time. The objective of the model is to solve the yard crane scheduling problem (i.e. determining the sequence of drayage trucks to serve to minimize their waiting time). It is accomplished by modeling the yard crane operators as agents that employ reinforcement learning; specifically, q-learning. The proposed agent-based, q-learning model is developed using Netlogo. Experimental results show that the q-learning model is very effective in assisting the yard crane operator to select the next best move. Thus, the proposed q-learning model could potentially be integrated into existing yard management systems to automate the truck selection process and thereby improve yard operations.     

Modelling and optimisation of online container stacking with operational constraints

Container transportation plays a critical role in the global shipping network and container terminals need to improve their operations to increase efficiency. Storage yard of a container terminal is a temporary area where the containers stay until they are shipped to their next destination. We concentrate on increasing the efficiency of the storage yard by developing online stacking policies for each incoming container. An unproductive move of a container, performed to reach another container stored underneath, is called reshuffling. The objective in container stacking problem is to minimise the number of reshuffles, thereby increasing the efficiency of terminal operations. Additional weight-related operational constraints bring additional complexity to the online stacking decisions. We propose a mathematical model for the optimal online assignment of an incoming export, transit, import or empty container. We also propose an optimal online stacking policy and compare it with a random policy through simulation. Additionally, lower bounds for the performance measures are obtained through simulation by relaxing the operational constraints of the problem in a third stacking policy. We present and discuss the computational results in terms of four main performance measures.     

单箱轨距起重机自动化码头装卸工艺可行性分析

针对自动化集装箱码头堆场起重机大车作为主要工作机构导致能耗增加、效率降低等问题,研究了一种新型单箱轨距集装箱堆场起重机装卸工艺。基于Witness平台,分别建立了新工艺与经典工艺的集装箱码头仿真模型,通过计算和仿真试验对比分析了设备投资、能耗、年通过能力等技术指标。结果表明新工艺具有设备投资低、能耗低、装卸效率高等优势,对箱区间存在的作业干扰问题提出了相应的建议,为自动化集装箱码头的创新发展提供了新方向。     

自动化集装箱码头堆场策略

研究自动化集装箱码头中堆场管理策略的制定、应用和效果评估。自动化码头新的垂直堆场结构带来堆场使用方式、机械作业模式、交互方式、堆码方式、操作习惯及思维方式的变化,因此新的堆场管理方式及堆码策略随之孕育而生。通过对作业进行分类,结合码头内外部情况制定自动化码头堆场策略,提高堆场空间利用率及作业效率,降低作业成本,提升堆场综合能力。     

集装箱堆场自动化管理研究

介绍上海外高桥二期码头建造的世界一流的全自动、无人化集装箱空箱堆场.该堆场采用具有自主知识产权的高低架RMG与中转平台相结合的接力式集装箱堆场装卸新工艺,结合数字通讯、自动控制技术、三维堆场管理与规划技术,实现对集装箱的高效自动装卸.     

洋山四期自动化集装箱码头装卸工艺设计

针对洋山四期工程的特点,选择自动化装卸工艺系统,并通过对工艺系统设备选型和平面布置的细化和优化,较好地解决了码头装卸与水平运输环节的衔接、陆域狭小对大型深水泊位能力的制约、堆场海陆侧轨道吊作业量不均衡、互拖及运距长等主要问题,为发挥集装箱码头自动化的优势奠定基础。     

集装箱堆场消防参数及消防方式的探讨

通过对集装箱堆场消防系统设计参数的分析论证，提出集装箱堆场的消防设计参数为：消防用水量采用30L/s，火灾延续时间采用4h。根据港区陆域的特殊性，大面积集装箱堆场宜采用移动式消防方式。同时，对集装箱堆场的消防设计提出了相关的优化建议。     

Optimization of integrated scheduling of handling and storage operations at automated container terminals

Increasing demand for containerization compels container terminals to improve their performance. Uncoordinated scheduling of operations is one of the main factors accounting for poor performance at automated container terminals (ACTs). To increase land utilization efficiency and lower operational times, a new storage system called the split-platform automated storage/retrieval system (SP-AS/RS) has been introduced for temporary storage of containers. This paper describes a multi-objective mixed-integer programming (MIP) model that is based on a combination of multiple interacting sub-tasks. It is aimed at optimizing the integrated scheduling of handling and storage operations in ACTs. The MIP model objective function is to minimize delays in the loading/unloading tasks of the cranes and the travel time of vehicles and platforms in the SP-AS/RS. At the same time, a simulated annealing algorithm (SAA) that provides near-optimal solutions for the problem in a reasonable computation time is appraised. The results of this study show that the objective function of the MIP model is, on average, 58 % lower than that of the non-integrated scheduling method. On the other hand, the best objective function values obtained by the SAA indicate only a 3.7 % disadvantage in comparison with optimal values determined by the MIP model, demonstrating that the SAA is able to provide near-optimal solutions for the integrated scheduling of handling and storage operations.     

大型集装箱码头堆场装卸工艺研究

轮胎式场桥与轨道式场桥是当今大型集装箱码头堆场上采用的两种主要机型。结合具体工程从这两种设备本身以及相关的供电、土建基础设施等方面对这两种典型装卸工艺方案进行比较,以全系统的综合技术经济指标进行了方案比选。     

传统集装箱港区堆场自动化改造模式研究

自动化轨道吊(ARMG)及自动化轮胎吊(ARTG)是自动化港区堆场设备的2个主要发展方向。为系统梳理传统港区改造为自动化港区所面临的技术难题,准确把握未来自动化港区发展方向,上海港在2个传统堆场利用局部箱区试验性地实施ARMG和ARTG改造项目。基于该项目实际运营数据,对ARMG及ARTG模式技术现状、发展趋势进行系统的梳理及研判,分析其与港区环境的互适条件,为传统集装箱港区改造为自动化集装箱港区提供理论参考。     

A simulation model for gate operations in multi-purpose cargo terminals

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose cargo terminal in a seaport contains necessary infrastructure to handle different types of cargo, such as container, dry bulk, general bulk, and Ro-Ro. Since such terminals generally have dedicated areas and equipment for different types of cargo, berth, and yard operations for each type of cargo can be considered separate. On the other hand, trucks that carry all types of cargo use the same gate structure to enter and leave the terminal. Therefore, a method to superimpose the traffic that is caused by different types of cargo is needed for the planning of gate investments and operations. Consequently, this paper has developed a simulation model for a multi-purpose terminal to estimate the gate traffic and determine the necessary gate infrastructure, so that it can be used as a decision support tool for terminal planners and operational managers.     

自动化集装箱码头供配电方案

针对目前自动化集装箱码头供电模式经济性、效率及安全性难以兼顾的问题,探讨解决方案。通过研究目前国内外自动化集装箱码头装卸工艺的特点,对比传统码头供配电的模式,提出供配电的多种模式和方案,并进行运行效率和可行性的定性分析及定量计算。最终选择采用后方辅建区新建无人值守变电所,一座变电所对一个泊位独立供电;冷藏箱、AGV充电站环网式箱变就近供电的综合供配电的方案模式,达到供电效率与安全兼顾的目的。该方案成功运用于青岛港自动化码头工程中,可为未来新建自动化码头提供参考。