Paper topic

A GENETIC ALGORITHM TO SOLVE

THE STORAGE SPACE ALLOCATION PROBLEM
IN A CONTAINER TERMINAL
Mohammad Bazzazi, Nima Safaei, Nikbakhsh Javadian

Presented by Phan Thi Mai Ha

June 18th , 2011

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 1

 Content

1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Preliminary definitions and descriptions
4. Problem formulation
5. Computational results
6. Conclusion

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 2

 Introduction
• The storage space allocation problem (SSAP): the temporary storage
of the inbound and outbound containers
• Extended the SSAP from SSAP of Zhang et al (2003):
• Difference of containers: because of goods and items inside
→ Similar container must be allocated in the same block
→ Certain type of container must be allocate to a certain block
• Genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the extended SSAP: facilitate
and quick achieve to the feasible solutions

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 3

 Literature review
• SSAP: first formulated by Zhang et al (2003):
• Using a rolling – horizon approach (RHA)
• Each planning horizon – two mathematical program model
• Level 1: aim to minimize vessel berthing time by balancing
two types of workloads (RTGCs & QCs) → RTGCs in blocks
serve as parallel server
• Level 2: determines the number of containers associated with
each vessel that constitutes the total number of containers in
each block in each period → to minimize the total distance to
transport the containers

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 4

 Preliminary definations and descriptions
• Zhang et al (2003)
• Inbound (IB) container: is discharged from the vessel and transmitted to the
storage space waiting for picking up by customer
• Outbound (OB) container: bought by customer and transmitted to the storage
space waiting for picking up by vessel
• Quay Crane (QC): dischage and transit IBs and OBs
• Internal truck (IT): transport containers between QCs and the storage blocks.
• External truck (XT) transport containers between the storage blocks and
customers.
• Storage space crane (RTGC): used to handle the containers in storage blocks.
• Workload of vessel: the number of IB and OB containers must be loaded on
and unloaded from the vessel.

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 5

 Preliminary definations and descriptions

Designated
time and Sequences Four types
The vessel number of for of
arrival container discharging container
process discharged and loading allocated
or loaded in block
at terminal

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 6

 Preliminary definations and descriptions

Customer C1
C2 C4
C3

• 4 type of container to be allocated in blocks:

•Vessel discharge containers: IB in vessel (C1).
• Container yard pickup containers: IB in the storage space (C2)
•Container yard grounding containers: OB before brought (C3).
• Vessel loading containers: OB in the storage space (C4).
• C1 & C4 : depend on vessel schedules, C2 & C3 : free storage period

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 7

 Preliminary definations and descriptions
• In general, two main objectives of a classical SSAP are:
• to minimize the (average) vessel berthing time
• to maximize the (average) throughput of QCs
• About 85% workload related to C1& C2. OB (C3&C4) are allocated
to a single block close the berth location.

→This paper focus only C1 and C2, determine

• numbers of C1 and C2 of each vessel stored in each block
• workload requirement for each time period of storage space

→ Consider level 1 as Zhang et al (2003)

•
Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 8
 Preliminary definations and descriptions
• Zhang et al (2003): planning horizon: 4 days with 4-h periods
(trade-off between planning length and power of prediction)
• This paper: plan for 4 days with 4-h periods
• Day 1: excuted → formed storage space allocation plan for 24
periods base on lastest information. This goes on for every day

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 9

 Preliminary definations and descriptions
• Data should available:
• The time period in which the container must be discharged from
vessel and brought to the storage blocks.
• The time period in which the container must be removed from
space blocks and loaded on the vessel.
• The type of each container.
• The allowable blocks for each container type.

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 10

 Problem formulation
• Assumptions
• C1 & C2
• Enough resource
• Different types and sizes of containers

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 11

 Problem formulation
• Input parameters:
B the total number of blocks in the storage space
T the total number of planning periods in a planning horizon, T = 24
R the number of container types
Ci the storage capacity of block i,
the expected number of C1 container type r that are discharged from
vessels in period t and to be picked up by customers in period t + k,
,
the expected number of C1 container type r discharged from vessels in
period t, allocated to block i (determined by the proportional method), with
an unknown pickup time or a pickup time beyond the planning horizon,
,
the expected total number of initial C2 container type r that arrive at the
container terminal in period t and to be loaded onto the vessels in period
t + k, ,
Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 12
 Problem formulation
• Input parameters:
the initial inventory of container type r in block i, i.e., the number of
container type r in block i at the beginning of the planning horizon,

= 1 if container type r can be allocated to block i ; otherwise =0

allowable density for each block
an arbitrary positive big number

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 13

 Problem formulation
• Decision variables:
the number of C1 container type r with full information stored in block i
that are discharged from vessels in period t and to be picked up in period
t + k, ,
the total number of C1 container type r (with full or partial information)
stored in block i that are discharged from vessels during period t,
. ,
the total number of C2 container type r stored in block i that are picked up
by customers in period t, ,
the number of container type r (consists of C1 and C2 containers) within
block i at the end of period t, ,

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 14

 Problem formulation – Mathematical model
• Objective function:

(1)

Term ‘‘max(.) _ min(.)”: imbalance between workload allocated to blocks.

The first term: balancing container C1,
The second: balancing container C1 & C2
The importance of each term is determined by pre-determined weights w

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 15

 Problem formulation – Mathematical model
• Constraints:
(a) Container flow conservation constraints

r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; t = 1, 2 .. T (2)

r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; t = 1, 2 .. T (3)

(2): Ensure: number of C1 type r, Dtkr, is the sum of these containers assigned to all
the blocks.
(3): Ensures: number of C1 type r allocated to block i during period t, Ditr, is the
sum of the total number of C1 containers with full information, Ditkr, and of those
containers with unknown departure times at the planning horizon,

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 16

 Problem formulation – Mathematical model
• Constraints:
(b) Constraints on C2 container
r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; r = 1, 2 .. R (4)

(c) Block density constraints

r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; r = 1, 2 .. R (5)

r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; r = 1, 2 .. R (6)

(4) Indicates C2 containers type r handled in block i during period t, Pitr, involve
containers transferred in the planning horizon and containers initially stored in block
(5) Represents the updating of inventory, Vitr, from period to period.
(6) Ensure: inventory in block i in period t will not exceed the allowable block
density. The portion of the block’s space is used to transfer containers by RTGCs
Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 17
 Problem formulation – Mathematical model
• Constraints:
(d) Container type allocation constraint
r = 1, 2 .. R; i = 1, 2 .. B; r = 1, 2 .. R (7)

(e) Interger constraint

All decision variables take up non-negative integer values.

(7) ensures that each container type is allocated only to the allowable blocks

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 18

 Genetic Algorithm
• Genetic Algorithm:
• The exploration process - Crossover
• The exploitation process - Mutation.
• The tradeoff between these two processes is controlled by the
parent selection and offspring acceptance strategies.
• The initial and most important step of the GA implementation is
the solution representation or chromosome design.

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 19

 Genetic Algorithm
• Solution representation:
Ditkr : four-dimension structure
B = 2, T = K = 4, R = 2

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 20

 Genetic Algorithm
• Initial solution generation procedure:
For initial solution:
• Generate randomly Ditkr within interval
• Calculate Ditr by using constraint (3)
• Calculate Pitr by using constraint (4)
•Calculate Vitr by using constraint (5) and (6)
If constraint (6) is violated → add to objective
function as penalty term

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 21

 Genetic Algorithm
• Initial solution generation procedure:

• With B=4, T=K=4, R=1. Assume then we have:

• Thus,
•Assum w1=1 and w2=0 the objective function value is:

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 22

 Genetic Algorithm - Genetic operators design
• Arithmetic crossover (AC):
AC: to explore the solution space and maitaining the feasibility of
newly generates offspring simultaneously
Offspring ≡ λ x Parent1 + (1-λ) x Parent 2 with λ = 0 .. 1
Thus,
Ditkr (Offspring) ≡ λ x Ditkr (Parent1) + (1-λ) x Ditkr (Parent 2)
Ditkr: integer value → add ε value to Ditkr

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 23

 Genetic Algorithm - Genetic operators design
• Stepping stone mutation (SSM):
SSM: guarantees the generated offspring will remain feasible if its
parent is feasible
1) Select randomly a solution from current population
2) For each r, k, and t let

3) Change value
and

Example: Dp1 = 36, Dq1 = 34 → δ11 = 36-34 = 2

→ Dp1 = 35, Dq1 = 35

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 24

 Genetic Algorithm - Genetic operators design
• Parent selection strategy
The best solution in the current generation usually selected as parents
for creating offspring.
Method “roulette wheel”: each chromosome is assigned a slice of
wheel, wheel is spun Pop_size times, and on each spin the
chromosome is selected to be parents for the next generation

•Offspring acceptance strategy

Use semi-greedy strategy: accepted if an offspring’s fitness be less
than the average fitness of its parent(s)

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 25

 Genetic Algorithm - Genetic operators design
• Stoppage rules
1. maximum number of elapsed generation (Gmax)
2. the standard deviation of the fitness value of chromosomes in the
current generation (StdF_C_G)
StdF_C_G in generation g is:

where : the fitness of kth chromosomes in generation g

: the average fitness of all chromosomes in generation g and

If then the algorithm stopped

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 26
 Computational results
• 22 numerical example in the different size
• B&B method (Branch-and-bound) under LINGO 8.0 just can
solve small-size example
• Each example solve by GA 20 time
• Compared in terms
• Objective Function Value and
• CPU time

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 27

 Computational results
• A typical example in real environment
• Three vessel A, B and C with different discharge time
• Four blocks and three berthing locations
• Two kind of container
• The proportionally distribution between the allowable blocks (2,
3 and 4) of container 1 is 35, 30 and 35 respectively

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18 September 2002 28

 Computational results
•

100

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18

 Computational results
•

The corresponding Ojective Function Value = 0.7

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18

 Computational results
•

4.04

4.78
Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18
 Conclusion

• Proposed an efficient genetic algorithm (GA) to solve extended

SSAP specified – type of containers & allocation in storage blocks
• Solved by an efficient GA and BB for real-size instances
• The obtained results: relative gap 5% but GA more fast with
large-size example

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18

 Thanks for your attention!

Lab Seminar _ 11/06/18