Optimal Method of Intelligent Vessel Schedule Based on Multiple Population Genetic Algorithm

Abstract

Port plays an important role in water transport, since its operation efficiency is associated directly with local economy. Berth allocation is the key for port productivity, which can be improved by a proper vessel schedule. This paper addresses the problem of vessel schedule in discrete port. An optimal method based on Multiple Population Genetic Algorithm (MPGA) is proposed to minimize the total stay time of vessels. In order to improve the operability of optimal method, we develop a kind of mixed-integer chromosome representation for MPGA. Computational experiments were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the optimal method. The result shows that, compared with Simple Genetic Algorithm (SGA) and First Come First Served (FCFS), the MPGA method can obtain a better solution in different schedule conditions.