Stratos Papadimitriou

Berth Allocation Planning in the Public Berth System by Genetic Algorithms

Abstract This paper addresses the problem of determining a dynamic berth assignment to ships in the public berth system. While the public berth system may not be suitable for most container ports in major countries, it is desired for higher cost-effectiveness in Japan’s ports. The berth allocation to calling ships is a key factor for efficient public berthing. However, it is not calculated in polynomially-bounded time. To obtain a good solution with considerably small computational effort, we developed a heuristic procedure based on the genetic algorithm. We conducted a large amount of computational experiments which showed that the proposed algorithm is adaptable to real world applications.

The dynamic berth allocation problem for a container port

This paper addresses the problem of determining a dynamic berth assignment to ships in the public berth system. While the public berth system may not be suitable for most container ports in major countries, it is desired for higher cost-effectiveness in Japans ports. The berth allocation to calling ships is a key factor for efficient public berthing. However, it is not calculated in polynomially-bounded time. To obtain a good solution with considerably small computational effort, we developed a heuristic procedure based on the Lagrangian relaxation of the original problem. We conducted a large amount of computational experiments which showed that the proposed algorithm is adaptable to real world applications.

BERTH ALLOCATION WITH SERVICE PRIORITY

Over the past several years, port related charges in Japanese ports have been substantially higher than those charged in other major international hub ports. All major container ports in Japan feature so-called Dedicated Terminals in which cost-effectiveness is justified by huge container volume to be handled. One of the reasons cited for high port charges is a relative decrease in handling volume compared to the terminal capacity, resulting in inefficient use of the existing capacity. The use of the Multi-User Container Terminal (MUT) concept employed in some of the major container hub ports such as Hong Kong, Pusan, Hamburg and Rotterdam reduces redundant terminal space and results in substantial cost savings in cargo handling costs and therefore is desired for ports in Japan as well. One of the key issues in the MUT operation is the berth allocation to calling vessels. In a recent study, an allocation problem for the MUT was examined, in which each vessel was treated equally. However, as some vessel operators desire high priority services, the goal of this paper is to modify the existing formulation of the berth allocation problem in order to treat calling vessels at various service priorities by developing a genetic algorithm based heuristic for the resulting non-linear problem.

Berth allocation at indented berths for mega-containerships

This paper addresses the berth allocation problem at a multi-user container terminal with indented berths for fast handling of mega-containerships. In a previous research conducted by the authors, the berth allocation problem at a conventional form of the multi-user terminal was formulated as a nonlinear mathematical programming, where more than one ship are allowed to be moored at a specific berth if the berth and ship lengths restriction is satisfied. In this paper, we first construct a new integer linear programming formulation for easier calculation and then the formulation is extended to model the berth allocation problem at a terminal with indented berths, where both mega-containerships and feeder ships are to be served for higher berth productivity. The berth allocation problem at the indented berths is solved by genetic algorithms. A wide variety of numerical experiments were conducted and interesting findings were explored.

Multi-objective simultaneous stowage and load planning for a container ship with container rehandle in yard stacks

The efficiency of a maritime container terminal primarily depends on the smooth and orderly process of handling containers, especially during the ships loading process. The stowage and associated loading plans are mainly deter- mined by two criteria: ship stability and the minimum number of container rehandles required. The latter is based on the fact that most container ships have a cellular structure and that export containers are piled up in a yard. These two basic criteria are often in conflict. This paper is concerned with the ships container stowage and loading plans that satisfy these two criteria. The GM, list and trim are taken into account for the stability measurements. The problem is formulated as a multi-objective integer programming. In order to obtain a set of noninferior solutions of the problem, the weighting method is employed. A wide variety of numerical experiments demonstrated that solutions by this for- mulation are useful and applicable in practice. 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quality Management in Mobility Management: A Scheme for Supporting Sustainable Transportation in Cities

ABSTRACT Mobility management (MM) has been among Europes prevailing approaches for promoting and achieving sustainable transportation in urban areas, with considerable work undertaken by researchers and practitioners in this area during the past two decades. However, development of MM policies and measures in European cities does not follow an organized and consistent approach for planning, designing, applying, and evaluating a comprehensive MM-system. In that context, the objective of this article is to propose a scheme, based on quality management (QM) principles, that would aid cities in systematically developing and deploying MM-plans and MM–measures and therefore in successfully supporting sustainability in their transportation system. The developed Quality Management Scheme for Mobility Management (QMSMM) is an integrated process of four major components, encompassing policy setting, planning, implementing, and monitoring and evaluating; these components are structured in a feedback loop and supported by a set of quality criteria per component. The structure, components, and elements of the QMSMM are presented in detail, along with supporting procedures for assessing a citys adaptation and compatibility with the scheme. Also, insights on a QMSMM demonstration to the MM-program of the city of Kortrijk, Belgium, are offered.

Situation analysis forecasting: the case of European maritime clusters

ABSTRACT Within the literature concerned with aspects of competitiveness, innovation and strategic management of industrial clusters, the body regarding forecasting of strategic management is still nascent. This work aspires to render a contribution within the domain of strategic management forecasting, through the indicative case of European maritime clusters. For this end, a two-tier model is formulated. A quantitative strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) methodology that derives from the fusion of a quondam situation analysis and crosstabs’ theory is generated. This leads to the utilization of the crosstab’s conditional probabilities as transition probabilities; the latter are called to compile the transition matrix of a Markov chain. Through this methodology, and the successive Markov chain’s transition matrices, strategic forecasts are extracted for a devised European maritime cluster case. This work relinquishes a novel application with respect to strategic management forecasting, that provides a dichotomy of practical interpretations and scenarios for quantitative situation analysis. Thus, it may enable effective real-time decision-making for strategic management and/or policy drafting. The situation analysis forecasting model may find applicability in a plethora of practical and theoretical cases, wherein forecasting may be desirable. It may as well pertain to an intrinsic methodology for situation analysis forecasting of maritime clusters.

Estimating the impact of road transport deregulation in short sea shipping: experience from deregulation in the European Union

The European Union has strived for deregulation in the road transport sector on the grounds of improved quality and reduced freight rates on the services offered, protecting the public interest and improving transport services. Extensive research has investigated the impact of road transport sector deregulation on freight rates, security and environment among others. This paper adds to the literature by analysing the impact of the road transport deregulation on the short sea shipping sector. The findings have two important implications for the formation of transport policy: a) regulatory reforms and the provision of stimuli to road freight transport companies have negative effects on short sea shipping; b) environmental benefits can be gained if policies supporting short sea shipping are complemented by focusing on reducing road freight transport externalities, including reducing truck movements based on load factors/empty runs and decreasing the number of trucks.

A Techno-Economic Analysis of Oil vs. Natural Gas Operation for Greek Island Ferries

In the quest for sustainability of island regions, coastal shipping ought to be at the forefront because it provides essential and often sole lifeline services for the island inhabitants and visitors. Air pollution caused by the exhaust emissions of coastal ships has a detrimental environmental effect upon the coastal human population and the natural resources. The high coastal shipping activity within the Greek seas and the environmental vulnerability of the Greek coasts present a case that undoubtedly deserves particular attention. To this extent, the utilization of liquified natural gas (LNG) for powering island ferries constitutes a promising alternative to oil-fuel for achieving a sizable reduction of SOX, NOX, and particulate matter (PM) exhaust pollution. Furthermore, in their effort to improve the quality of the shipping services, island communities often appear to be constantly pushing for new vessels, and LNG engines constitute a suitable opportunity for fleet renewal through the introduction of “green” shipboard technology. In this paper, the connection of the Greek Dodecanese Islands and the main port of Piraeus with an oil- vs. LNG-fueled ferry line is analyzed. The results indicate that, compared to conventional oil-fuel, natural gas currently offers a favorable alternative in terms of private costs (technical and fuel costs), as well as in terms of the external (damage) costs due to ship exhaust pollution. It is also shown that the LNG shipboard technology has the prospect of extending its advantage with respect to private costs, due to the increasing pressure on oil-fuel–related environmental control and the expansion of the natural gas market. Finally, a justifiable argument is made regarding the improvement of the techno-economics of the LNG ferry through the utilization of the “land transport equivalent” principle, in conjunction with “green” technology funding under the European policy framework for transport, energy, and regional development.

The energy efficiency of domestic passenger shipping in Greece

By virtue of its coastal and insular character, Greece undoubtedly holds a leading position in Europe with regard to domestic passenger shipping. In the quest to improve economic competitiveness and curb carbon emissions in Greece, the energy efficiency and carbon footprint assessment of domestic passenger shipping has so far attracted little attention in comparison to other energy consumers, including other modes of transport. In the current work, energy and carbon efficiency of domestic passenger shipping in Greece during the decade 2001–10 is expressed and estimated through the associated intensity terms, i.e. the consumed energy and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of transport work performed. The energy and carbon efficiency assessment is facilitated through comparisons with relevant shipping operations in Europe and other regions of the world. Furthermore, the influence of the market’s seasonal and spatial characteristics is also examined. Finally, the analysis of energy efficiency provides the means for assessing the influence of fuel expenditure upon the overall cost of the supplied services.