Integrated Dedicated Berth Allocation And Specialized Handling Equipment Assignment In Bulk Ports

The increasing trend in demand of bulk cargo urges ports to be more efficient.During July of 2015,there was an unprecedented record of oil volume shipments causing congestion within Singapore's oil terminals.Chinese and Australian ports are facing the exact same issue,attributable to the demand for high-grade coal imports.As such,there is currently a greater need for optimization models that can increase efficiency in ports operations.This thesis aims to increase the efficiency of bulk cargo terminal operations by employing an integrated allocation mathematical model.Apart from determining where to berth a bulk vessel,terminals must assign specialized handling equipment based on the type of cargo it carries.The proposed formulation considers a discrete berth layout and specific transfer rates of handling equipment such as conveyor,pipelines,grab cranes and cement facilities,with the objective of minimizing the overall port stay time.The developed optimization model was tested with real-world bulk ports data and it can be capably solved by the commercial solver CPLEX.Computational results based on case studies indicate that the model properly allocates dedicated berths,specialized handling equipment,reducing the turnaround time and congestion in bulk ports.This thesis additionally includes a systematic literature review on exiting research works concerning sustainability and resilience in maritime ports,offering recommendations on developing a sustainable and resilient port system.