A modeling and simulation platform for evaluating optimization methods in container terminals

摘要

Container terminals are expanding and increasing by the year, due to the enormous demand on world trade and cargo exchange in the last couple of decades. Port authorities are seeking different methods to assess and analyze these expansions, without putting themselves at risk; correspondingly they resort to simulation and optimization methods to evaluate and consider future expansions and developments. In this research, a discrete-event simulation model for a modern container terminal will be developed; then the developed simulation model will be utilized to study and analyze critical optimization issues that are usually encountered in container terminals.