A Comprehensive Modeling of the Discrete and Dynamic Problem of Berth Allocation in Maritime Terminals

In this study, the discrete and dynamic problem of berth allocation in maritime terminals, is investigated. The suggested resolution method relies on a paradigm of optimization with two techniques: heuristic and multi-agent. Indeed, a set of techniques such as the protocol of negotiation named contract net, the multi-agent interactions, and Worst-Fit arrangement technique, are involved. The main objective of the study is to propose a solution for attributing m parallel machines to a set of activities. The contribution of the study is to provide a detailed modeling of the discrete and dynamic berth allocation problem by establishing the corresponding models using a multi-agent methodology. A set of numerical experiments are detailed to prove the performance of the introduced multi-agent strategy compared with genetic algorithm and tabu search.