Optimal Berth and Crane Combinations in Containerports

A model developed to optimize the design and operation of containerports is described and demonstrated. The model minimizes total port costs, including the costs of dock labor, facilities and equipment, ships, containers, and cargo. It accounts for queueing delays to ships, mutual interference among cranes, minimum work shifts, and storage yard requirements. Model results are mainly used to determine the optimal combination of berths and cranes under various circumstances and to show that total costs per ship or unit of cargo served can be reduced by increasing the number of cranes per berth and berth utilization above present levels.