Comparative analys of operations research model for the storage and retrieval of containers in terminal
In the daily operations of container terminals, operators must decide where the containers from arriving from various origins (ships arrivals or inland sources) will wait until they can continue their journey. Operators must also decide the sequence of crane operations that will be required to put containers in their selected location. Similarly, complex sequences of crane and other vehicle operations are needed when containers leave the terminal. While planning such operations would be rather straightforward if one dealt with a single container, the problem of properly sequencing operations when hundreds or thousands of containers is extremely complex. Moreover, improper planning in this area can have costly consequences due to delays or unnecessarily complicated maneuvers. Problems related to the operations inside container terminals have been studied using operations research methods for some time now. The objective of this project is to survey the relevant scientific literature in this area, proposing some classification scheme for models and methods that have been proposed. If time allows, it would also be interesting to try to highlight the strong and weak points of these approaches, possibly on the basis of a number of typical situations to which they could be applied.