Skip to main content

Metaheuristics for the Two-Dimensional Container Pre-Marshalling Problem

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Learning and Intelligent Optimization (LION 2015)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 8994))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

We introduce a new problem arising in small and medium-sized container terminals: the Two-Dimensional Pre-Marshalling Problem (2D-PMP). It is an extension of the well-studied Pre-Marshalling Problem (PMP) that is crucial in container storage. The 2D-PMP is particularly challenging due to its complex side constraints that are challenging to express and difficult to consider with standard techniques for the PMP. We present three different heuristic approaches for the 2D-PMP. First, we adapt an existing construction heuristic that was designed for the classical PMP. We then apply this heuristic within two metaheuristics: a Pilot method and a Max-Min Ant System that incorporates a special pheromone model. In our empirical evaluation we observe that the Max-Min Ant System outperforms the other approaches by yielding better solutions in almost all cases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    http://www.ennshafen.at/en/container_terminal/technical_data.

  2. 2.

    http://www.ads.tuwien.ac.at/w/Research/Problem_Instances.

References

  1. Tus, A.: Heuristic solution approaches for the two dimensional pre-marshalling problem. Master’s thesis, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria (2014). https://www.ads.tuwien.ac.at/publications/bib/pdf/tus_14.pdf

  2. Caserta, M., Schwarze, S., Voß, S.: Container rehandling at maritime container terminals. In: Böse, J.W. (ed.) Handbook of Terminal Planning. Operations Research/Computer Science Interfaces Series, vol. 49, pp. 247–269. Springer, New York (2011)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  3. Carlo, H.J., Vis, I.F., Roodbergen, K.J.: Storage yard operations in container terminals: literature overview, trends, and research directions. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 235(2), 412–430 (2014). Maritime Logistics

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. Lee, Y., Hsu, N.Y.: An optimization model for the container pre-marshalling problem. Compu. Oper. Res. 34(11), 3295–3313 (2007)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  5. Caserta, M., Voß, S.: A corridor method-based algorithm for the pre-marshalling problem. In: Giacobini, M., Brabazon, A., Cagnoni, S., Di Caro, G.A., Ekárt, A., Esparcia-Alcázar, A.I., Farooq, M., Fink, A., Machado, P. (eds.) EvoWorkshops 2009. LNCS, vol. 5484, pp. 788–797. Springer, Heidelberg (2009)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  6. Lee, Y., Chao, S.L.: A neighborhood search heuristic for pre-marshalling export containers. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 196(2), 468–475 (2009)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  7. Expósito-Izquierdo, C., Melián-Batista, B., Moreno-Vega, M.: Pre-marshalling problem: heuristic solution method and instances generator. Expert Syst. Appl. 39(9), 8337–8349 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Bortfeldt, A., Forster, F.: A tree search procedure for the container pre-marshalling problem. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 217(3), 531–540 (2012)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  9. Prandtstetter, M.: A dynamic programming based branch-and-bound algorithm for the container pre-marshalling problem. Technical report, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology (2013) submitted to European Journal of Operational Research. http://matthias.prandtstetter.at/papers/pre2013.pdf

  10. Rendl, A., Prandtstetter, M.: Constraint models for the container pre-marshalling problem. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth International Workshop on Constraint Modelling and Reformulation. ModRef 2013, PP. 44–56 (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Tierney, K., Pacino, D., Voß, S.: Solving the pre-marshalling problem to optimality with a* and ida*. In: Conference of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Duin, C., Voß, S.: The pilot method: a strategy for heuristic repetition with application to the steiner problem in graphs. Networks 34(3), 181–191 (1999)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  13. Stützle, T., Hoos, H.H.: Max-min ant system. Future Gener. Comput. Syst. 16(9), 889–914 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Dorigo, M., Stützle, T.: Ant Colony Optimization. Bradford Company, Scituate (2004)

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work is part of the project TRIUMPH, partially funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) within the strategic programme I2VSplus under grant 831736. The authors thankfully acknowledge the TRIUMPH project partners Logistikum Steyr (FH OÖ Forschungs&Entwicklungs GmbH), Ennshafen OÖ GmbH, and via donau – Österreichische Wasserstrassen-GmbH. NICTA is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Communications and the Australian Research Council through the ICT Centre of Excellence Program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan Tus .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Tus, A., Rendl, A., Raidl, G.R. (2015). Metaheuristics for the Two-Dimensional Container Pre-Marshalling Problem. In: Dhaenens, C., Jourdan, L., Marmion, ME. (eds) Learning and Intelligent Optimization. LION 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 8994. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19084-6_17

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19084-6_17

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-19083-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-19084-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics