A Genetic algorithm to solve the container storage space allocation problem

This paper presented a genetic algorithm (GA) to solve the container storage problem in the port. This problem is studied with different container types such as regular, open side, open top, tank, empty and refrigerated containers. The objective of this problem is to determine an optimal containers arrangement, which respects customers’ delivery deadlines, reduces the re-handle operations of containers and minimizes the stop time of the container ship. In this paper, an adaptation of the genetic algorithm to the container storage problem is detailed and some experimental results are presented and discussed. The proposed approach was compared to a Last In First Out (LIFO) algorithm applied to the same problem and has recorded good results. Index Terms Genetic algorithm, transport scheduling, metaheuristic, optimization, container storage.