Storage and stacking logistics problems in container terminals

In container terminal operations, the storage yard plays an important role for a terminal’s overall performance because it links the seaside and landside and serves as the buffer area for storing containers. Therefore, storage and stacking logistics has become a field that increasingly attracts attentions in both academic and practical research during the recent years. The purpose of this article is to review and classify the growing literature on storage and stacking logistics, and to identify the research areas that could be further investigated. The literature in this area mainly falls into three categories: storage space allocation problem, design of optimal yard layout and container stacking logistics. This article is among the first known to review the literature focus on this area, it thus provides a new perspective for both managers and researchers on the issue of yard operations management. OR Insight (2011) 24, 256–275. doi:10.1057/ori.2011.10; published online 13 July 2011