Approximate dynamic programming for container stacking

René Boschma

doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2023.02.034

Approximate dynamic programming for container stacking

2023-10-01

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DOI：10.1016/j.ejor.2023.02.034

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At some point during transport, intermodal containers will be stored at a terminal, where they are typi-cally stacked on top of each other. Stacking yields a higher utilization of the area but may lead to unpro-ductive reshuffle moves when containers below another need to be retrieved. Preventing reshuffles has a financial benefit, as it not only avoids the costs of executing the reshuffle but also decreases the time needed to retrieve a container. Typically, researchers consider only the retrieval of containers and assume the retrieval order is fully known. In addition, existing studies do not consider the stacking restrictions imposed by a reach stacker, which is commonly used in smaller inland terminals. This research aims to design decision support for determining real-life applicable container stack allocations so that the ex-pected number of reshuffles is minimized. We propose a model that includes both arrivals and departures of containers as well as a certain level of uncertainty in the order thereof. The problem is modeled as a Markov Decision Process and solved using Approximate Dynamic Programming (ADP). Through numerical experiments on real-life problem instances, we conclude that the ADP approach drastically outperforms a benchmark heuristic from the literature. All data used as well as the source code has been made publicly available. (c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Keywords:

OR In maritime industry

Container stacking

Container relocation problem

Approximate dynamic programming

Intermodal transport

Approximate dynamic programming for container stacking

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