The vessel schedule optimization based on particle swarm optimization algorithm

Abstract

Marine transportation quality is largely affected by the port service level; however, the contextual inquiry shows that the vessel schedule is now a stage of manual schedule. The situation when the vessels gather inbound or outbound may cause port congestion, especially in some adverse weather. Based on the analysis of vessel schedule in the port, this paper proposes a mathematic model for vessel schedule in one-way fairway. In order to calculate the model, we design a code based on the particle position and use discrete particle swarm optimization (DPSO) algorithm to get the schedule order. The simulated test verifies that the algorithm is completely convergent in 150 generation and the maximum waiting time is 117 minutes. The result demonstrates that it can reduce the waiting time when compared with the "First-Come, First-Served" rules.