A Tabu search technique applied to scheduling container transfers

<title/> A scheduling model is designed and applied to seaport container terminals taking into account factors such as container handling equipment, labour resources, storage capacities and terminal layout. Major factors influencing container transfer efficiency are analysed to optimise resource usage resulting in lower operating costs while achieving a desired level of customer service. A Tabu Search (TS) heuristic is used to compare the benchmark of the Port of Brisbane with a Genetic Algorithm (GA) heuristic solution.