A goal-programming based optimal port docking scheme under COVID-19

The Covid-19 epidemic, has caused a large-scale congestion in many ports around the world. This increases the cost of port docking, as well as delays the loading and unloading of goods, which affects the price and timely supply of many products. Although scholars have carried out in-depth discussion and analysis on the port congestion problem from different perspectives, there is still no appropriate model and algorithm for the large-scale comprehensive port docking problem. This paper presents a new mixed integer programming model for optimal docking of ships in ports that is comprehensive enough to include four essential objectives. It discusses the generalization and application of the model from the perspectives of the shortest overall waiting time of ships, the balance of tasks at each berth, completion of all docking tasks as soon as possible and meeting the expected berthing time of ships. We demonstrate the results of our models using relevant examples and show that our model can obtain the optimal docking scheme based on different perspectives and relevant objectives. We also show that the scale of the exact solution can reach tens of thousands of decision variables and more than a million constraints. This fully reflects the possibility that the model can be put into use in any real life scenario. This model can not only effectively improve the docking efficiency of the port, but is also suitable for the complex queuing problem of multi window and the same type of service.