Design and Operation of Automated Container Storage Systems

The storage yard is the operational and geographical centre of most seaport container terminals. Therefore, it is of particular importance for the whole terminal system and plays a major role fortrade and transport flows. One of the latest trends in container-storage operations is the automated Rail-Mounted-Gantry-Crane system, which offers dense stacking, andoffers low labour costs.This bookinvestigates whetherthe operational performance of container terminals is influenced by the design of these storage systems and to what extent the performance is affected by the terminal's framework conditions, and discusses the strategies applied for container stacking and crane scheduling.A detailed simulation model ispresentedto compare the performance effects of alternative storage designs, innovative planning strategies, and other influencing factors. Theresultshaveuseful implications future research, practical terminal planning and optimisation.