The efficiency of a global supply chain network is predicated on the availability of an efficient, reli-able global transportation system. No supply chain can operate efficiently if the assets used in theconversion of raw materials, manufacturing and distribution of the product are not being managedeffectively. Decreasing costs, lower rates of transport, rising customer demand, and globalizationof trade have caused a steady increase in the use of containers for sea borne cargo. Consequently,container terminals have become an important component of global logistic networks. The reper-cussions of poor container terminal management and bad planning can prove costly - cargo delayedat port must be accounted for; ships often have to be diverted to other harbors to offload, resultingin added pressure on other ports and additional costs at sea, and delayed delivery.A shipping container is a box designed to enable goods to be delivered from door to door withoutthe contents being physically handled. The most common sizes are the 20 footers (6.1m long, 2.4mwide and 2.6m tall), and the 40 footers (12.2m long, with the same width and height as the 20footers). Since its inception, container shipping has become a popular mode to convey productsof all types, especially the high-value cargoes. To satisfy customer demand, it is paramount thatcontainers on the ships are unloaded/loaded promptly at the port. According to industry estimates(cf. Chan and Huat [6]), the typical operating cost for, say a Post Panamax vessel per day caneasily come to US$ 30,000 (cf. Table 1). Given the high operating cost, it is imperative that vesseloperators maximize the yields from the different voyages made by each vessel.
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