Survey of approaches for integrated control of intermodal container terminals

The volume of containers being transported all over the world is expected to increase, while requirements on quality of service are tightening, and transport infrastructure is reaching its capacity limits. This poses significant challenges for operational control, in particular as disturbances (e.g., due to bad weather conditions, congestion, breakdown of equipment) will have a larger impact. In order to still meet the service demands, transport has to be considered from a more integrated perspective, in which transport over different modalities (such as vessel, truck, and train) is considered simultaneously, as taking place in a large-scale intermodal transport network. This paper provides an overview of recent literature on integrated control of maritime container terminals, one of the key components of such intermodal transport networks. Time scales addressed, system components and control goals considered, and approaches taken are summarized, and based on this directions for future research are outlined.