A SYSTEM FOR ARRANGING A PLAN FOR USING LANDING STAGES Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages in order to determine a berthing order of cargo vessels in a landing stage for unloading/loading purposes.

Background Art

Since sea transport is cheaper than the road and air transport, it is preferred especially in long distance transportation. Therefore, landing stages situated at the ports are widely used where loading/unloading operations of the vessels are performed. Particularly, when the landing stages are crowded, it is very important in terms of efficiency to determine which one of the vessels approaching the port will use which one of the landing stages and for which time interval. In conventional applications, landing stage use plans are performed such that the first vessel is directed to the first available landing stage. However, in these applications, a match of a vessel and a landing stage may not be performed efficiently. For example, if not planned properly, one of the landing stages at the port may be used intensively whereas another one may stay unoccupied for a long period of time. This results in a prolongation of loading/unloading periods of the vessels, a long holding period of the vessels and accordingly, an increase in the cost.

In the state-of-art document KR101055227B1 , it is disclosed a method and system for determining the entry time of vessels at the port, the departure time and emergency conditions. In this application, transreceiver chips are placed on the vessels and ports and these chips are matched with each other, by means of which the vessels are monitored. However, in the said application, arrangement of a use plan for the landing stages for loading/unloading operations of the vessels is not disclosed. Brief Description of the Invention

With the present invention, there is provided a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages in order to determine a berthing order of at least two vessels in at least two landing stages for unloading/loading purposes. The said system comprises at least one estimated occupation time computing module that computes the estimated occupation time for each vessel that will berth in the port; at least one resolving unit which arranges the vessels according to their arrival time at the port, determines, for each vessel, the landing stages that may be used, selects a pivot vessel and selects a pivot landing stage from the landing stages in which the selected pivot vessel may berth and makes an initial plan, calculates a cost plan for the created initial plan using the said estimated occupation time, makes an optimum plan using the calculated cost plan, selects the first match in the optimum plan created as the pivot matching and lists all possible line use combinations for all vessel-landing stage matches in the pivot matching, selects the first combination in the list as the pivot combination, determines whether the lines in the vessel-landing stage matches in the selected pivot combination are suitable for use, makes a new optimum plan if the lines in the said pivot combination are not suitable for use, and determines whether the lines in the vessel-landing stage matches in the new optimum plan are suitable for use, and determines the respective optimum plan as the final plan if the lines in the pivot combination are suitable for use; and at least one output unit supplying the said final plan to the user.

In the system for arranging a plan according to the present invention, since at first an optimum plan is made and then it is checked whether the lines are suitable, the lowest cost plan is provided as the final plan. In other words, with the system for arranging a plan according to the present invention, a plan wherein the landing stages are used most efficiently may be used as the final plan. In this way, landing stages are used efficiently in order to prevent any downtime in the landing stages. Object of the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages in order to determine a berthing order of vessels to a landing stage for unloading/loading purposes. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages, which system enables that the landing stages are used in an efficient way. Another object of the present invention is to provide system for arranging a plan for using landing stages, which reduces holding time of the vessels.

Description of the Invention Due to its low transportation cost, sea transportation is often preferred in long distance transportation operations. Therefore, due to density, extreme busyness or holding is experienced at the landing stages where unloading/loading is performed at the ports. Said busyness and holding is mainly resulted from inefficient use of the landing stages. Therefore, with the present invention, there is provided a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages in order to determine a berthing order of vessels to a landing stage for unloading/loading purposes, in order to use the landing stages efficiently.

With the present invention, there is also provided a system for arranging a plan for using landing stages in order to determine the berthing order of vessels in a landing stage for unloading/loading purposes, in order to use the landing stages efficiently. The said system comprises at least one estimated occupation time computing module that computes the estimated occupation time for each vessel that will berth in the port; at least one resolving unit which arranges the vessels according to their arrival time at the port, determines, for each vessel, the landing stages that may be used, selects a pivot vessel and selects a pivot landing stage from the landing stages that the selected pivot vessel may berth and makes an initial plan, calculates a cost plan for the created initial plan using the said estimated occupation time, makes an optimum plan using the calculated cost plan, selects the first match in the optimum plan created as the pivot matching and lists all possible line use combinations for all vessel-landing stage matches in the pivot matching, selects the first combination in the list as the pivot combination, determines whether the lines in the vessel-landing stage matches in the selected pivot combination are suitable for use, makes a new optimum plan if the lines in the said pivot combination are not suitable for use and determines whether the lines in the vessel-landing stage matches in the new optimum plan are suitable for use, and determines the respective optimum plan as the final plan if the lines in the pivot combination are suitable for use; and at least one output unit supplying the said final plan to the user. In an illustrative embodiment, said data processing unit may be a computer and said output unit may be a screen or a printer. Thus, the formed final plan is automatically provided to the users,

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said resolving unit has a form such that after having made a cost plan, it checks whether the created cost plan is lower than a predetermined optimum planned cost, it changes the pivot landing stage if the created cost plan is higher than the said optimum planned cost, it selects the next vessel in the list as the pivot vessel and repeats the steps of making a pivot landing selection, making an initial plan, making a cost plan for the initial plan and comparing created cost plan with the optimum planned cost for the new vessel if the created cost plan is lower than or equal to the said optimum planned cost, and after a repetition step is completed for all the vessels in the list, it creates an optimum plan with all matches obtained. Here, said resolving unit preferably has a form such that after having selected the first combination in the list as the pivot combination, it checks whether the lines in the pivot combination are available at the desired time, it selects the planning as the final planning and finalizes the operation if the lines are available, and it cancels the planning if the lines are not available and selects the next vessel, during the determination of the landing stage use, as the pivot vessel in order to make another planning.

In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, said resolving unit has a form such that after having made an initial plan, it checks whether the pivot landing stage is available to use for a matching time, it determines the nearest availability time of the landing stage if it is not suitable for use, it checks whether the planning is a rejected planning if the landing stage is available to use at the said matching time or the nearest availability time of the landing stage is determined, it makes a cost calculation for the initial plan if the plan is not a rejected one, it checks whether a further landing stage exists in the list, following the pivot landing stage, in which the pivot vessel may berth if the plan is a rejected plan, it selects the next landing stage as the pivot landing stage and checks whether the pivot landing stage is available to use for a matching time if the list includes another landing stage, it checks whether another pivot vessel exists that may berth in the pivot landing stage before the pivot vessel if no other landing stage exists in the landing stage list, it makes a plan if a preceding vessel that may berth in the pivot landing stage does not exist, it selects the vessel preceding the pivot vessel as the pivot vessel if a preceding vessel exists that may berth in the pivot landing stage, and checks whether the pivot landing stage is available to use for a matching time. Here, the resolving unit preferably has a form such that it checks whether the pivot vessel is the last one in the vessel list if the created cost plan is lower than or equal to said optimum planned cost, it selects the next vessel as the pivot vessel if the pivot vessel is not the last vessel in the list, it records the initial planning as the optimum planning if the pivot vessel is the last one in the list, and it checks, after the recording process, whether a further landing stage exists in the landing stage list, following the pivot landing stage, in which the pivot vessel may berth.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, said resolving unit has a form such that it checks whether a combination following the pivot combination exists among the combinations in the pivot match if the lines in the pivot combination are not available, it selects the first combination as the pivot combination if a combination following the pivot combination exists in the pivot match, and checks whether the lines in the pivot combination are available at the desired time, it checks whether another matching list exists in the plan if a combination following the pivot combination does not exist the pivot match, it cancels the planning if no other matching list exists in the plan and makes another planning, it selects the matching list as the new pivot match if a matching list exists in the plan and checks whether another combination following the pivot combination exists among the combinations in the pivot match.

A method for arranging a plan for using landing stages implementing the system for arranging a plan for using landing stages according to the present invention comprises a step of determining landing stage use wherein the estimated occupation time is determined for each vessel that will berth in the port, the vessels are arranged according to their arrival time at the port, the landing stages that may be used are determined for each vessel, a pivot vessel is selected and a pivot landing stage is selected from the landing stages in which the selected pivot vessel may berth and an initial plan is made, a cost plan is calculated for the created initial plan using the said estimated occupation time, an optimum plan is made using the calculated cost plan, and a step of verifying line use wherein the first match in the created plan is selected as the pivot match and all passible line use combinations for all vessel-landing stage matches in the pivot match are listed, the first combination in the list is selected as the pivot combination and it is determined whether the lines in the vessel-landing stage matches in the selected pivot combination are suitable for use. Lines are used in the landing stages for loading and unloading operations of the vessels. A line may be connected to more than one landing stage or the landing stage may include more than one line. Therefore, in the method of the present invention, after an optimum plan is made, it is checked, in the line use verification step, whether the plan is compliant with the lines at the landing stages.

In an illustrative embodiment of the invention, said step of determining landing stage use comprises the steps of creating a cost plan and thereafter checking whether the created cost plan is lower than a predetermined optimum planned cost; changing the pivot landing stage if the created cost plan is higher than the said optimum planned cost; selecting the next vessel in the list as the pivot vessel and repeating the steps of making a pivot landing stage selection, making an initial plan, making a cost plan for the initial plan and comparing the created cost plan with the optimum planned cost for the new pilot vessel if the created cost plan is lower than or equal to the said optimum planned cost; and creating an optimum plan with the matches obtained after the repetition step is completed for all the vessels in the list. In the said cost calculation, the sum of the holding time between the arrival time of the vessels and the time that the vessels are allowed by the system to berth in the landing stages is calculated. Said plan may comprise a plurality of matching lists. Said step of verifying line use comprises the steps of selecting the first combination in the list as the pivot combination and thereafter checking whether the lines in the pivot combination are available for the desired time; selecting the planning as the final planning and finalizing the operation if the lines are available; and cancelling the planning if the lines are not available and returning back to the step of selecting the next vessel, in the determination of the landing stage use, as the pivot vessel in order to make another planning.

According to the method for arranging a plan for using landing stages according to the present invention, in the said step of determining landing stage use, after an initial plan is created, it is checked whether the pivot landing stage is available for a matching time. If the landing stage is not available to use, the nearest availability time of the landing stage is determined. If the landing stage is available at the said matching time or after the nearest availability time of the landing stage is determined, it is checked whether the planning is a rejected one. The rejected plans are plans in which there is no available line at the port when a vessel has berthed in the port. If the plan is not a rejected one, it is proceeded with the step of making a cost plan for the initial plan. If the plan is a rejected plan, then it is checked whether there is another landing stage in the landing stage list, following the pivot landing stage, which the pivot vessel may berth in. If another landing stage exists in the landing stage list that the vessel may berth, the next landing stage is selected as the pivot landing stage and it is returned back to the step of checking whether the pivot landing stage is available for a matching time. If another landing stage does not exist in the landing stage list, it is checked whether a further vessel exists that may berth in the pivot landing stage before the pivot vessel. If there is no further vessel that may berth in the pivot landing stage before the pivot vessel, it is proceeded with the step of making a plan. If a further vessel is available that may berth in the pivot landing stage before the pivot vessel, the vessel preceding the pivot vessel is selected as the pivot vessel and it is returned to the step of checking whether the pivot landing stage is available to use for a matching time.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, it is checked whether the pivot vessel is the last one in the vessel list if the created cost plan is lower than or equal to the said optimum planned cost. If the pivot vessel is not the last one in the list, it is proceeded with the step of selecting the next vessel as the pivot vessel. If the pivot vessel is the last one in the list, then the initial planning is recorded as an optimum planning and the cost of the plan is also recorded as the cost of optimum planning. After the recording, it is proceeded with the step of checking whether a landing stage following the pivot landing stage exists in the landing stage list that the pivot vessel may berth. Thus, if there is another landing stage that the pivot vessel may berth, this landing stage is selected as the pivot landing stage and a new cost calculation is made and it is checked whether the obtained cost is higher than that of the new optimum planning. In this way, in the landing stage use determination step, the least-cost plan is selected as the optimum plan.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, if the lines in the pivot combination are not available, it is initially checked whether a combination following the pivot combination exists in the combinations of the pivot match. If there exists, in the pivot match, a combination following the pivot combination, the first combination is selected as the pivot combination and it is proceeded with the step of checking whether the lines in the pivot combination are available at the desired time. In the pivot match, if there exists no combination following the pivot combination, it is checked whether another matching list is included in the plan. If a matching list does not exist, the plan is cancelled and it is proceeded with the step of determining landing stage use in order to make a new plan. If a matching list exists, the matching list is selected as the new pivot matching and it is proceeded with the step of checking whether a combination following the pivot combination exists in the combinations of the pivot matching.

In the system for arranging a plan according to the present invention, since at first an optimum plan is made and then it is checked whether the lines are suitable, the lowest cost plan is provided as the final plan. In other words, with the system for arranging a plan according to the present invention, a plan wherein the landing stages are used most efficiently may be used as the final plan. In this way, landing stages are used efficiently in order to prevent any downtime in the landing stages.