This paper proposes a heuristic approach named A* algorithm to find the
shortest routes for the Inter-Terminal Transport Monorail System (ITT
system) that are being applied in Busan Port (Korea). In every transport
system, vehicle routing and task assignment are significant problems that
strongly affect the overall system’s efficiency, especially travel cost and time
taken. At present, Busan Port is still using a roadway transportation mode,
with manually driven trucks coming in and out of each terminal to load and
unload containers, causing casual traffic congestion and wasting lots of time
due to waiting at traffic lights. Expenses for fuel and drivers are also
challenges for managers. From this, we try to create a new ITT system that
could help handle the increasing demand at Busan Port, as well as be
operated automatically in order to lower labour and operational costs. The
proposed ITT system will use shuttles to carry containers along a monorail
that links the internal terminals. A* algorithm is used to guide the shuttles in
the shortest way automatically, from a known loading position to a
designated unloading one. One of the most crucial problems in this new
system is that there must be a method to guide these shuttles automatically
and correctly, since the departure and destination points need to be
recognized in a pre-defined layout to transfer containers. There are many
terminals, resulting in many ways to reach the goal, and shuttles should pick
the best way to optimize performance. In the first part of the paper, we will
briefly describe briefly the ITT system that being considered in Korea. Next,
we will explain why and how we implement A* algorithm in dispatching.
Finally, we will give some comparisons between the performance of the new
ITT system and the traditional transport system through simulation in
MATLAB. The obtained results would prove the superior advantages of the
new ITT system versus the traditional system (expressed through the
complete time spent at each terminal), as well as emphasize the correctness
of A* algorithm in the dispatching problem, as it helps substantially reduce
the computational cost.