An optimal layout of container yards.

This study presents a method for designing the layout of container yards where transfer cranes and yard trucks are used for stacking containers in the yard and delivering them between the yard and the quay. A method to determine the layout type, the outline of the yard, and the numbers of vertical and horizontal aisles is suggested. For estimating the effects of the design variables on operational cost terms, formulas for estimating the number of relocations by yard cranes and the expected travel distance of trucks are derived. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the design procedure. It was also shown that the layout in which blocks are laid out parallel to the side with the gate or the quay outperforms that in which blocks are laid out perpendicular to the side with the gate or the quay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]