Research

Project Number:
04-05

Research Project:
Development of Methods for Handling Empty Containers with Applications in the Los Angeles/Long Beach Port Area

P.I. Name & Address:
Petros Ioannou
Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies
University of Southern California
Department of Electrical Engineering, Systems
Los Angeles, CA 90089-2562
Tel:(213) 740-4452
Fax:(213) 744-4418
Email: ioannou@rcf.usc.edu

Anastasios Chassiakos
College of Engineering
California State University, Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Boulevard
Long Beach, CA 90840-5602
Tel:(562) 985-4278
Fax:(562) 985-8022
Email:achassk@enfr.csulb.edu

Project Objective:
The purpose of this proposal is to investigate methodologies to optimize the interchange of empty containers outside the marine ports. In particular we plan

1.To formulate the problem of empty container interchange, and provide analytical models.
2.To develop optimization techniques, that will minimize the cost of empty container interchange given demands and supplies of empties in deterministic and stochastic environments.
3.To develop realistic simulation scenarios using past, current and projected data in the Los Angeles/Long Beach port area. These scenarios will be used to evaluate the developed optimization methods.

The Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex is the intermodal gateway to Pacific Rim trade and busiest container port complex in the United States comprising of fourteen individually gated terminals. In 1999, the combined ports handled 8.2 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This figure implies that almost 4.43 million full containers were handled during 1999 in the LA/LB port complex[1]. Each container is typically handled twice, once as a loaded container, and the second time recycled as an empty. This translates into 8.86 million containers moved one way annually by road or rail within the region in 1999.

The loaded containers arriving at the port are picked up and transported by trucks to their destinations. After having been unloaded, they must be picked up as empty containers. The empties are typically moved back to the port (or in some cases to another depot - inland port). The exporters, who need empty containers that will be filled with exportable goods, will hire another trucking company to pick up the empties from the port, and transport them to their locations. After empties have been loaded at the export firm, the truckers will transport them back to the port where they will be loaded on the ship for export. A system, which facilitates the interchange of empties outside the ports, is necessary. This system will reduce the truck trips to and from container terminals, and as a consequence, will have major environmental effects. It will reduce the traffic congestion around the ports and therefore, reduce noise and emissions in addition to saving time for both truckers and port operators.

Project Poster

Task Descriptions:
1. Analytical models for empty container interchange in stochastic environments (3 months)
2. Optimization techniques for empty container interchange in stochastic environments (3 months)
3. Analytical models for multi-commodity empty container interchange problem (3 months)
4. Optimization techniques for the multi-commodity empty reusing problem (3 months)
5. Generating test-bed simulation scenarios for the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex (4 months)
6. Final Report (1 month)

Milestones, Dates:
January 5, 2004 - January 4, 2005

Total Budget:
$149,982

Student Involvement:
One Student @ 50%effort, 12 months (USC)
One Student @ 50% effort, 12 months (CSULB)

Relationship to Other Research Projects:
Related to 00-15, 01-5, 03-18, part of goods movement and international trade focus area

Technology Transfer Activities:
Project report posted on the website

Potential Benefits of the Project:
Congestion relief, improved air quality due to reduced truck traffic

TRB Keywords:
logistics models, goods movement

Primary Subject:
Transportation and logistics, system operations and management

Goals:
Economic growth and trade

Enabling Research:
Tools for modeling and design

Modal Orientation:
Highway, maritime

[1] Typically a container could be 20 ft or 40 ft in length, but the vast majority of containers are forty feet. It is estimated that on the average, a random container would correspond to 1.85 TEU [4].