POPMUSIC as a matheuristic for the berth allocation problem

The Berth Allocation Problem aims at assigning and scheduling incoming vessels to berthing positions along the quay of a container terminal. This problem is a well-known optimization problem within maritime shipping. In order to address it, we propose two POPMUSIC (Partial Optimization Metaheuristic Under Special Intensification Conditions) approaches that incorporate an existing mathematical programming formulation. POPMUSIC is an efficient metaheuristic that may serve as blueprint for matheuristics approaches once hybridized with mathematical programming. In this regard, the use of exact methods for solving the sub-problems defined in the POPMUSIC template highlight an interoperation between metaheuristics and mathematical programming techniques, which provide a new type of approach for this problem. The computational experiments reveal excellent results.