Coordinated Allocation of Channel-Tugboat-Berth Resources Under Tidal Constraints at Liquid Terminal

Driven by the surging global demand for crude oil and its byproducts, liquid tanker vessels have undergone a marked shift toward ultra-large dimensions. This growth, while enhancing transport capacity, has also intensified congestion across many liquid terminals. As the Dead Weight Tonnage (DWT) of vessels rises, so does their draft, often requiring tide-dependent navigation for safe entry into ports. To address the resulting operational complexities, this study investigates the coordinated scheduling of three critical resources—channels, tugboats, and berths—at liquid terminals. A novel optimization framework, termed the Channel-Tugboat-Berth-Tide (CUBT) model, is proposed. The primary objective is to minimize the total operational cost over a planning horizon, accounting for anchorage waiting time, channel occupancy, tugboat utilization, and penalties from delayed departures. To solve this model efficiently, we adopt an enhanced variant of the Logistic-Hybrid-Adaptive Black Widow Optimization Algorithm (LHA-BWOA), incorporating Logistic-Sine-Cosine Chaotic Map (LSC-CM) initialization, hybrid reproduction mechanisms, and dynamic parameter adaptation. A series of case studies involving varying planning cycles are conducted to validate the model’s practical viability. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses are performed to evaluate the impact of channel choice, tugboat allocation, and vessel waiting time. Results indicate that tugboat operations account for the largest portion of the total costs. Notably, while two-way channels result in lower direct channel costs, they do not always yield the lowest overall expenditure. Among the service strategies evaluated, the First-In–First-Out (FIFO) rule is found to be the most cost-efficient. The results offer practical guidance for port improving the operational efficiency of liquid terminals under complex tidal and resource constraints.