Notice of Retraction Study on simulation optimization method for resource scheduling problem

As the world container volumes are soaring, it is necessary to decrease waiting time of vessels and improve efficiency of container terminals. This paper studies simulation optimization technology to mimic and optimize scheduling operations in container terminals. Container terminal system is one kind of complex discrete event system. An Agent-based Multi-Resolution Modeling (AMRM) method is proposed to establish simulation optimization models in this paper and Contract Net Protocol describes the communication between agents. Then a hybrid scheduling rule is introduced and an improved Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) method is applied to improve the scheduling solutions. Finally, the simulation experiments of tugboat scheduling operation and quay crane scheduling operation in container terminals show that AMRM modeling and ACO method is well suited for scheduling operations in container terminals.