Optimizing the efficiency of port berth utilization under uncertainty: an application to the oil supply chain

Pipe Laying Support Vessels (PLSVs) are crucial resources in subsea interconnection operations, responsible for linking offshore wells to production platforms. To carry out these operations, the vessels must be loaded with various materials at designated berths located in different ports. This study proposes an exact solution method to support the PLSV loading plan for a Brazilian oil and gas company, aiming to minimize the maximum makespan across all berths and improve port efficiency, while accounting for operational uncertainties. The problem is modeled as a parallel machine problem, where the first stage assigns each load to a berth, and the second stage determines the planned start time for each load based on different scenarios. A data-driven instance built from real operational data demonstrates that increasing the number of scenarios enhances the robustness of the solution, reducing the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes in out-of-sample evaluations.