of the coal export supply chain in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, which is the largest coal export supply chain in the world in terms of volume. Most of the coal mines in the Hunter Valley are open pit mines. The coal is mined and stored either at a railway siding located at the mine or at a coal loading facility used by several mines. The coal is then transported to one of the terminals at the Port of Newcastle, almost exclusively by rail. The coal is dumped and stacked at a terminal to form stockpiles. Coal from different mines with different characteristics is “mixed” in a stockpile to form a coal blend that meets the specifications of a customer. Once a vessel arrives at a berth at the terminal, the stockpiles with coal for the vessel are reclaimed and loaded onto the vessel. The vessel then transports the coal to its destination. The coordination of the logistics in the Hunter Valley is challenging as it is a complex system involving 14 producers operating 35 coal mines, 27 coal load points, 2 rail track owners, 4 above rail operators, 3 coal loading terminals with a total of 8 