Fast generation of near-optimal plans for eco-efficient stowage of large container vessels

Abstract

Eco-efficient stowage plans that are both competitive and sustainable have become a priority for the shipping industry. Stowage planning is NP-hard and is a challenging optimization problem in practice. We propose a new 2-phase approach that generates near-optimal stowage plans and fulfills industrial time and quality requirements. Our approach combines an integer programming model for assigning groups of containers to storage areas of the vessel over multiple ports, and a constraint programming and local search procedure for stowing individual containers. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.