IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ortrsc/v32y1998i2p142-162.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A Two-Stage Stochastic Network Model and Solution Methods for the Dynamic Empty Container Allocation Problem

Author

Listed:
  • Raymond K. Cheung

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clearwater Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong)

  • Chuen-Yih Chen

    (Department of Transportation Management, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, ROC)

Abstract

Containerized liner trades have been growing steadily since the globalization of world economies intensified in the early 1990s. However, these trades are typically imbalanced in terms of the numbers of inbound and outbound containers. As a result, the relocation of empty containers has become one of the major problems faced by liner operators. In this paper, we consider the dynamic empty container allocation problem where we need to reposition empty containers and to determine the number of leased containers needed to meet customers' demand over time. We formulate this problem as a two-stage stochastic network: in stage one, the parameters such as supplies, demands, and ship capacities for empty containers are deterministic; whereas in stage two, these parameters are random variables. We need to make decisions in stage one such that the total of the stage one cost and the expected stage two cost is minimized. By taking advantage of the network structure, we show how a stochastic quasi-gradient method and a stochastic hybrid approximation procedure can be applied to solve the problem. In addition, we propose some new variations of these methods that seem to work faster in practice. We conduct numerical tests to evaluate the value of the two-stage stochastic model over a rolling horizon environment and to investigate the behavior of the solution methods with different implementations.

Suggested Citation

  • Raymond K. Cheung & Chuen-Yih Chen, 1998. "A Two-Stage Stochastic Network Model and Solution Methods for the Dynamic Empty Container Allocation Problem," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(2), pages 142-162, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:32:y:1998:i:2:p:142-162
    DOI: 10.1287/trsc.32.2.142
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/trsc.32.2.142
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/trsc.32.2.142?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Warren B. Powell, 1986. "A Stochastic Model of the Dynamic Vehicle Allocation Problem," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(2), pages 117-129, May.
    2. Linos F. Frantzeskakis & Warren B. Powell, 1990. "A Successive Linear Approximation Procedure for Stochastic, Dynamic Vehicle Allocation Problems," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 40-57, February.
    3. Raymond K. Cheung & Warren B. Powell, 1996. "An Algorithm for Multistage Dynamic Networks with Random Arc Capacities, with an Application to Dynamic Fleet Management," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 44(6), pages 951-963, December.
    4. Warren B. Powell, 1989. "A Review of Sensitivity Results for Linear Networks and a New Approximation to Reduce the Effects of Degeneracy," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(4), pages 231-243, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gregory A. Godfrey & Warren B. Powell, 2002. "An Adaptive Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Dynamic Fleet Management, I: Single Period Travel Times," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 36(1), pages 21-39, February.
    2. Warren B. Powell & Michael T. Towns & Arun Marar, 2000. "On the Value of Optimal Myopic Solutions for Dynamic Routing and Scheduling Problems in the Presence of User Noncompliance," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(1), pages 67-85, February.
    3. Shi, Ning & Song, Haiqing & Powell, Warren B., 2014. "The dynamic fleet management problem with uncertain demand and customer chosen service level," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 110-121.
    4. Jia Shu & Miao Song, 2014. "Dynamic Container Deployment: Two-Stage Robust Model, Complexity, and Computational Results," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 26(1), pages 135-149, February.
    5. Bojovic, Nebojsa J., 2002. "A general system theory approach to rail freight car fleet sizing," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 136-172, January.
    6. Warren Powell & Andrzej Ruszczyński & Huseyin Topaloglu, 2004. "Learning Algorithms for Separable Approximations of Discrete Stochastic Optimization Problems," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(4), pages 814-836, November.
    7. Huseyin Topaloglu & Warren Powell, 2007. "Incorporating Pricing Decisions into the Stochastic Dynamic Fleet Management Problem," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(3), pages 281-301, August.
    8. Zolfagharinia, Hossein & Haughton, Michael, 2018. "The importance of considering non-linear layover and delay costs for local truckers," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 331-355.
    9. Ann Melissa Campbell & Martin W. P. Savelsbergh, 2005. "Decision Support for Consumer Direct Grocery Initiatives," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 39(3), pages 313-327, August.
    10. Alan L. Erera & Juan C. Morales & Martin Savelsbergh, 2009. "Robust Optimization for Empty Repositioning Problems," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 57(2), pages 468-483, April.
    11. Raymond K.-M. Cheung & Warren B. Powell, 2000. "Shape -- A Stochastic Hybrid Approximation Procedure for Two-Stage Stochastic Programs," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 48(1), pages 73-79, February.
    12. Song, Haiqing & Huang, Huei-Chuen, 2008. "A successive convex approximation method for multistage workforce capacity planning problem with turnover," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 188(1), pages 29-48, July.
    13. Fan, Wei, 2014. "Optimizing Strategic Allocation of Vehicles for One-Way Car-sharing Systems Under Demand Uncertainty," Journal of the Transportation Research Forum, Transportation Research Forum, vol. 53(3).
    14. Song, Haiqing & Cheung, Raymond K. & Wang, Haiyan, 2014. "An arc-exchange decomposition method for multistage dynamic networks with random arc capacities," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 233(3), pages 474-487.
    15. Crainic, Teodor Gabriel & Laporte, Gilbert, 1997. "Planning models for freight transportation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 409-438, March.
    16. Jeffery L. Kennington & Charles D. Nicholson, 2010. "The Uncapacitated Time-Space Fixed-Charge Network Flow Problem: An Empirical Investigation of Procedures for Arc Capacity Assignment," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 22(2), pages 326-337, May.
    17. Jian Yang & Patrick Jaillet & Hani Mahmassani, 2004. "Real-Time Multivehicle Truckload Pickup and Delivery Problems," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(2), pages 135-148, May.
    18. Gabor, A.F. & Dekker, R. & van Dijk, T. & van Scheepstal, P., 2009. "Scheduling deliveries under uncertainty," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2009-040-LIS, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    19. Chang, Tsung-Sheng, 2009. "Decision support for truckload carriers in one-shot combinatorial auctions," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 522-541, June.
    20. Felix Papier & Ulrich W. Thonemann, 2008. "Queuing Models for Sizing and Structuring Rental Fleets," Transportation Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(3), pages 302-317, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ortrsc:v:32:y:1998:i:2:p:142-162. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.