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Designing robust liner shipping schedules: Optimizing recovery actions and buffer times

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  • Mulder, Judith
  • Dekker, Rommert

Abstract

It is important for liner shipping companies to maintain cost efficient and robust liner shipping networks. Regularly, they set up pro-forma schedules, yet it is difficult to stay on time. We consider the problem of managing the delays. Therefore, we need to determine an optimal recovery policy and buffer time allocation to the ship route in order to minimize the total costs associated with delays and recovery actions, such as increasing sailing speed. We introduce a general framework consisting of a mixed integer programming formulation to solve discrete stochastic decision problems with short and long term decisions and apply this framework to the above described problem. Furthermore, we propose and test four heuristics for this problem. We compared the results of our method with an existing liner shipping route schedule and found a cost decrease of 28.9% after optimizing the buffer time distribution compared to the cost of sailing the current route schedule at constant speed.

Suggested Citation

  • Mulder, Judith & Dekker, Rommert, 2019. "Designing robust liner shipping schedules: Optimizing recovery actions and buffer times," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 272(1), pages 132-146.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ejores:v:272:y:2019:i:1:p:132-146
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ejor.2018.05.066
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    2. Asghari, Mohammad & Jaber, Mohamad Y. & Mirzapour Al-e-hashem, S.M.J., 2023. "Coordinating vessel recovery actions: Analysis of disruption management in a liner shipping service," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 307(2), pages 627-644.
    3. Guo, Liming & Zheng, Jianfeng & Du, Haoming & Du, Jian & Zhu, Zhihong, 2022. "The berth assignment and allocation problem considering cooperative liner carriers," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    4. Zhao, Shuaiqi & Yang, Hualong & Zheng, Jianfeng & Li, Dechang, 2024. "A two-step approach for deploying heterogeneous vessels and designing reliable schedule in liner shipping services," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    5. Yang, Kaidi & Roca-Riu, Mireia & Menéndez, Mónica, 2019. "An auction-based approach for prebooked urban logistics facilities," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 193-211.
    6. Ksciuk, Jana & Kuhlemann, Stefan & Tierney, Kevin & Koberstein, Achim, 2023. "Uncertainty in maritime ship routing and scheduling: A Literature review," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 308(2), pages 499-524.
    7. Zhang, Abraham & Zheng, Zhichao & Teo, Chung-Piaw, 2022. "Schedule reliability in liner shipping timetable design: A convex programming approach," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 499-525.
    8. Xin Wen & Qiong Chen & Yu-Qi Yin & Yui-yip Lau, 2023. "Green Vessel Scheduling with Weather Impact and Emission Control Area Consideration," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-25, December.

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