Study On Ship Scheduling Problem For Container Feeder Enterprises In Pearl River Delta Region

With the deepening of international economic exchanges, the growth of international trade and the development of shipping techniques in recent years, shipping enterprises continue taking advantage of larger container ships to reduce operating costs. Container ships with larger scale require higher service of feeder transport, which leads to the expansion of container feeder transport in Pearl River Delta region. For shipping enterprises, the ship scheduling has critical effect on the economic benefits of transport fleet. So far, the scheduling work has been completing by operators with subjective experience, and potential huge profits are underlying this kind of work. Good ship scheduling can reduce fleet size, thereby reducing costs greatly. Therefore, it is significant for the PRD feeder companies to scheduling ships scientifically.This paper analyzed the operating state and characteristics of container feeder transport, and then proposed ship scheduling optimization problem for PRD container feeder transport. The introduction of the "Voyage Cluster" conception assured the continuity between voyages. Through the description of the mathematical model for the ship scheduling problem of PRD container feeder transport, the paper put forward a two-stage model to solve the problem. The first phase was the generation of voyage clusters using depth-first search algorithm and an integer programming model. The second stage was "voyage clusters - ship" matching process, using computer comparing and a non-linear programming model to achieve the optimal ship assignment plan with the goal of achieving the greatest loading factor.The optimal models designed can better apply to the complex and changing real situation. Furthermore, the paper proposed the general ideas of the establishment of ship scheduling system. Scheduling ship with the computer system is not only able to release the operators from complicated manual labor, but also to control the ship operating efficiency and the economic benefits from the overall. From the perspective of society, it is also significant for reducing logistics and promoting economic growth.