This paper considers a real operational problem of routing and scheduling a fleet of fuel supply vessels used to service customer ships anchored outside a major port. The problem can be formulated as a rich multi-trip vehicle routing problem, including constraints related to stowage and time-dependent sailing times. An arc-flow and a path-flow model are developed and compared. A computational study shows that the path-flow model is superior and can be used in real planning situations. We also discuss how the model can be used in a real-time setting when new orders arrive and deviations from the plan occur.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2016.07.009Cite as:
@article{Christiansen_2017, doi = {10.1016/j.tre.2016.07.009}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.tre.2016.07.009}, year = 2017, month = {sep}, publisher = {Elsevier {BV}}, volume = {105}, pages = {163--175}, author = {Marielle Christiansen and Kjetil Fagerholt and Nikolaos P. Rachaniotis and Magnus St{aa}lhane}, title = {Operational planning of routes and schedules for a fleet of fuel supply vessels}, journal = {Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review} }