Multi-product and multi-period maritime oil logistics model with a cooperative approach among hubs

In this paper, the modelling of maritime oil logistics problem in non-cooperative and cooperative approaches is addressed. The problem includes several hubs; each hub has vessels and boats for maritime transport. Rigs are supplied in a time window. In the non-cooperative model, each hub supplies its own rigs. In the cooperative model, it is possible to share resources among hubs. Genetic algorithm (GA) and invasive weed optimisation (IWO) are used as solution approaches. To demonstrate the efficiency of solution methods, 15 numerical examples are designed and the results are compared with GAMS. The results indicate that the IWO algorithm has high efficiency in obtaining near-optimal solutions in a shorter CPU time. Also, cost is decreased significantly when a cooperative approach is applied. Using optimisation models lead to a considerable decrease in expenditures of maritime oil logistics. The proposed model can be widely used for oil and gas companies involved in offshore logistics. [Received: March 21, 2022; Accepted: July 20, 2022].