Container slot allocation model with liner shipping revenue management

Based on revenue management, the container slot allocation problem for liner shipping industry is studied quantitatively under uncertainty circumstances. Firstly, a multi-leg capacity allocation model is proposed considering empty container transportation and routing choice based on the analysis of the characteristics for liner shipping revenue management. Then, due to the demand uncertainty, a novel robust optimization method is proposed to solve the model. Finally, a case study is formulated via simulations. The results show that the robust optimization model get higher revenue than the deterministic linear programming model, and that the model and solution method have application value to the revenue management problems for container liner shipping companies.