A constraint programming approach to capacity planning in container vessels

A container vessel carries containers of various characteristics, in terms of size, weight, and contents. The cargo load of a container vessel, being subjected to a set of operational conditions and restrictions regarding ship stability and safety, is a fundamental element in decision-making when a shipping line provides logistics services to clients. This study presents a constraint programming-based model for the capacity planning of a container vessel under various operational conditions. The proposed model generates base solutions and is complemented with a rich scenario-based analysis that utilizes real-life ship data of a container vessel operated by a liner shipping company with a significant market presence. Solutions obtained from the model provide insights on containership capacity planning with differing settings and search strategies. Recommendations to container carriers, regarding improved capacity planning, are the highlights of the study.