Institute of Transportation, MOTC

Chen-Hsuan Lee, 2006.06

Institute of Transportation Technology and Management
National Chiao Tung University

 　　It is very important for liner operators to decide the ship size, the speed and the number of containerships in a fleet. These factors can extremely affect the price and the efficiency of their containerships, and more, the profit and the competitive ability of the company. Most of previous researchers devoted their attention to the problem only from cost perspective. However, seeking the minimum unit operation cost cannot guarantee the maximum profit for shipowners.
　　Considering a closer planning scenario of liner operators, providing one voyage each week in every port, this study attempts to formulate a nonlinear programming model seeking the optimum size, speed and the number of containerships in a fleet, so that the profit of the company would be maximized. This research will also analyze the trade-off relationships among the fleet scale, ship size, and ship speed for liner operators.