Maritime Cargo Prioritisation during a Prolonged Pandemic Lockdown Using an Integrated TOPSIS-Knapsack Technique: A Case Study on Small Island Developing States—The Rodrigues Island

Christos A. Kontovas and Krishna Sooprayen
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Christos A. Kontovas: Liverpool Logistics, Offshore and Marine Research Institute (LOOM) and Maritime and Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
Krishna Sooprayen: School of Engineering Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-20

Abstract: Many remote areas, such as island states, are highly dependent on the transportation of cargo, and any disruptions similar to the 2020 pandemic lockdowns can negatively affect their respective supply chains. These disruptions could lead to a severe humanitarian crisis. It is therefore imperative to develop a cargo prioritisation process to ensure that essential commodities are transported. We propose a decision-aid tool that integrates two methods: (a) the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and (b) the knapsack problem. Containers are prioritised based on attributes such as their importance and their economic value. TOPSIS is used to calculate a score for each container and the knapsack problem determines the containers to be imported respecting the transportation capacity constraints. The practical applicability of the model is demonstrated by a case study on a Small Island Developing State. The proposed decision-aid tool could also be extended to be used in disaster relief situations.

Keywords: import prioritisation; maritime transportation; TOPSIS-knapsack methodology; SIDS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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