On improving containership stowage planning from the perspective of an entire voyage

Chien-Chang Chou () and Wen-Shin Shiau
Additional contact information
Chien-Chang Chou: National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology
Wen-Shin Shiau: National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology

Maritime Economics & Logistics, 2025, vol. 27, issue 2, No 4, 304-330

Abstract: Abstract A central planner plays a significant role in the stowage planning of container transportation. This paper discusses how a central planner produces stowage plans for a container vessel, through its entire voyage, while considering factors such as vessel specifications, characteristics of service lane, operational constraints at each terminal, schedule management, control of vessel space, and vessel seaworthiness. Although many studies on stowage planning of containerships at one port have been published, few have focused on stowage planning in multiport itineraries, i.e., from the entire voyage perspective. In this study, therefore, three stowage plans, each focusing on the optimization of a single port, are used to show how a central planner improves cargo stowage rate by instead using the entire voyage. We target three improvements: (1) Reducing ballast water carried, among others, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions; (2) Increasing TEU stowage allowance, and reducing ballast water carried while solving draft limitation and seaworthiness problems simultaneously; and (3) Increasing the capacity utilization of a vessel. The overall aim of this study is how to increase freight revenue through higher vessel capacity utilization; reduce ballast water carried; fuel consumption, and atmospheric emissions, considering both the seaworthiness of the vessel and the efficiency of terminal operations. The case study method has been applied. The results indicate that modified stowage plans, considering the entire voyage, can improve vessel capacity utilization, seaworthiness requirements and, apparently, profitability.

Keywords: Stowage planning; Containership; Expert knowledge; Seaworthiness; Shipping logistics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41278-024-00298-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:marecl:v:27:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1057_s41278-024-00298-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... nt/journal/41278/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/s41278-024-00298-w

Access Statistics for this article

Maritime Economics & Logistics is currently edited by Hercules E. Haralambides

More articles in Maritime Economics & Logistics from Palgrave Macmillan, International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().