Simulation-based logistics planning for the optimization of ship occupancies

One of the main concerns of maritime shipping today is to reduce fuel costs and emissions while ensuring the estimated time of arrival. For ships with a tight schedule, such as ferries, the only way to save money and decrease fuel consumption is to efficiently plan and manage port operations. This paper describes an approach to handle efficient simulation based allocation planning for ro-ro ferries and their ferry terminals on daily business. Therefore, a logistics simulation module is introduced where planning takes place in 3D environment. The functionality of the approach is proven on an allocation planning example.