The liner shipping network design and scheduling problem (LSNDSP) is a

mathematical optimization Mathematical optimization (alternatively spelled ''optimisation'') or mathematical programming is the selection of a best element, with regard to some criteria, from some set of available alternatives. It is generally divided into two subfiel ...

problem in

operations research Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and ...

that models

maritime transport Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it pr ...

logistic problems. It is of practical interest in the shipping industry, as improvements in mathematical technoques can be directly applied to real-world problems. The problem consists of the simultaneous resolution of three sub-problems: fleet design, ship scheduling and cargo routing, while minimizing overall cost. An industry-standard benchmark dataset, LINERLIB, is used to measure the effectiveness of mathematical approaches to the LSNDSP. In 2024, resarchers from

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

's Operations Research group announced that they had produced a new optimization technique which outperformed all previous solutions to the problem, and offered substantial increases in both profit and throughput for shipping companies.

References

See also