Assessing the Value of Vessel Information Sharing Through Simulation

Abstract

Efficient and timely vessel arrival planning is crucial for smooth operations in maritime transportation networks, ensuring optimal resource utilization and minimizing operational costs. When proforma schedules are disturbed by arrival deviations of vessels, waiting time and unnecessary fuel consumption become problems that shipping lines are faced with. Using a simulation model of a single-berth terminal, we test speed selection strategies for vessels that aim to minimize fuel, sailing, and waiting costs under varying availability of information. In different scenarios, we find optimality gaps ranging from 0.1% to 19.6% and show that knowing and communicating service end time to the vessel calling next could be valuable to integrated shipping lines and terminals.

Bio

Pim van Leeuwen (30) is a PhD candidate at Erasmus University, under supervision of Rommert Dekker. Born in Leiden (the Netherlands), he studied Econometrics and Economics in Rotterdam, followed by a master in Operations Research and Quantitative Logistics. He wrote his graduation thesis "Autonomous AGVs on a container terminal" at a consultancy called Portwise (formerly known as TBA). After graduating in 2019, he stayed with Portwise, working as a simulation consultant and then project manager. In 2023, Pim started his parttime PhD, researching cooperation and communication between vessels and terminals. Together with Rommert Dekker, he has published two articles, while also working on multiple terminal design projects at Portwise.