Delft University of Technology
Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
Transport Technology



H.E.M. de Jong Maritime routing and scheduling.
Literature survey, Report 95.3.LT.4549, Transport Engineering and Logistics.


Operations Research is the science which has focused on planning problems. Many standard problems have been formulated (like the Travelling Salesman Problem). The planning of transportation utilities has been called routing and scheduling.

Most important for routing is the sequence of the stops (tasks). When not only the sequence is involved, but also the time when a task takes place is important, then it is called scheduling. Routing and scheduling problems become more complex when constraints (like capacity, working hours), multiple vehicies andlor multiple depots are involved. lt can happen that not all the information for the aimed planning horizon is availabie. A planning is made knowing that certain changes wil] occur. This is called dynamic routing and scheduling.

Routing and scheduling vessels is different from planning vehicies. Next to routing and scheduling there is the problem of the deployment of vessels. Next to the division based on planninghorizon the problems can be divided based on the exploitation of the vessels. There is a difference between liner service, tramp operation and industrial operation. Compared to road transport there has not been much research in maritime planning problems.

To see how scientific methods are used by companies an investigation has been done. Shipping companies that operate their vessels in different ways (tramp, industrial and liner service) have been visited. Some of them use software to support the planning. Also an airline company has been visited.

There has been much research for road transportation problems. Amongst other things, this resuited in commercial software toois. An investigation has been done to see what the differences are, how the software is used and (however not compietely) how the software works.


Reports on Transport Engineering and Logistics (in Dutch)
Modified: 2006.03.21; logistics@3mE.tudelft.nl , TU Delft / 3mE / TT / LT.