Optimization of ship speeds and sailing paths under emission control areas: From the perspective of a single liner shipping service

Abstract

To follow emission control area (ECA) sulfur regulations, most ships switch to more expensive low-sulfur fuel when sailing inside ECAs. Based on the fuel switching strategy, this paper addresses the optimization of ship speeds and sailing paths when sailing within and outside ECAs for a single liner shipping service. To measure various sailing distances within and outside ECAs, this paper considers different sailing paths, including the shortest and longest sailing paths. For investigating our problem, we propose a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model. The proposed model can be solved by using the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions. Numerical experiments show that the shortest sailing path is the optimal sailing path under practical situations.