Container Vessel Stowage Planning System Using Genetic Algorithm

This paper deals with the container stowage planning problem, an important and a complex problem in maritime logistic optimization. The variant tackled in this work involves several constraints, inspired by real-life problems and application found in the literature. Given the complexity of the problem, which belongs to the class of NP-hard problems, a novel evolutionary metaheuristic algorithm is developed and designed. Considering the ability and flexibility of Genetic Algorithm (GA). The approach is based on a two-phase procedure, one for master planning and the other for allocation of the containers into slots. GA parameters are analyzed to achieve practical and best results. The system offers stowage allocation solutions for both phases, thus offering flexibility for a wide variety of vessels and route combinations.