An Adapted 3-D Knapsack Model for the Stowage of Maritime Containers in Inland Shipping

In many countries worldwide, inland shipping is a reliable and viable option to transport maritime containers inland. Several aspects of the decision making are challenging, but many of them are still unexplored scientifically. For instance, the stowage of containers, i.e. the proper positioning of a set of containers on board of a barge, is a delicate and complex problem that requires experience and support tools. In this paper, we develop a novel model for the generation of feasible stowage plans for inland shipping. The goal is to pack as many containers as possible, while meeting capacity restrictions, guaranteeing stability of the boat during pickup and delivery routes and complying with a set of local regulations. In this regard, we propose the case of inland shipping in the Netherlands, whose a case-study is available. Then, we develop a Variable Neighborhood Search metaheuristic to solve the problem. Numerical experiments on real-world data give insights on the performances of the proposed methodology and on current stowage practices.

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