HIERARCHICAL RESOURCE PLANNING FOR SHIPPING COMPANIES

The problem of resource management for a merchant fleet is addressed. The problem solution involves decisions on the purchase and use of shi ps in order to satisfy customers' demands. In particular, shipping com panies employing their own ships are considered. These companies can m aximize their profits on a highly competitive quality-sensitive market by optimizing the purchase and use of their resources (ships), Decisi on makers must maximize company profits by acting on the number and ty pe of ships, shipping routes, type of service, and dates of sailing. A hierarchical model for the problem considered has been developed, and heuristic techniques which solve problems at different decision level s are described.