Principles of combinatorial optimization applied to container-ship stowageplanning

In this paper, a methodology for generating automated solutions to the cont ainer stowage problem is shown. The methodology was derived by applying pri nciples of combinatorial optimization and, in particular, the Tabu Search m etaheuristic. The methodology progressively refines the placement of contai ners, using the Tabu search concept of neighbourhoods, within the cargo-spa ce of a container ship until each container is specifically allocated to a stowage location. Heuristic rules are built into objective functions for ea ch stage that enable the combinatorial tree to be explored in an intelligen t way, resulting in good, if not optimal, solutions for the problem in a re asonable processing time.