Ship's Schedule Simulation with AHP

We don't know what we need sometimes. Indeed the circumstances of vessel operation are quite different voyage by voyage and being affected by various external situations. Nevertheless, we are trying to get the optimal itinerary that makes happy all of us in general.

Rather than starting with the 'optimal,' we need to address the nature of the ship's schedule that has multiple goals and is under high dynamics.

As a first step for moving forward, understanding the goal of the optimal itinerary is required, and AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) based targetting and evaluation of the ship's schedule is required.

Why AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process)?

If an experienced vessel operator's qualitative goals could be used as the target of the ship's schedule and it could be adapted as a KPI, it could be a good starting.

Instead of asking 'how important A, B, C...', 'which is more important than other?' would be more comfortable to respond.

Target Scenario1: A is the most important fact as much as 45%, B is important as much as 35%, and C is the least important fact as much as 20%.

Target Scenario2: A is more important than B as much as 5 out of 9. C is more important than A as much as 2 out of 9, C is more important than B as much as 5 out of 9.

How would the Dynamics be resolved?

The ship's schedule is subject to change by weather, berth window situation, cargo operation performance, etc. Therefore, onetime planning is not effective enough, and the operator should be ready to respond to the deviation from the original itinerary.

Rather than the one-time best plan, continuous reflecting on the real situation and adjustment via the evaluation would be more practical.

In this regard, the process JIT PortCall defined by DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) would be a perfect methodology.

The layers included in this intro represent how the JIT events could be linked by schedule simulation, berth window planning, and quay crane working plan.

For more details on the Just-In-Time PortCall process, please refer to the DCSA's website. https://dcsa.org/initiatives/just-in-time-port-call/

How can UX support the Dynamic Schedule Simulation?

The additional benefit for ship operators could be achieved via visualization of target, simulation result, and quantitative evaluation.

Please refer to the article 'CII(Carbon Intensity Indicator) vs. Just-In-Time PortCall?' for evaluating the environmental impact via CII(Carbo Intensity Indicator).

Value and Challenge

For further consideration in the dynamic schedule simulation with targeting by AHP, the following value and challenges need to address.