A Research On Empty Container Allocation Problem

With the rapid development of international container carrying trade, the global cargos flow direction unbalances terribly, the contradiction between container supply and demand increases and the liner ship companies require more than 20% loading capacity to solve the problem, which is to allocate the empty containers. Recently, the trade favorable balance in Asia countries versus American and European enlarges. The choke point in term of allocating containers is the key factors of blocking international liner ship companies' acceleration in carving our market. The Allocation and management of empty containers is becoming the important subject.Through the systematic analysis of allocating empty containers, this paper finds out the reasonable tactics and methods to solve the problems, which provide decision-making proofs for the shipping enterprises.The paper firstly reviews the previous research results of allocating empty containers. Secondly it systematically illustrates the optimization problems on this issue, analyzes the subjective reasons and characteristics and practical problems in shipping enterprises. Thirdly the paper makes further study on objects and main influencing factors of allocating empty containers. Fourthly, basing on previous results and analysis of different containers and transportation methods, it sets up the mathematic model according with empty container allocation and also makes some calculations and analysis. Finally, the paper gives some measurements on how to reduce the allocating empty containers cost.The main contribution of the paper is that it concentrates on taking different containers and transportation methods into account in the process of setting up the mathematical model, improves the previous allocating model, builds the MIP model, and gives the digital simulation. It supplies the support of the theory research and practice of allocating empty containers.