Literature survey of network optimization in container liner shipping

Container liner shipping is one of the most important transportation modes in international trade. The industry is network-based, so network decision contributes much to the success of any operators. There are many decisions in respect of network optimization such as route and schedule design, port selection, fleet size and mix, fleet assignment and scheduling, container movement. Our paper conducts a literature survey to realize optimization problems, methodologies as well as research tendencies to deal with network optimization in container liner shipping. We focus on three major categories: container routing, fleet management and network design. Container routing is related to optimal flow movement of laden and empty containers. Fleet management is involved with decisions of ship assignment and scheduling. Network design is the problem of choosing ports and combining them to create the infrastructure of shipping operation.