Optimising the Pioneer Shipping Route Considering Wave Variations
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Pioneer shipping is a government-subsidised maritime services that connect remote areas in the Indonesian Archipelago. This paper applied a genetic algorithm variant to optimise pioneer shipping routes while accounting for variability in wave conditions. The algorithm is implemented on a real shipping network in East Java comprising two main routes, and several improvement scenarios are evaluated, including optimisation of existing routes, route fractioning, and route merging. The optimisation results show that route lengths can be reduced by up to 51% compared with existing operations. The fractioning scenario offers substantial reductions in travel distance but requires an additional vessel to serve the newly created route. In contrast, the merging scenario improves efficiency by reducing the number of vessels required, albeit at the cost of longer travel distances and travel times. Accounting for wave height variability, the simulation results indicate that wave fluctuations can increase travel time by up to 23%.
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