The Container Stowage Planning Problem (CSPP) is a complex optimization problem with multiple intertwining constraints and objectives. It deals with organizing containers on board a shipping vessel. Just like a bus service, a container vessel operates along a specified route, visiting particular ports in a predetermined order and at an approximate expected time. At each port, a certain group of containers is discharged and loaded with the appointed cranes.
The CSPP has been significantly understudied, despite its substantial economic and environmental impacts and nearly 70 years of existence. The root of this lack of research often lies in the limited accessibility to domain knowledge and relevant benchmark data in the field. To bridge this gap, we’re introducing the Representative Container Stowage Planning Problem (RCSPP), complete with a benchmark suite (RCSPPSuite), that utilizes an anonymized version of authentic vessel and cargo data. In alliance with the Sealytix algorithm team, which has been developing stowage planning algorithms for industry leaders since 2007, we’ve devised the RCSPP. Our aim is to make the RCSPP representative of the CSPP so that any algorithm capable of finding near-perfect solutions to the benchmark problems should also be able to handle the CSPP without requiring substantial architectural modifications. You can download the RCSPPSuite data and related documentation below.