Optimization of a fleet configuration has to be undertaken if shipping companies, brokers, etc. want a successful business. All aspects of the transport chain are to be simultaneously considered, namely, ship design, composition of the optimal fleets, and improvement of operational solutions. The design of a marine transport system entails selection of the number of ships in the fleet, capacity and service speed of each ship mainly depending upon route distance, cargo volume to be shipped, loading and unloading rates, loading/unloading facilities.
NASDIS pds defines the optimal composition of a fleet by minimizing the overall transport cost (required freight rate or tariff), for an expected rate of return after taxes, to establish the break-even point, and/or maximize the net present value.
The strategy developed by NASDIS pds applies a logistics model which determines a number of competitive fleets for a given project (cargo volume, leg nautical miles, physical constraints, etc.). The fleets are fed by a menu where a set of ships of different sizes developed at conceptual design level have been stored beforehand. Once ship size and number of ships in the fleet are established based on solution of the logistics equations, economic figures of transport (tariffs, RFR, NPV) are determined by calculating CAPEX (capital expenditures) and OPEX (operating expenditures) for each ship with subsequent consideration of consistent financial metrics.
