Joint Voyage Planning and Onboard Energy Management of Hybrid Propulsion Ships

Abstract

Maritime transportation decarbonization has become a crucial factor in reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change. As an industry that historically relies on fossil fuels, in particular, heavy fuel oil, the reinvention of the maritime transportation system is occurring at an unprecedented speed to integrate renewable and green energy, low-/zero- carbon fuels, and green infrastructure to support emission-free shipping. In this paper, a two-stage joint optimization model is proposed to optimize the voyage planning of a ship among multiple ports as well as its onboard energy management during each section of the voyage. More specifically, in the first stage, the arrival time of ships is optimized according to the mission of the ship and the electricity prices offered at each port. In the second stage, the speed of the ship, the dispatch of the onboard diesel engine, and the usage of energy storage systems (ESSs) are optimized based on emission control areas and maritime meteorological conditions. Simulation results have shown that the proposed approach would help ship operators minimize the operating cost over the whole voyage while significantly contributing to carbon emissions reduction.