NYK and Grid have developed an AI-based system to automate and optimise allocation planning for car carriers, with full-scale operations having begun at NYK this past summer.
The ship allocation plan covers three main areas that can all impact efficiency of operations – the voyage the ship is assigned to, the schedule of the ship, and how the vehicles are loaded inside the vessel.
NYK operates more than 100 car carriers, the largest fleet in the world, and was previously utilising its own in-house ship allocation planning system. However, the company faced difficulties in optimising its choices when dealing with the wide variety of parameters and situations involved, requiring evaluation of hundreds of voyages months in advance.
The new system was developed through collaboration between AI software development firm Grid and the Monohakobi Technology Institute, NYK group’s in-house IT research and development division, a process that first began back in 2022.
The company says that the new software can generate an optimal plan within about 10 minutes, calculating millions of potential schedules for several months ahead. It considers parameters such as customer requirements, fleet operating status, repair schedules, and port congestion risks to improve vessel utilisation and transport efficiency.
The application also factors in the use of next-generation fuel ships and carbon pricing, with the aim of balancing greenhouse gas reduction with economic efficiency.
