Multi-Criteria Optimisation of Liquid Cargo Transport According to Linguistic Approach to the Route Selection Task

The main aim of the paper is to present the possibility of use of the multi-criteria optimization method Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to liquid cargo transportation by sea. Finding the optimal solution is not simple. There are many factors influencing the shipping process. In the case of liquid cargo, the most important thing is the safety of the crew, ship, and environment. Therefore, the Mathematical Theory of Evidence is introduced and used to determine the optimal path in terms of time and safety of transport. Moreover, the details of liquid cargo transport process are described with particular attention to ship to ship operations. Besides, the basic concept of the AHP method, steps of the algorithm are introduced. Finally, the multicriteria optimization of the transport of the liquid cargo from the Persian Gulf to Port of Gdansk is done. It is based on the experts′ opinions.