Inventory Routing Analysis for Maritime LNG Supply of German Ports

After the implementation of Emission Control Areas (ECA) in Northern Europe in 2015, ship operators have to decide for new compliance methods. Among different abatement technologies, also the use of LNG as maritime fuel is one option. Hence, the number of LNG-fueled vessels plying in North Sea and Baltic Sea is growing, so ports have to cope with the increasing demand for LNG. Until now, German ports have been a little bit delayed in the installation of LNG infrastructure. Currently, a new LNG-terminal at Brunsbüttel, the western entrance to the Kiel Canal, is under construction.

The distribution of LNG from the new LNG-hub to the other German ports can be modelled as an Inventory Routing Problem (IRP) that is usually solved by combinatorial optimization methods. This paper investigates the research question, how the distribution can be modeled as an IRP, which distribution mode is the most economic for the German ports and which modal mix for the LNG supply leads to the greenest distribution. The results of this paper are empirically validated by data that were collected in several EU-projects on sustainable supply chain management and green logistics.