NAVION
© statoil
© statoil
Oil Tanker Scheduling
T
he world has an unquenchable thirst for crude oil. From it is made a
vast array of products upon which most of us depend. In meeting this
dependency, oil companies have searched the remotest regions of the planet,
finding petroleum both on land and beneath the oceans. In the North Sea,
where one of the largest reserves has been under production for decades,
the Norwegian offshore shipping company Navion serves 25 oil fields with
a fleet of 17 tankers. These vessels battle some of the roughest weather in
taking oil aboard and carrying it to ports in northwest Europe. Keeping
these vessels in operation involves a scheduling system that is both reliable
in assigning ships and versatile in accommodating changes in operation and
delays resulting from weather and unscheduled maintenance.
This is why Cap Gemini, Europe's largest computer services company, used
ILOG Solver and ILOG Views in building Navion's scheduling system. With
the two ILOG components, the system fully optimizes the company's tanker
scheduling in an interactive visual environment that allows for rapid
replanning when unforeseen events occur.
“It would be impossible
to obtain the same
ratio of utilization
without the ILOGbased optimization
application. Our
system had to be
flexible to adapt to the
changing trade
regulations and
constraints. The ILOG
Solver-based
application is very
flexible and open.”
Stein Rynning
Navion Senior Vice
President
Navion
A Norwegian offshore shipping
company, Navion was established in
September 1997, when it was spun off
from the Shipping and Maritime
Technology department of Statoil.
Statoil owns 80% and Rasmussens
Rederi, a Norwegian company, owns
the remaining 20%. Navion has a
mixed fleet of about 50 vessels that
are either owned or chartered by the
company.The fleet comprises offshoreloading oil tankers, oil tankers, product
tankers, floating production vessels
(FPSO), drill ships, and gas and
methanol carriers.The company offers
a broad range of services for
transporting crude oil, gas and refined
petroleum products.The offshore
loading of crude oil is the company's
core business.
About ILOG
ILOG is a leading provider of advanced
C, C++ and Java software components
for graphics and resource optimization.
ILOG products deliver high
performance data visualization for user
interfaces; integer, linear and constraint
solvers for resource optimization,
scheduling, logistics and planning
applications; dynamic rule systems for
intelligent agents and real-time data
flow control; and components for
integrating modules with real-time and
relational data sources.
ILOG was founded in 1987, and now
employs approximately 400 people in
seven countries.
Visit www.ilog.com for additional
information.
The ILOG Views graphical user interface of the tanker scheduling system
Getting the oil to market
Loading crude oil offshore requires specially equipped tankers. They must be able to tap into a
loading system in a way that allows them to take on oil safely in heavy seas. To accomplish this
maneuver, special equipment is used and a special scheduler employed to keep the tankers in full
operation.
ILOG Solver, with its C++ optimization engine, serves Navion by generating schedules that
account for thousands of constraints. Embedded in the system, the engine not only matches
tankers to facilities but applies parameters that include labor laws, shipping regulations and
refinery production schedules. The application also prioritizes orders to meet contractual
obligations, minimize port duties and manage ship reservicing. Such scheduling fully employs the
powerful processing built into the system's ILOG optimization software.
Greatly extending the system's strength is its ILOG Views-based graphical user interface. The GUI
enables Navion planners to quickly and easily refine schedules and model the shipping operation
in determining ways to improve its profitability. Furthermore, being made of modular C++
components, the system can be readily updated to stay abreast of changes in the operation.
Project
The scheduling system took three people one year to develop. The prototype was put in place
in February 1996, and after two months of testing, the system was placed in full operation in
May 1996. It is currently run on a PC using Windows NT.
ILOG is a registered trademark of ILOG.
Benefits
05/98
France ILOG S.A. - BP 85, 9 rue de Verdun, 94253 Gentilly Cedex - Tel: +33 (0)1 49 08 35 00 - Fax: +33 (0)1 49 08 35 10 - E-mail: info@ilog.fr • Germany ILOG Deutschland GmbH - Ober-Eschbacher-Strasse 109 - 61352
Bad Homburg v.d.H. - Tel.: +49 6172 40 60 - 0 - Fax: +49 6172 40 60 - 10- E-mail: info@ilog.de • Japan ILOG KK - 3F YS Sanbancho Building, 24-14 Sanbancho, Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 102-0075 - Tel: +81 3 5211 5770 - Fax: +81
3 5211 5771 - E-mail: info@ilog.co.jp • Singapore ILOG (S) Pte Ltd - 73 Science Park Drive, #B1-15 Cintech I, Singapore 118254 - Tel: +65 773 06 26 - Fax: +65 773 04 39 - E-mail: info@ilog.com.sg • Spain ILOG SA Gobelas 21, 28023 Madrid - Tel: +34 1 372 95 51 - Fax: +34 1 372 99 76 - E-mail: info@ilog.es • USA ILOG, Inc. - 1901 Landings Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043 - Tel: +1 650 390 9000 - Fax: +1 650 390 0946 - E-mail:
info@ilog.com • UK ILOG Ltd - Gentilly House, Bracknell Beeches, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 7BW - Tel: +44 (0) 1344 66 16 00 - Fax: +44 (0) 1344 66 16 01 - E-mail: info@ilog.co.uk • URL:http://www.ilog.com • Representatives
and distributors in other countries
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The scheduling system has allowed Navion to increase its fleet while maintaining a utilization ratio
of 85% – and in many cases 90% – by ensuring the best possible vessel allocation and turnaround
time. The system generates in a few minutes schedules that in the past took planners hours to
create manually. The system allows the company to model its operation in real time, enabling it
to spot deficiencies and develop more accurately plans for extending the operation.