Safety or Efficiency? An ECSO Framework of Traffic Organization Optimization for LNG Carriers Entering and Leaving Port

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean, efficient, and economic energy, which is mainly transported by LNG carriers in the marine industry. Massive storage of LNG has led to public concern about the possible hazards of LNG carriers for people and facilities. This paper aims to determine the appropriate level of a safety zone and to develop an optimized traffic organization scheme. An innovative ECSO framework is proposed to deal with these two tasks. The results of the comparative analysis show that the influence degree of the optimized scheme is 21%, which is distinctly lower than the previous scheme (33%). To some content, the proposed framework can provide meaningful enlightenments for stakeholders to improve port service level and ensure the safe operation of LNG carriers.