Abstract

This paper investigates rental pricing and empty container repositioning (ECR) strategies for a one-way container rental service (OCRS). The proposed OCRS aims to address intercontinental container imbalances and alleviate financial burdens on shipping companies by optimizing rental pricing and ECR operations. Mathematical optimization models are developed to determine optimal prices and container utilization, complemented by two practical inventory management policies, namely periodic review and continuous review policies, to enhance real-world applicability. To further validate the robustness of the proposed service in stochastic environments, two highly practical rule-based heuristics are additionally proposed. Computational experiments evaluate the service’s profitability under various scenarios, revealing that the heuristic based on the continuous review policy demonstrates robust performance. The results underscore the potential of the OCRS to promote resource efficiency and to reduce logistical waste, paving the way for resilient and eco-friendly maritime logistics networks.