In accordance with the classification of maritime transportation planning problems into strategic, tactical, and operational that is presented by Christiansen et al.3, it is worth noting that ship speed pervades all three levels of planning problems. In strategic planning, ship speed size is considered in the determination of ship hauling capacity. In tactical planning, ship speed lies at the core of ship routing and scheduling. In operational planning, ship speed needs to be determined, so as to meet due weather constraints for arrival at ports as planned along ship routes. In addition to the importance of ship speed in the economics of maritime transportation, in view of the fact that ship fuel consumption rate is dependent on ship speed, environmental considerations, in the way of greenhouse gas emissions that have become an increasingly important consideration in the last few decades, have added another dimension to the role of ship speed in maritime transportation planning problems12.