Dynamic multiobjective route planning for arctic shipping

As Arctic shipping increases, safe and efficient voyage planning under rapidly changing ice conditions is critical. Existing methods based on static conditions cannot adapt to fast sea ice changes. This paper proposes a multi-objective route optimization method combining daily risk monitoring with dynamic re-planning. Sea ice concentration and thickness are converted into daily risk maps using the POLARIS rule, and three objectives—shortest distance, lowest risk, and minimal fuel consumption—are optimized. A risk-guided parameter in an improved NSGA-II algorithm prioritizes safer routes while balancing distance and fuel. When monitored risk deviates from predicted values beyond a threshold, dynamic re-planning generates an updated path from the current position to the destination. Experiments show that this approach reduces cumulative risk by 4.84%, 12.36%, and 12.34% compared to static planning, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing safety on long Arctic voyages.