LNG Transportation (#135)
Your task is to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the plant to the terminal, which are 1,000 miles apart. Initially, there are 3,000 tons of LNG in the plant’s storage, and no more LNG is produced. There is only one LNG carrier with a capacity of 1,000 tons at your disposal. During transportation, LNG evaporates. The LNG carrier consumes evaporated (boil-off) gas for propulsion at a rate of 1 ton/mile. Along the transportation route, it is possible to set up floating storage units (FSUs) with the required capacity and in any quantity. What is the maximum amount of LNG that can be delivered to the terminal?
Note: The ship can only consume boil-off gas, and FSUs along the route do not contain LNG at the initial setup. Disregard losses of gas during loading/unloading, in the plant’s storage, and in the FSUs (assume they are properly cooled down and have reliquefaction facilities).
Complexity: 3/10
