Review of Optimization-Based Pedestrian Evacuation in Passenger Ships

Safe evacuation of passenger ships is an important way to ensure the safety of passengers when an accident occurs. In emergency scenarios, the organization of the flow and evacuation of crowds is essential to provide safe and effective passenger evacuation of a ship. This review systematically analyzed optimization-based pedestrian evacuations in passenger ships with focus on seeking intervention strategies to improve the efficiency of ship evacuation. A total of 38 relevant papers obtained using a keyword search on the Web of Science and the snowball method were analyzed. Three major ship evacuation optimization approaches were identified: (1) optimization of the structure design and layouts of the ship, (2) optimization of evacuation path and planning, and (3) passenger behavior modification, active instructions, and training. The characteristics and challenges of the three optimization methods are analyzed separately. Finally, the optimization areas of passenger ship evacuation for further research are proposed.