BAPLIE (Bayplan/Stowage Plan Occupied and Empty Locations Message)
BAPLIE is a UN/EDIFACT electronic message maintained by SMDG for exchanging bay plan data between shipping lines, terminals and planners. Each container is recorded with its bay-row-tier position, container number, ISO type code, VGM weight, loading and discharge ports, reefer set point and dangerous-goods details. Version 2.x is still widely used, while 3.x adds a richer data structure. Wrong BAPLIE data, such as a bad weight or type code, feeds straight into the vessel's stability and lashing calculations.
Related terms
- Bay Plan
A bay plan is a cross-section drawing of a vessel, bay by bay, showing what sits in every slot by row and tier, with container number, weight, discharge port and dangerous-goods c…
- Stowage Plan
A stowage plan is the planned position of every container or cargo unit on board a vessel, built by line and terminal planners before the ship berths.
- Bay-Row-Tier
Bay-row-tier is the six-digit coordinate system for a container's position on board, following ISO 9711 practice.
- VGM (Verified Gross Mass)
VGM is the verified gross mass of a packed container, mandatory under SOLAS Chapter VI Regulation 2 since 1 July 2016.
- ISO Size-Type Code
The ISO size-type code is a four-character code on the container door that describes its size and type.
Covered in these guides
BAPLIE EDI Explained: SMDG 2.x vs 3.x, Segments and Bay Plan Validation
What BAPLIE is, how the UN/EDIFACT bay plan message works, SMDG 2.x vs 3.x, key segments such as LOC, MEA, EQD and DGS, validation checks and related messages.
5 min read Vessel stowageContainer Restows: Causes, Costs and How to Reduce Them in the Bay Plan
What container restows (shifting moves) are, what causes them from overstows to hatch covers, what they cost, and how multi-port planning and optimizers cut them.
6 min read Vessel stowageContainer Ship Bay Planning: Pre-stow, POD Blocks and Stack Limits
How a planner builds a container ship bay plan, from pre-stow by POD, stack weights, hold vs deck, reefers, OOG and 45ft boxes to hatch covers.
6 min read Maritime professionalsHow to Read a Bay Plan: Bay, Row and Tier Explained with 030482
How to read container positions on a ship with the ISO 9711-1 bay-row-tier system, decoding 030482 and 141086, BAPLIE messages and bay plan notation.
5 min read Maritime professionalsWhat Is a Stowage Plan? Meaning, Who Makes It, Inputs and Constraints
What a container ship stowage plan is, who prepares it, inputs such as VGM, DG and reefers, stability and lashing constraints, and how it differs from a load plan.
5 min read