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. It balances discharge-port sequence, weight per bay and tier, stability, reefer plug availability, dangerous-goods segregation and lashing forces. Heavy boxes usually go low, and boxes for the next port go where cranes can reach them without restows. Any plan on screen is a simulation; the final plan must be checked on the ship's loading computer and accepted by the chief officer.
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…
- 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.
- 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.
- Centre of Gravity (CoG)
The centre of gravity is the point where the whole weight of a load can be considered to act.
- Segregation (Dangerous Goods)
Segregation is keeping apart dangerous goods that could react hazardously if they leaked or burned together.
Covered in these guides
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