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Stowage solution · General cargo & breakbulk

General cargo stowage planning software

Plan mixed loads on inter-island general cargo ships and small MPPs: bagged cement, rebar, pipes, coils, vehicles and containers on deck. Hold volume, tank top loads, cargo separation and the discharge order per port are checked together with stability. The general cargo module is part of the first rollout wave.

Rollout wave 1Plan Cargo. Balance Vessel. Sail Safer.

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Vessel Planner · Demo vessel Illustration
Illustration with a fictional vessel and sample data — not a stability calculation result. Shore-side planning & decision support. The class-approved onboard loading computer remains the official reference.

Problems it solves

Mixed cargo, limited holds

One voyage can carry dozens of cargo types with different stowage factors. Without volume and broken stowage calculations, hold space runs out before every booking is in.

Next-port cargo gets buried

On inter-island rotations, first-port cargo stowed under later-port cargo slows discharge and risks cargo damage.

Tank top loads and separation ignored

Coils and steel on the tank top without load spreading, or cement next to foodstuffs, are mistakes that are easy to prevent when checked at the planning stage.

Used by: Chief officers of general cargo shipsInter-island ship plannersPort captainsStevedoring supervisorsBreakbulk forwarders

What is modelled

  • Holds with grain and bale volumes
  • Tween decks and hatch covers with allowable loads
  • Tank tops with uniform and point load limits
  • Open deck area for containers, vehicles and long cargo
  • Ship’s cranes or derricks with SWL
  • Ballast, fuel and fresh water tanks

Checked on every move

  • Volume and stowage factor

    Required volume is weight × stowage factor plus broken stowage, compared with the hold or tween deck capacity.

  • Tank top and hatch cover loads

    Uniform loads (t/m²) and point loads from heavy items are compared with tank top, tween deck and hatch cover limits.

  • Discharge order

    Cargo for earlier ports must be reachable without shifting cargo for later ports; violations are flagged.

  • Cargo separation

    Forbidden combinations, such as dusty cargo with foodstuffs or wet cargo with water-sensitive cargo, are checked against the company rule set.

  • Ship’s crane limits

    Cargo weight is compared with the SWL of the ship’s crane or derrick at the radius needed for that position.

  • Stability and strength

    Drafts, trim, heel, corrected GM and SF/BM are calculated for every port in the rotation.

Shore-side planning & decision support. The class-approved onboard loading computer remains the official reference.

Workflow

  1. Model holds and deck

    Draw holds, tween decks and deck areas in the Vessel Builder with volumes, allowable loads and cranes, then import hydrostatics from the stability booklet.

  2. Collect bookings per port

    Import the booking list or manifest from Excel, or extract it from a PDF; the user confirms each lot’s weight, volume and POD.

  3. Allocate to holds

    Place lots in holds and on deck by discharge order; used volume, loads and stability show in the right panel.

  4. Simulate the rotation and approve

    Check the condition at every port after cargo operations, then send the plan to the chief officer and master for approval.

Outputs

  • Cargo plan per hold and tween deck (PDF)
  • Load and discharge lists per port
  • Used volume and remaining space summary
  • Stability and SF/BM condition per port
  • Tank top load and dunnage notes

Example scenario

Illustration — fictional vessel, not a customer case study

Illustrative 4,000 DWT general cargo ship, three ports

Situation

Illustration with a fictional two-hold 4,000 DWT ship loading bagged cement, rebar, steel pipes and 12 deck containers for three discharge ports.

Steps in the planner

  1. 01Bookings are imported from Excel; cement volume is calculated from its stowage factor, so the space needed in hold 1 is visible from the start.
  2. 02Rebar for the last port goes on the hold 2 tank top over dunnage, and pipes for the first port go in the tween deck.
  3. 03The company rule set flags bagged fertiliser planned next to foodstuffs, so that lot moves to another hold.
  4. 04The rotation simulation shows GM and trim within limits after discharge at every port.

Result

Illustrative result: every booking fits, no early-port cargo is buried, and tank top loads stay below the limits.

Illustration with a fictional vessel and sample data — not a stability calculation result. Shore-side planning & decision support. The class-approved onboard loading computer remains the official reference.

See it with your vessel data

A demo video is coming. Meanwhile we schedule a live demo with a demo vessel or your own vessel data.

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Frequently asked questions

Does it suit small inter-island ships?

Yes. The module is designed for general cargo ships and small MPPs on inter-island rotations, with holds, tween decks and deck modelled per ship in the Vessel Builder.

Can containers be carried on deck?

Yes, as deck cargo whose weight and position feed the stability calculation. Full container bay planning with BAPLIE is in the container module, which is rolling out in stages.

Are the stability results official?

No. Results are shore-side planning and decision support. The class-approved loading computer and stability booklet remain the official reference; ships without verified data carry a warning label.

Where does cargo data come from?

Manual entry, Excel/CSV templates, the API or AI extraction from manifests and packing lists. Extracted data must always be confirmed by the user before the engines use it.

Other vessel types

Plan Cargo. Balance Vessel. Sail Safer.

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Book a demo with your vessel data, or start a trial with a demo vessel.

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