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Stowage solution · MPP & heavy lift

Heavy lift stowage planning software

Plan the lifting and stowage of heavy cargo on MPP and heavy lift ships: crane capacity at the required outreach, heel and GM with the load suspended, counter-ballast, load spreading through grillage, and sea-fastening for the voyage. The heavy lift module is part of the fourth wave and is rolling out in stages.

Rollout wave 4Plan 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

Crane capacity checked too late

Crane SWL falls as outreach grows. A position that looks fine on the layout may need a radius beyond the crane curve.

Heel during the lift not predicted

A heavy load at the boom tip shifts the centre of gravity up and outboard. Without a calculation, counter-ballast is prepared too little or too late.

Point loads and sea-fastening kept apart

Grillage, deck loads and sea-fastening forces often live in spreadsheets separate from the stowage plan, so position changes are not carried through.

Used by: MPP chief officers and mastersHeavy lift and rigging engineersMarine superintendentsProject freight forwardersMarine warranty surveyors (reviewers)

What is modelled

  • Holds and tank tops with uniform and point load limits
  • Hatch covers and weather deck for deck cargo
  • Ship’s cranes with SWL against outreach curves
  • Ballast and heeling tanks for counter-ballast
  • Lashing points and sea-fastening stopper positions

Checked on every move

  • Crane SWL and outreach

    Cargo plus rigging weight is compared with crane SWL at the required radius, including tandem mode when two cranes work together.

  • GM with the load suspended

    During the lift the cargo’s centre of gravity is taken at the boom head, so the reduced GM is known before the lift.

  • Heel and counter-ballast

    Heel during the lift is calculated for each boom position and compared with the crane manual’s heel limit; the counter-ballast needed is shown.

  • Deck load through grillage

    Cargo load is spread through grillage or dunnage onto beams and tank tops, then compared with uniform and point load limits.

  • Sea-fastening forces

    Longitudinal, transverse and vertical forces from design accelerations are compared with the capacity of the planned lashings and stoppers.

  • Cargo CoG and lifting points

    Heavy items must carry a CoG and lifting points from the manufacturer’s drawings; items missing them get a blocking warning.

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

Workflow

  1. Model the ship and cranes

    Enter holds, decks, allowable loads, tanks and crane SWL curves in the Vessel Builder, then import hydrostatics and KN from the stability booklet.

  2. Enter the heavy cargo

    Record each item’s dimensions, weight, CoG, lifting points and footprint; manufacturer drawings are attached as source documents.

  3. Plan the lift and position

    Choose the crane and radius, check heel and GM during the lift, set counter-ballast, then land the item on its grillage.

  4. Review and approve

    The plan and lift report are reviewed by the chief officer, the superintendent and the marine warranty surveyor where required, then approved by the master.

Outputs

  • Lift plan per item: crane, radius, SWL used
  • Heel, GM and counter-ballast table during the lift
  • Stowage layout with grillage and deck loads
  • Sea-fastening force summary per item
  • Departure condition: drafts, trim, GM, criteria

Example scenario

Illustration — fictional vessel, not a customer case study

Illustrative MPP with two 250 t cranes

Situation

Illustration with a fictional MPP of about 12,000 DWT with two 250 t cranes, loading one 210 t transformer and other project cargo in the holds and on deck.

Steps in the planner

  1. 01The transformer plus 12 t of rigging gives 222 t; the 250 t crane at a 16 m radius on the example curve is enough for a hold 2 position.
  2. 02The lift calculation without counter-ballast shows heel above the example limit, so the opposite heeling tank is filled first.
  3. 03With counter-ballast, heel with the boom outboard is estimated at about 2° and GM with the load suspended stays above the minimum.
  4. 04The transformer lands on the tank top through grillage; point loads spread below the limit, then sea-fastening forces are checked against the planned stoppers.

Result

Illustrative result: crane capacity, heel, GM, tank top load and sea-fastening are captured in one plan for review before lift day.

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

When is the heavy lift module available?

The MPP and heavy lift module is part of the fourth wave and is rolling out in stages. The free crane SWL, combined CoG and basic sea-fastening calculators can be used for estimates first.

Does this replace lift engineering calculations?

No. Results are shore-side planning and decision support. The stability booklet, the class-approved loading computer, the crane manual and engineering calculations reviewed by the marine warranty surveyor remain the official reference.

Are tandem lifts supported?

A plan can use two cranes together, with each crane’s share of the load compared with its SWL at its radius. Tandem-specific limits still follow the ship’s crane manual.

What crane data is needed?

SWL against outreach curves, crane pedestal positions, boom head height and the heel limit during lifting from the crane manual, entered in the Vessel Builder with the rest of the ship data.

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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14-day trial on paid plans, starting with a demo vessel built on synthetic data.