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Stowage solution · Ro-Ro and ferry

Ro-Ro stowage planning software

Arrange vehicles in every lane and deck of Ro-Ro ships, ferries and PCTCs: used lane metres, axle loads against deck limits, lane clear height, drive-on and drive-off order, and stability are recalculated as each vehicle is placed. The Ro-Ro module is part of the third wave and is rolling out in stages.

Rollout wave 3Plan 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

Vehicle weights differ from declarations

Loaded trucks are often heavier than declared. Without weighbridge weights in the plan, axle loads, GM and draft can be well off.

Full lanes, poor use

Mixing long, tall and small vehicles without a plan leaves lane metre gaps and forces vehicles to be shuffled on deck.

Heel during loading and blocked exits

Heavy vehicles bunched on one side heel the ship during loading, and first-port vehicles end up blocked by others at discharge.

Used by: Ro-Ro chief officers and mastersLoading masters and deck crewsFerry operatorsMarine superintendentsVehicle and heavy equipment logistics

What is modelled

  • Lanes per deck with length and width
  • Deck load limits per axle and per m²
  • Clear height per lane and hoistable decks
  • Bow, stern or side ramps with load limits
  • Lashing points on vehicle decks
  • Ballast and anti-heeling tanks

Checked on every move

  • Lane metres and dimensions

    Vehicle length, width and height are checked against the lane and clear height, with spacing between vehicles set by company rules.

  • Axle and deck load

    Axle and wheel loads are compared with the deck limit per lane, including upper and hoistable decks with lower limits.

  • Ramp load

    The heaviest vehicle crossing the ramp is compared with the ramp’s load and angle limits at the planned draft and tide.

  • Drive-on and drive-off order

    Vehicles for the first port are placed so they can leave without moving others, with their exit heading recorded.

  • Heel and stability

    Heel during loading, corrected GM including tank free surface, and the applicable stability criteria are recalculated as each vehicle is placed.

  • Vehicle lashing

    The number and position of lashing points per vehicle are recorded following Ro-Ro vehicle securing guidance and the ship’s Cargo Securing Manual.

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

Workflow

  1. Model the vehicle decks

    Draw lanes, clear heights, load limits, ramps and lashing points per deck in the Vessel Builder, then import hydrostatics from the stability booklet.

  2. Receive the vehicle list

    Import bookings or the vehicle manifest with dimensions, weighbridge weights and destination; extracted data is confirmed by the user.

  3. Fill the lanes

    Place vehicles per lane by discharge order; used lane metres, loads, heel and GM update immediately.

  4. Approve and load

    Send the plan to the chief officer and master, then share the drive-on order with the loading master as deck-by-deck layouts.

Outputs

  • Lane layout per deck with vehicle positions (PDF)
  • Drive-on and drive-off order per port
  • Used and remaining lane metre summary
  • Stability condition: drafts, trim, heel, GM
  • Heavy vehicle list and lashing notes

Example scenario

Illustration — fictional vessel, not a customer case study

Illustrative 90 m Ro-Ro ferry, two vehicle decks

Situation

Illustration with a fictional 90 m Ro-Ro ferry with about 450 lane metres on two decks, loading 18 trucks and 35 cars for one destination port.

Steps in the planner

  1. 01Truck weights come from the weighbridge; three trucks are more than 15% above their declared weight and are flagged.
  2. 02Heavy trucks go in the centre lanes of the main deck, and cars go on the upper deck with its lower load limit.
  3. 03A staged loading simulation shows 2.5° of heel if trucks load from starboard first, so the order is changed to alternate port and starboard.
  4. 04The departure condition shows GM and trim within limits, with about 60 lane metres left for late arrivals.

Result

Illustrative result: every axle and deck load is within limits, heel during loading stays controlled, and the drive-off order needs no shifting.

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 Ro-Ro module available?

The Ro-Ro module is part of the third wave and is rolling out in stages. For vehicles and heavy equipment on LCTs, the first-wave LCT module already covers ramps, lanes and axle loads.

Can vehicle weights come from a weighbridge?

They can be imported via Excel/CSV or the API with the booking data. Weighbridge weights are preferable to declared weights because they drive axle loads, GM and draft.

Can the stability results serve as an official document?

No. Results are shore-side planning and decision support. The class-approved onboard loading computer and the stability booklet remain the master’s official reference.

Does it handle multi-deck PCTCs?

Decks and lanes are modelled per ship in the Vessel Builder, so ships with many decks and hoistable decks can be modelled with their own height and load limits.

Other vessel types

Plan Cargo. Balance Vessel. Sail Safer.

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