Logistical masterpiece
Stowage plans for containerships

For more than 50 years, the container has reduced the world to a handy-sized ball – and for much longer than that shipping has depended on stowage plans. But whereas the stowage plan for the few boxes carried in the old days could still be written by hand, today it is integrated – of course electronically – into the global transport chain in an exceedingly complex logistical system.

In fact a stowage plan practically never has an end, because after all as a rule a containership is never completely un - loaded anywhere so that the stowage plan file for the ship could be closed. Only when, for example every five years, an inspection and overhaul of the ship in dry dock to renew the ship-class is scheduled does the stowage plan come to a temporary end.

It is not only a question of finding and discharging the right containers for the corresponding destination when in port, but also a question of preferred or un - suitable storage locations or com bi - nations. The fact that the containers should be stacked in such a way that they can be discharged at the destina - tion port without first having to lift others aside is clear to every child who has ever played with Lego bricks. Heavy containers should stand at the bottom, lighter ones at the top. Reefer containers can only stand where there are also sockets for the power supply – in most cases on deck. After all, the air circulation of the refrigerating units, which give off hot air to the environ - ment, is better there – and the twicedaily check is also easier to carry out above deck than in the hold under deck. And then certain cargo types must not stand next to each other, for example pesticides and foodstuffs, or pesticides must not be loaded in front of the deckhouse. Certain dangerous goods (see the article about the IMDG-Code on page 3) need a certain minimum distance from each other, such as for example com - bustible and fire-promoting substances. Not to mention goods that must not stand in the blazing sun.

To plan all these criteria for possible or impossible combinations with the con - tainers that are sometimes booked at the last minute on a ship with almost 5,000 container slots in one’s head is something that nobody can do. In seconds, special computer programmes combine the booked consignment with the destination, the free storage slots and the above-mentioned (in)com - patibilities. The programme is operated by the Planner in the offices of the charterer of the ship, who for this pur - pose maintains central databases in his”Stowage and Coordination Centers” in Europe, Asia and the USA. One to two days before the ship arrives in the port, the stowage plan is then transmitted to the ship by the charterer via e-mail. For each bay there is a se pa - rate cross-section through the ship on which each container is registered, its weight noted and its contents described. When the ship arrives in the port, the 1st Officer then receives a printout of the stowage plan from the charterer. He checks whether the criteria described above, in particular the dangerous goods regulations, are fulfilled for stowage of the containers. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the stability of the ship or the load on the ship’s hull are taken into account.

Surprise containers

All planning becomes mere theory if a container is not present in the terminal and thus also cannot be placed in the designated slot on board. If for example a truck got caught up in a tailback on the road or a feeder ship is delayed.”Those are the little surprises that wait for you in the port”, grins Capt. Michael Balitzki, Superintendent at Hanseatic Lloyd in Bremen. Then the stowage plans have to be rewritten during loading. In big terminals, 120 to 140 containers are loaded per hour – in this case the crew simply has to believe the plan of the terminal (and the solution in such cases). When the world used to turn a little more slowly, the crew could in fact still check off box by box whether it actually was stowed in the place planned. Especially containers that arrive late are frequently put right at the top of the stack – and if these boxes are especially heavy or the dangerous goods they contain are not compatible with the cargo under them, if necessary the containers will have to be restacked. Michael Balitzki about such problem cases:”The captain has the last word.”

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