On-premise vessel stowage software StowMan takes feeder liners and logistics providers to the next level of vessel stowage planning
Navis, the leading provider of vessel stowage planning solutions, announced that in the first half-year 2018 five feeder liners, including Tehama Shipping and Transinsular, have selected the on-premise stowage planning solution StowMan. The partnership with Navis aims to improve vessel stowage planning and an effective load list handling in order to optimize vessel utilization and port calls.
Feeder services play an important role as logistics service providers in global shipping with advantages such as small-sized ships with an increased service frequency, a larger port range and decreased inland traffic and air pollution. In addition, feeder vessels serve the larger vessels and ensure efficient distribution of containers to across the globe. The trend of mega vessels and alliances has increased the inbound and outbound connections of feeder vessels, which requires more sophisticated planning, resulting in an increased demand for advanced stowage solutions.
The feeder division of UAE/Dubai-based Tehama Shipping operates a fleet of eight container vessels ranging between 600 and 4,500 TEU, mainly in ISC & Middle East trades but also expanding to Asia and the Black Sea. The vessels are equipped with the onboard loading computer MACS3 by Navis and thanks to StowMan’s connectivity to MACS3, the vessel planners can see the same stability check results as the ship’s crew.
“We have chosen StowMan to optimize the vessel stowage which allows us to maximize loading with safer stability conditions,” said Captain Sherif Elbakatoushy, General Manager at Tehama Shipping.
Lisbon-based Transinsular, who operates four dedicated liner services – Azores Express, Madeira Express, Line Class and Atoba Service – has decided to transform its operational planning activities from onboard planning to a centralized, shore-based stowage center supported by StowMan software.
“To improve operations, we require central planning across all services. StowMan enables us to manage the stowage planning and optimize the cargo load based on accurate vessel profile information,” said António Oliveira, Fleet & Operations Director at Transinsula.
Transinsular currently operates a fleet of seven geared container vessels in the 1,000 TEU range, connecting the Iberian Peninsula, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia with the Azores, Madeira, Cape Verde and West Africa.
“The enhanced scope of planning and cargo handling functionalities of StowMan provides vessel planners with the boost in productivity that is needed to meet today’s requirements for efficient container shipping for all vessel sizes,” says Guy Rey-Herme, President of XVELA and the Head of Maritime Solutions at Navis. “We are proud to say that currently 50 carriers and logistics providers with approximately 500 users worldwide stow their vessels with StowMan, including several top five ocean carriers.”
The vessel stowage planning software StowMan is available as an on-premise solution for ocean carriers, agencies and smaller terminals, enabling vessel planning, load list management, and basic port call planning. For a more advanced planning tool, Navis also offers SAM – the new semi-automatic Stowage Assistant Manager. SAM is powered by an optimization engine that creates faster and smarter stowage plans resulting in measurably higher intake in TEUs and tons both on and under deck. SAM uses machine learning technology to support stowage within lashing forces together with MACS3’s full support of all the latest lashing rule updates by all major classification societies.
StowMan is also connected to XVELA, the innovative cloud collaboration platform that fosters collaboration between ocean carriers and terminals to unlock greater efficiency and productivity. As a maritime business platform, XVELA aims to transform the industry towards a more connected container supply chain through real-time information exchange. The integration between StowMan and XVELA allows StowMan users to work in tandem with terminal planners to create more efficient stowage plans that are optimized for the current conditions of the terminal.
