Addressing Maritime Safety and Energy Efficiency Through the Integration of Stowage Planning and Trim Optimization

The Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) mandate that vessels should float safely at all times during their operations. This requires compliance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards regarding a ship's actual stability and longitudinal strength conditions. The properties of underwater ship’s hull show that minimum resistance occurs often in a trimmed condition. Provided that ships often operate in trimmed conditions, where resistance varies with draught, speed, and trim, optimizing these parameters is crucial. A trim optimizer is designed to determine the optimal trim that minimizes resistance for specific draughts and speeds, thereby enhancing energy efficiency. This paper explores the integration of maritime safety and energy efficiency by seamlessly combining trim optimization with stowage planning software. The integration aims to maximize operational efficiency whilst complying with regulatory requirements. By leveraging advanced digital tools, the study demonstrates how a trim optimization tool is integrated with a stowage planning software. The findings underscore the potential for digitalization to enhance both safety and efficiency of ship operations.