The load planning process begins with a preplan. The preplan consists of projected containers that are planned to the vessel as placeholders for the real containers in the load list.
The preplan serves the following purposes:
It serves as a template or general plan to follow when sequencing real containers onto the ship.
It ensures that enough space is reserved for all expected containers.
It helps you calculate the projected stability condition of the vessel at various points during the loading process.
Usually, you receive the preplan from the line operator and enter it into N4 by importing an electronic data interchange (EDI) file of the preplanned stowage using the XPS client. See Using EDI to communicate preplan information (on page 1).
If you need to build the preplan manually, this process involves the following tasks:
For these tasks, you need editing privileges.
If you use the Quay Commander or AutoStow options, you must preplan the vessel before you create a crane schedule. Both options use predefined work patterns, which affect how preplanned containers are sequenced and may render some of the procedures that are usually involved in projection planning unnecessary. For more information, see the manual Navis N4: Vessel Administrator and User Guide.
For more information on the tools and techniques involved in projection planning, see the manual Navis N4: Basics.