Before entering fully into the meaning of the term stowage, we are going to proceed to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it is a word that derives from the verb stibar, which comes from Latin, specifically from “stipare”. This is a verb that can be translated as “squeeze” or “accumulate.”
In the field of the navy , stowage is the process that consists of depositing, in the most convenient way, a load on a vessel. The term also refers to the entire cargo that is located in a hold or elsewhere on the ship.
The verb stow , in this context, refers to loading a ship or unloading it. Also to distribute the merchandise on its surface . The individual in charge of the tasks of loading, organizing and unloading the weights is called a stevedore .
The purpose of stowage is to transport the cargo in the safest and most efficient way possible. The stevedore must organize the elements in the smallest space possible, always guaranteeing the safety of both the vessel and the crew. On the other hand, it has to facilitate the rapid identification and unloading of objects to save time at the receiving port.
Regarding the safety that must be taken care of when stowage, it is important that the ship remains stable , without heeling and paying attention to its draft . The load, in addition, must be preserved intact , for which attention must be paid to temperature, humidity and mechanical forces. Another aspect to consider when stowage is the movement of the crew members through the vessel, which should not be affected by the load.
When undertaking an adequate stowage process, it is necessary to respect a series of rules and advice such as the following:
-Light loads should be placed on top of heavy ones to prevent them from being crushed.
-Liquid type goods must be placed below solid ones. This way, if those leak, they will not cause damage to the rest of the merchandise.
-The load must always be very well secured. For this reason, they must be fastened with one of the existing methods such as mooring, the use of filling materials, shoring...
-Merchandise that is classified as incompatible should not be loaded together in a cargo transport unit. This would be the case of toxic products with food or food merchandise with chemicals...
-So that during stowage some goods do not have more pressure than others, you can choose to use filling materials or panels between them.
-In the same way, stowage must be in the hands of specialized professionals and measures must be taken to prevent manipulation of the merchandise.
The stowage coefficient or stowage factor , finally, is the link between the volume it occupies and the weight of a certain cargo.