Hyundai Glovis Introduces AI-Based Stowage Technology to Enhance Efficiency and Safety

Stowage Planning Time Cut by 50% from Previous Levels
Proprietary Data Design Technology Enables Detailed Analysis of Vessel Structure

Hyundai Glovis is introducing a new technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate stowage planning when transporting automobiles by sea.

Hyundai Glovis's car carrier and vehicles awaiting loading. Hyundai Glovis

Hyundai Glovis announced on the 12th that it will apply its self-developed "AI-based stowage planning" technology to its own car carriers. The company plans to sequentially roll out this technology to all car carriers it operates.

Stowage planning refers to designing in advance how to place cargo on a vessel in order to improve the efficiency and safety of cargo transportation.

With Hyundai Glovis' AI-based stowage planning algorithm, users input information such as the type and number of vehicles to be loaded on the ship, as well as loading and unloading ports. The core of the technology is that it automatically derives the optimal loading position by taking into account the port rotation and the weight and height of the cargo.

In general, a single departing car carrier carries thousands of vehicles bound for various destinations. If the stowage plan is poorly designed, vehicles that should be unloaded at an intermediate port call can end up being blocked by vehicles bound for subsequent destinations.

In such cases, a large number of vehicles must be unloaded and then reloaded at the port of call, which directly leads to transport delays and additional costs. The company explained that using the AI-based stowage planning technology can prevent this kind of inefficiency.

For heavy and large cargo such as construction equipment, loading positions are determined in the lower decks of the car carrier after considering the height and allowable load of each deck. This allows the ship's weight to be evenly distributed. "Seaworthiness," the vessel's ability to safely maintain balance while sailing, is one of the key factors considered when establishing a stowage plan.

Hyundai Glovis' AI stowage planning algorithm operates based on an in-house data design technology for which the company has completed a patent application. This technology creates a data model that systematically represents structural characteristics and movement possibilities by finely dividing the interior of the car carrier by deck and section. Through this, the AI can determine vehicle movement paths and feasible placement positions.

In simple terms, once the complex internal structure of the vessel is organized in a way that the AI can understand, the AI automatically checks whether there are any sections where vehicle movement paths are blocked, whether height and weight conditions are met, and whether the plan matches the loading and unloading sequence, and then derives the optimal stowage plan.

A Hyundai Glovis official said, "When loading and unloading operations were carried out based on stowage plans created with this technology, they showed a level of safety and efficiency similar to those designed by experts, while the time required to establish a stowage plan was reduced to about half from the previous 27 hours," adding, "We expect the time to decrease by more than 90% as the technology becomes more advanced."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.