BOPT is a bulk stowage optimizer — pre-fixture loadability answers and full bulk stowage plans for bulk carriers.
The smarter path to higher profits in bulk shipping
Pre-fixture loadability analysis for chartering desks.
What a BOPT plan looks like
One commodity · five discharge ports · stability-validated · ballast-optimized
Illustrative — BOPT plans real fleets across iron ore, coal, grain and parcel trades.
Built for two desks
Chartering teams quote faster.
Four ways BOPT wins
Every BOPT deployment delivers against the same four outcomes — regardless of fleet size, trade lane, or commodity.
What this looks like in practice
One on the chartering desk, one on the operations desk — the two ends of bulk shipping where BOPT changes the unit economics.
Chartering · Use Case 1
RICHARDS BAY → ROTTERDAM · 65,000 MT COAL
Operations · Use Case 2
BRAZIL → CHINA · IRON ORE · MULTI-PORT
The optimization framework
Bulk loadability isn't three separate spreadsheets — it's one math problem with three constraint families.
Why algorithms, not spreadsheets
With numerous variables to consider, manual planning cannot achieve the same level of efficiency or consistency.
Key capabilities
Pre-fixture loadability, stowage optimization, stability validation, scenario comparison, fuel management, AI decision support — on one platform, not six spreadsheets and a planner's memory.
Why this exists
BOPT is built around the eight structural challenges shaping dry bulk in this cycle — and the ones that will shape the next.
The philosophy behind BOPT
“At Solverminds, we believe the future lies in automating knowledge, not just workflows.”
The questions bulk operators ask
Bulk operators · Chartering teams
Walkthrough using your vessels, cargoes and ports. BOPT deploys as SaaS — independent from your ERP, integrates via API.
The smarter path to higher profits in bulk shipping
Pre-fixture loadability analysis for chartering desks. Automated stowage planning for operations. One engine, two audiences — calculations that used to take hours done in minutes. The bulk-side counterpart to SONATA in containers, built around the same idea: encode the expert, scale the decision.
What a BOPT plan looks like
Built for two desks
Chartering teams quote faster. Operations teams plan smarter. Both run on the same engine — and answer the same question: will this cargo, on this vessel, in this rotation, actually earn?
For commercial teams
Simulate cargo loadables across multiple vessels in minutes. Compare draft, port and cargo profile. Be first cab on the rank — no waiting on captains or marine ops.
For operations planners
Multi-port rotations, multi-grade cargo, ballast and trim resolved together. Validated against GM, trim, deflection, SFBM, shear and bending before being issued for execution.
Four ways BOPT wins
Every BOPT deployment delivers against the same four outcomes — regardless of fleet size, trade lane, or commodity.
Automated stowage planning that takes hours of marine-ops work and returns a validated plan in minutes. Loadable cargo maximized. Manual rework eliminated.
Multi-grade, multi-hold, multi-port cargo planned in one pass. GM, trim, deflection, SFBM, shear and bending all validated before the plan is issued — no marine-ops rework loop.
Instant vessel suitability evaluation using historical data. Elevate agility with AI and ML, adapting in real time to operational disruptions. Reduce vessel-fixing delays — be the first cab in the rank.
Convert expert knowledge into intelligent systems. Tech-enabled, data-driven decision engines. Workflow automation for consistent outcomes at scale.
What this looks like in practice
One on the chartering desk, one on the operations desk — the two ends of bulk shipping where BOPT changes the unit economics.
Chartering · Use Case 1
The chartering team needs to load 65,000 MT of coal from Richards Bay to Rotterdam under a tight fixture window.
BOPT action
Charter negotiations accelerate. The right ship is fixed for the right voyage — before a competitor closes it.
Operations · Use Case 2
An operations planner must ensure a safe, efficient stowage for an iron-ore voyage from Brazil to China.
BOPT action
A fully compliant hold-by-hold load plan, validated against GM, trim and stress charts. Issued for execution in minutes.
The optimization framework
Bulk loadability isn't three separate spreadsheets — it's one math problem with three constraint families. BOPT models all three together; every plan is feasible across all of them.
Why algorithms, not spreadsheets
With numerous variables to consider, manual planning cannot achieve the same level of efficiency or consistency.
BOPT assists planners in ensuring smarter vessel scheduling — satisfying cargo loadables and adhering to every operational constraint. Advanced algorithms optimize cargo loadables, port, and vessel constraints, resulting in optimal asset utilization, reduced operational costs, and higher ROI.
Key capabilities
Pre-fixture loadability, stowage optimization, stability validation, scenario comparison, fuel management, AI decision support — on one platform, not six spreadsheets and a planner's memory.
Empowers chartering teams to instantly simulate loadable cargo on multiple vessels — eliminating the need for shipboard calculations and cutting pre-fixture turnaround from hours to minutes.
Automates complex cargo planning with real-time consideration of draft limits, trim, tank capacities and hold sequences — multi-grade, multi-hold, multi-port resolved as one problem.
Evaluates GM, trim, deflection, SFBM, shear and bending parameters. Every plan validated against vessel-specific stability requirements and load-line zone regulations before issue.
A single live picture of the bulk fleet — every voyage plan with real-time status updates, so teams track readiness and approvals at a glance.
Run alternative loading patterns, vessel pairings and port rotations side-by-side. Review loading performance, fuel use and stability — pick the optimal plan on commercial impact.
Chartering professionals make faster, data-driven decisions independently — without waiting on captains or operations teams for preliminary feasibility checks.
Tank sequence enforced to keep the vessel within stability and trim limits across the full voyage — not just at departure. Fuel burn at sea and in port falls out of the same model as a downstream effect.
Store cargo plans and refine with a few clicks. Historical stowage data generates the next optimized loading strategy — every plan you close makes the next one faster.
Models trained on real bulk-trade patterns surface the option a human planner would miss — and learn from every fixture you close.
Why this exists
BOPT is built around the eight structural challenges shaping dry bulk in this cycle — and the ones that will shape the next.
Margins compress, charterers shop harder, every fixture is contested. Speed and accuracy of response decide who wins the cargo.
Freight indices swing, demand cycles compress, geopolitical shocks reroute trades overnight. Planning horizons are shorter than ever.
Every load plan must clear GM, trim, deflection, SFBM, shear and bending — and stay within load-line zones across the route. One miscalculation puts the vessel off-hire or worse.
Environmental and industry regulations evolve faster than spreadsheets can track. Load-line zones, emission rules and compliance reporting all bite into voyage economics.
Tonnage in the wrong basin, cargoes without ships, ships without cargoes — the matching problem gets worse the bigger the fleet.
Senior planners retire faster than they can be replaced. The knowledge that wins fixtures walks out the door with them.
Operators are awash in data — bunkers, weather, port congestion, demurrage — but starved of decisions. Insight without action is overhead.
What worked last cycle won't win the next one. Bulk operators need a planning stack that improves every quarter, not every five years.
The philosophy behind BOPT
“At Solverminds, we believe the future lies in automating knowledge, not just workflows.”
Bulk operations have always run on the judgment of a few senior planners. BOPT captures that judgment in an engine — so it scales with the fleet, survives the retirement wave, and gets sharper with every voyage.
“Technology doesn't replace talent — it amplifies it, and protects it.”
The questions bulk operators ask
Pre-fixture loadability check
Grade compatibility, density, draft and parcel sequencing simulated before the fixture commits. Voyage P&L falls out of a loadable plan.
Re-stow on demand
Minutes, not days. Re-validate GM, trim and stress charts when grade, parcel mix or draft inputs shift mid-rotation.
Loading optimization
Grade compatibility, density, and parcel sequencing baked in — pack vessels fuller, faster, without grade-mix risk.
Bulk operators · Chartering teams
Walkthrough using your vessels, cargoes and ports. BOPT deploys as SaaS — independent from your ERP, integrates via API.