SONATAtakes the allocation off the planner's desk — and gives the optimisation back.
Traditional multi-port planning takes 16+ hours of consolidation, manual allocation, and re-iteration. SONATA collapses it to under 40 minutes for multi-port voyages — and under 15 minutes for single-port plans — so the time goes back into refinement, what-ifs, and DG segregation done properly.
The conflict in your operations
It happens every voyage. Commercial wants the vessel full. Planning rolls cargo over for stability reasons. Both sides work from different spreadsheets. The argument is the process. SONATA puts them on the same source of truth — live cargo forecast, real-time stability, and a transparent stowage plan that both sides can read.
“The vessel planner always has the last say, often resulting in a conflict with trade managers when containers were ‘rolled over’ by the planner due to stability reasons.”
Solverminds GmbH · 2021
What this means for your P&L
Tighter DG clustering — per IMDG-compliant risk zones — frees up bays that would otherwise be wasted. Carriers can pack more reefers and accept more hazardous cargo without breaking safety rules.
GM, lashing forces, stack loads, IMDG segregation, DNV GL lashingcheck — all calculated as the plan is built, not validated after the fact. Compliance becomes a property of the process.
Optimised crane splits and pre-arrival plans mean shorter berth windows. Less time in port means voyages can run at economical speed, reducing bunker cost.
Time saved goes back into refinement, what-ifs, and DG segregation done properly — not lost to manual re-iteration. The planner's expertise is finally applied where it actually moves the number.
The race
Manual planning
Today16+ hrs
For a multi-port voyage plan
Spreadsheets. Phone calls. Re-iteration after re-iteration. The vessel waits at the berth while the planner finishes.
With SONATA
One clickUnder 40 min
Multi-port · <15 min single-port
One generation. Multi-port. DG auto-segregated. IMDG-compliant. Plan ready before the vessel arrives.
The live plan
DG cargo clustered per IMDG Code. Reefers grouped near plug points. High cubes positioned by weight. Every safety calc — GM, stress, lashing, stack load — checked before the plan finalizes.
Bay 21
Bay 22
Bay 23
Vessel safety calcs
Slot fill
94%
Loaded
178/192
Reefers
12
DG conflicts
0
The cost of getting it wrong
Cargo loss, environmental damage, and loss of life — the industry has lived through every one of these. SONATA exists because the stakes are non-negotiable.
1,382
containers / year
Average annual cargo lost at sea (World Shipping Council, 12-year survey 2008–2019).
$200M+
per major incident
Single events have generated this much in commercial losses, legal claims and environmental remediation — sometimes taking years to resolve.
1,800
boxes lost · Nov 2020
A single trans-Pacific voyage in storm conditions — 64 of the lost containers carried Dangerous Goods. Second-largest cargo loss in liner history.
Sources: World Shipping Council Containers Lost at Sea report; Solverminds SONATA white paper (2021).
What's inside
Plan a 5-port voyage in one pass.
Interactive interface lets planners run multiple scenarios simultaneously — pick the cheapest fuel-and-fill outcome.
IMDG Code compliance — automatic.
Starts with the most sensitive DG class, clusters into bays, respects vessel restrictions and your house rules.
Risk, preferred, banned — by your rules.
Carriers define their own zoning logic for DG distribution. SONATA enforces it on every plan.
GM. Stress. Lashing. Stack load.
Every metric calculated on every plan. Prevents stack collapses and lashing failures before they happen.
Beyond the vessel.
Automated yard forecasting and optimized crane splits — the savings extend to your shore operation.
Linux. Mac. Windows. API.
Runs anywhere. Connects to anything. Your existing stack stays intact.
BAPLIE, Movins, Excel, COPRAR.
Five major formats native. Custom mappings on top. No conversion overhead.
Cost a skipped port. Cost a Change of Destination.
Run the financial impact of omitting a port or rerouting a container — before committing. Operational decisions get costed, not guessed.
One vessel. Many forecast files.
In a Vessel Sharing Agreement, every partner sends a different forecast in a different format at a different time. SONATA consolidates them into a single load list before the planner touches it — the multi-partner pain disappears.
Format ingestion
Five major formats supported out of the box. Custom mappings for user-specific files. No data-conversion overhead, no consultant project.
What comes out
Every plan generates the documentation operations, terminal, and class need — without the planner having to assemble them by hand.
Bay Print
Container-by-container layout per bay, ready for the terminal.
Cargo Statistics
Per-port, per-discharge breakdown of TEUs, weight and special cargo.
Stress & Stability
GM, BM, SF, TM and trim across every plan condition.
Restow List
Every container that needs lifting and re-stowing, by bay and stack.
Error Report
Rule violations, lashing exceedances, and DG conflicts surfaced before the plan finalises.
Stack Weight & Height
Lashing-limit compliance and stack-load checks per location.
Visibility Report
Bridge sightline verification — what the captain can and can't see over.
Data Analysis Cube
Cross-cut the plan by cargo type, port, weight, vessel — answers without a spreadsheet.
Built with mariners, not just engineers
SONATA's Chief Commercial Officer is a Master Mariner. The product team includes deck officers, ship managers, and chief engineers — not just software developers. Every rule, every constraint, every shortcut in the planning UI exists because someone on the team ran into it at sea or in port.
Credit · SONATA team
Capt. Vijay Minocha
Chief Commercial Officer · Master Mariner
Plus founding directors, Solverminds GmbH leadership in Germany, and a team of master mariners and chief engineers reviewing every release.
17+ years
2005
Manual planning
First-generation stowage planning launched
2006
First implementation
Manual planning deployed in production
2007
Auto-planning
Algorithm-driven planning engine launched
2011
Optimization R&D
Deep research into stowage optimization algorithms
2012
Carrier-scale
Operating at major-carrier vessel-stowage scale
2017
European MOU
Strategic partnership signed in Germany
2019
Risk-zone integration
New algorithms + IMDG risk-zone engine
2021
Dynamic lashing
100% lashing limits · faster crane splits · high-cube optimisation
Trusted by container lines on five continents
"Solverminds is a critical partner for our business. SONATA gives us a very positive experience to work with their teams to standardize and streamline our processes. We really appreciate the support, responsiveness, and follow-up from their very knowledgeable staff."
Mohamed Boumar
Manager · White Line Shipping & Cargo
Pick your next step
Three ways to start — pick the one that fits where you are.
Just looking
Concise overview of SONATA — what it does, what it needs, where it fits. No call, no commitment.
Request brief →Evaluating
Custom 30-min session with your BAPLIE files. Watch SONATA generate a real plan from your real data.
Schedule session →Ready to deploy
45 minutes with a SONATA specialist. Integration plan, timeline, and ROI projection.
Book a call →