Row is one of three coordinates in the Bay-Row-Tier (BRT) system used to identify the exact stowage position of every container aboard a ship.
The Bay-Row-Tier System
A container ship’s stowage plan locates every box using three numbers: bay (the position lengthwise, fore to aft), row (the position across the ship’s beam, port to starboard), and tier (the vertical level, bottom to top). Together, a bay-row-tier reference — for example “06-08-82” — pinpoints one specific container slot anywhere on the vessel, whether below deck in a hold or stacked above deck.
How Rows Are Numbered
Following the standard IMO convention, row numbers count outward from the ship’s centerline: even numbers typically to one side (starboard) and odd numbers to the other (port), with the centerline itself sometimes carrying its own reference for single-container-width bays. This numbering stays consistent for a given vessel across every bay, so a stevedore or planning system always knows which side of the ship a given row number refers to.
Why Row Position Matters
Row position feeds directly into stability and stress calculations — cargo distributed unevenly across the vessel’s width (an imbalance between port and starboard rows) creates listing moments, while the loading computer uses row-level weight data alongside bay and tier to verify the ship stays within safe stability, stress, and visibility limits before departure.
Row in Practice
Terminal planners and ship’s officers use bay-row-tier references throughout loading and discharge operations — in the stowage plan, in crane instructions to stevedores, and in the ship’s own cargo securing checks — making row position one of the basic pieces of vocabulary in container operations.
Exam Relevance
The Bay-Row-Tier stowage system, including row numbering conventions, is covered under container ship cargo operations and stability topics in deck officer competency exams.