Cargo Operations Sea Year Practice Exam 2026 - Free Cargo Operations Practice Questions and Study Guide

Long containers take up two adjacent bay spaces along the ship, so stowage plans use a numbering scheme that groups them consistently by side. The convention used on many vessels is that even-numbered bays lie on the port side, while odd-numbered bays are on the starboard side. This makes it straightforward to locate a 40-foot container by its bay footprint without cross-checking sides. Therefore, 40-foot containers (FEU) are placed in bays with even numbers on the port side. As always, check the specific vessel’s stowage plan, since practices can vary.