Multi-Container Plans

When a shipment is too large for a single container, or when you want to distribute cargo across multiple vessels in one coordinated plan, LOP supports adding multiple containers to a single plan. The optimizer assigns items across all containers simultaneously and each container gets its own 3D view, score breakdown, and loading report.

Adding Containers to a Plan

A plan starts with a single container. To add more:

1. Click the + Add button at the right end of the container tab bar at the bottom of the editor
2. Select a container type from the picker — standard ISO types, truck types, or your custom containers
3. The new container appears as a new tab with a default name (e.g., "Container 2")

There is no limit on the number of containers in a plan, subject to your subscription plan's limits.

The Container Tab Bar

The tab bar at the bottom of the editor shows all containers in the plan. Each tab displays:

• The container's name
• The current fill percentage for that container
• A color-coded status dot: green (well-utilized), yellow (partially filled), red (underutilized or constraint violation)

Click any tab to switch the 3D viewport to that container. The Items Panel and score panel update to reflect the selected container.

Changing a Container's Type

To change the container type of an existing container in the plan:

1. Click the active container tab (the one currently highlighted)
2. A dropdown appears with a list of available container types
3. Select the new type

LOP removes the current container and adds a new one of the selected type, maintaining all items assigned to that position in the plan. The optimizer will need to be re-run after a container type change, as the new dimensions invalidate the previous placement arrangement.

Removing a Container

Hover over a container tab and click the X button that appears to remove it. The remove button only appears when the plan has two or more containers — you cannot reduce a plan to zero containers.

Items assigned to a removed container are moved to the Unplaced Items list. They remain in the plan and will be reassigned when you run the optimizer again.

Optimizing Across Multiple Containers

When you run the optimizer on a multi-container plan, it distributes items across all containers using the following process:

Step 1 — Assignment. Items are sorted by volume (largest first). Each item is assigned to the first container that has sufficient remaining volume and payload capacity for it. This is a First Fit Decreasing (FFD) strategy.

Step 2 — Per-Container Optimization. Each container is optimized independently using the same 3-stage pipeline (constructive, local search, metaheuristic) that applies to single-container plans.

Step 3 — Cross-Container Rebalancing. After per-container optimization, LOP attempts to relocate any items that remain unplaced into containers with remaining capacity. This rebalancing pass can sometimes fit items that FFD assignment missed.

Per-Container Scores

Each container in a multi-container plan gets its own set of quality scores:

• The tab bar shows the fill percentage for each container
• Click any container tab to see its individual Overall Score, Utilization, Weight Balance, Stability, Handling Efficiency, and Damage Risk scores in the Bottom Panel
• The PDF export includes a separate section for each container

There is no single "plan-wide" overall score for multi-container plans — each container is evaluated independently. When reviewing a multi-container plan, check each container's scores individually to confirm all vessels are within acceptable quality ranges.

Renaming Containers

To rename a container, double-click its tab name or right-click the tab and select Rename. Use descriptive names that help warehouse staff identify which physical vessel each container refers to — for example "40HC - Door 3" or "Shanghai Unit 2."

Container names appear in all exports: PDF load plan sections, CSV packing list headers, and Excel workbook sheet names.

Container Hide/Show

When working with multiple containers, you can hide individual containers from the 3D viewport to focus on just the one you are editing.

• Click the eye icon on any container tab to hide or show that container
• Hidden containers appear dimmed in the tab bar — their data is preserved, just not visible in the viewport
• Click the eye icon again to show the container

This is useful when containers are visually overlapping in the viewport, or when you want to inspect one container without distraction. Hidden containers are still included in optimization runs, exports, and score calculations.

Practical Tips

Balance item distribution intentionally. The optimizer's FFD assignment prioritizes filling containers sequentially. If you want more even fill across all containers, consider sorting items into explicit groups before optimizing.

Use the same container type for flexibility. If your operation allows it, two 40' GP containers are easier to swap and rearrange than a mixed 40' HC + 20' GP combination — both at the planning stage and during actual vessel allocation.

Check each container's weight balance separately. A multi-container plan can have excellent overall utilization but one badly balanced container. Always review the Weight Balance score for each tab before exporting.

Remove under-filled containers before finalizing. If one container ends up at 20% fill after optimization, consider whether the remaining items can fit in the other containers with a re-run. Shipping a nearly empty container is costly.

Next Steps

• Planning Modes — how mode choice affects multi-container optimization
• Understanding Scores — interpreting per-container quality scores
• Manual Editing — adjusting placements within individual containers
• Constraints & Rules — constraint enforcement across multi-container plans