NAPA launches stability management solution for RoRo vessels in collaboration with Stena Line in International Shipping News 06/05/2026 NAPA, the global provider of maritime software and data services, has launched NAPA Stability for RoRo, a stability management and cargo planning solution built specifically for the operational demands of RoRo and RoPax vessels. The product has been co-developed with Stena Line, one of the world’s largest ferry and RoRo operators, with whom NAPA has collaborated for over two decades on safety and efficiency solutions. The solution is currently in trial deployment on the Gothenburg–Kiel route. The launch extends NAPA’s stability platform, already installed on more than 69 cruise vessels and a growing number of ferry operators, into the RoRo segment with cargo-specific capabilities designed to manage the speed and complexity of short-sea voyage operations. RoRo and RoPax operations present a cargo management challenge unlike almost any other vessel type. A single Stena Line RoPax departure can include up to 1,300 passengers, 90 trailers, 120 trucks, 45 containers, 180 cars, 25 cars with caravans, 30 mobile homes, and 35 dangerous goods units, and in some cases, livestock and rail cargo. Officers must plan cargo placement, verify stability, manage IMDG dangerous goods segregation requirements, and confirm departure conditions within turnaround windows measured in hours with no margin for delay. Until now, much of this work has been manual and cargo manifests arrived by email. Dangerous goods data was entered unit by unit into the loading computer. On some vessels, this process consumed 1-1.5 hours of officer time per departure. Existing loading computer systems, while functional, were not designed for the speed, cargo variability, or digital integration demands of modern RoRo operations. NAPA Stability for RoRo platform NAPA Stability for RoRo addresses this by connecting directly to the operator’s booking system. Cargo data – including unit types, weights, quantities, and dangerous goods classifications – is imported automatically into the loading computer, eliminating manual transcription from emails and spreadsheets. Officers work from accurate, ready-to-use booking data for every journey, helping save time that can be reinvested into operational oversight and safety decision-making. A visual cargo planner on the new solution allows officers to load units to decks using intuitive, user-friendly drag-and-drop functions, edit areas, and split or move items, while the stability calculation runs in parallel. Officers can see the impact of every loading decision on vessel stability in real time. The system supports both manual and auto mode, giving crews the flexibility to optimize larger cargo batches automatically while retaining full human control over final decisions. Dangerous goods handling, previously a manual, time-intensive process, is automated within the system. Dangerous goods units are imported with full IMDG classification details, and the system automates segregation based on IMDG Code requirements. This approach also helps minimize errors. Further, NAPA is also developing AI and machine-learning-based ruling for automatic placement of dangerous goods, with positive results from ongoing development work. The launch version of NAPA Stability for RoRo includes AI-assisted cargo loading, which draws on historical loading conditions to propose optimal cargo placement and support better decision-ma