a method of distributing freight being transported in the cargo compartments and on the upper decks of a vessel. A cargo plan serves as a guide during loading and unloading of freight and is concerned with the full utilization of a vessel’s weight and volume carrying capacities, the prevention of damage to freight during its shipment, and the expedient and rapid loading and unloading of freight; the plan takes into account the vessel’s stability and allowable draft and the hull’s overall and local strength. A cargo plan lists the types of freight and, for each type, the space allocated to it, its volume, the location of its center of gravity, and its destination.