SHIP : OPERATION & MANAGEMENT

SHIP OPERATION

SHIP OPERATION

Factors to consider in planning sailing schedules:

1. The overall number of ships and their availability

2. The volume, type and any special characteristics of the traffic

3. Traffic fluctuations such as peak demands

4. Maintenance of time margins where services connect. For example, with multi-modalism involving container tonnage and the dry port concept involving dedicated rail networks port turn-round time is crucial. This involves the containerized ‘hub and spoke’ system.

5. Availability of crew and cost.

SHIP OPERATION

(continue)…. 6. Arrangements for relief measure which may

arise in cases of emergency

7. Climatic conditions. Some ports are ice-bound throughout certain periods of the year, which prevents any shipping calling at these particular ports.

8. Competition. This arises when conference and non-conference tonnage, for example, operate schedules alongside each other and compete in the same market place. This gives emphasis to the ‘value added’ benefit derived from the service provided to the shipper.

9. Time necessary for terminal duties at the port. This will include loading and/or discharging, customs procedure, bunkering, victualing, etc.

10. Voyage time.

Port with ice - frozen

SHIP OPERATION

(continue)…. 11. The actual types of ship available and in particular

their size, incorporating the length, beam and draught, together with any special characteristics.

12. Any hostile activities taking place or envisaged in any particular waters.

13. Location of canals such as the Suez and Panama as alternative routes.

14. Actual estimated voyage cost and expected traffic receipts.

15. Political actions such as flag discrimination, bilateral trade agreements causing unbalanced trading conditions.

16. General availability of port facilities and dock labour, and any tidal restrictions affecting times of access and departure.

SHIP OPERATION

(continue)…. 17. Plying limits of individual ships, and for liner

tonnage, any condition imposed by liner conference agreements.

18. With multi-purpose vessels conveying road haulage vehicles, passengers and accompanied cars, the number of cars and road haulage vehicles shipped can vary according to the time of year and/or period of the day.

Fleet Planning

It reflects the business plan objective strategy.

It embraces the effective use of the company resources and basically is market driven and budgeting features strongly.

It is programmed usually over two years, but sometimes five years accords with the company business plan.

It embraces the following areas: mission statement, trades/operational alliances, market forecast, ship investment – method of funding, voyage/time charter demise or non-demise, voyage planning, operation schedules, third party/outsourcing, and operating costs.

Its budget will identify the income – freight/passenger tariffs, the cost – voyage cost/port charges/capital cost and the profit/loss.

Fleet Planning

Factors significantly influence the decision making process in operational fleet planning as given below:

1. Larger vessels tend to be more economical, but can be severely constrained by the availability of deep water berths such as VLCC and mega cruise liner.

2. The tendency in container fleet development/operation is to build larger vessels 10,000/12,000 TEUs to keep pace with trade growth rather than opt for smaller tonnage and increase the sailing schedule frequency.

3. Sister vessels – built with the same specification – are easier to manage, having regard to speed, capacity, layout, age and flag.

4. Smaller vessels give more operational flexibility.

Fleet Planning

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5. Schedules must be devised to make the best use of existing fleet loadability, noting particularly, that costs are incurred whether the vessel is working or not.

6. Management must decide whether to plan the fleet needs for peak, average, or trough demands.

7. Sister vessels – built with the same specification – are easier to manage, having regard to speed, capacity, layout, age and flag.

8. Management must evaluate whether to plan for annual growth of demand. The method of providing increased capacity must be decided: it may involve larger capacity vessels, chartering in new tonnage or faster schedules and/or quicker port turn-round time.

Fleet Planning

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9. The growth in the hub and spoke system has brought a new era to containerized fleet management and its associated trades and its interface with port modernization and development.

10. The changing pattern of world trade is very much in evidence in the Suez and Panama Canal trade routes.

11. The oil tanker trades feature increasingly the shuttle service. The mega tanker tonnage VLCC serve the oil terminals and in some trades the oil is distributed to other maritime oil terminals into smaller tanker vessels.

12. The introduction of the ISPS code (p. 214) must be taken into consideration in fleet planning.

Assignment

Please read and understand the following topics:

1. Relative importance of speed, frequency, reliability, cost and quality of sea transport

2. Indivisible loads

3. Ship and port security: ISPS Code state control

4. Ship management

All materials for those topics will be made available in your learning zone for download by tomorrow afternoon.

SHIP PRODUCTIVITY

Ship productivity is a key factor in ship design and its impact on ship operation

It is an analysis of the balance between supply and demand for tonnage

Key indicators are the comparison of cargo generation and fleet ownership, tons of cargo carried and ton miles performed per deadweight ton and the analysis of tonnage over supply in the main shipping market sectors

Ship productivity is realized through an efficient cargo flow ship to shore and vice versa:

ensures a quick port turn-round time at the port

Terminal layout is the key factor

Estimated productivity of tankers, bulk carriers, combined carriers and the residual fleet, selected years (000 of ton miles performed per dwt)

Efficient cargo flow on a passenger/vehicle ferry (b) stern view: 1 straight stem ramp/door, 2 side ramp/door, 3 hoistable ramps, 4 flood control doors, 5 hydraulic power pack, 6 provision stores, 7 ramp cover, 8 elevators, 9 side

doors

MANNING of VESSELS

Seafarers = Ship’s Crew

MANNING of VESSELS

Seafarers = Ship’s Crew

Duties and responsibilities of the Master:

The master is the person in charge of a vessel

The Master’s duties and responsibilities are many, varied and extensive:

Ship owner’s personal representative

bears the ultimate responsibility for the safe navigation of his vessel

responsibility for the efficient loading, stowage and discharge of cargo

has the power to act as a lawyer, a doctor and even to bury people.

may arrest members of the crew or passengers, if they constitute a nuisance during the voyage

has the power to call on persons on board to render assistance

What are requirement to be a Ship Master?

MANNING of VESSELS

The Ship Master:

To hold the position of a Master:

is a much coveted appointment

is the culmination of years of sea experience

required to hold a Master’s Certificate which is obtained by examination, and issued by authoritative institutions

thoroughly competent in navigation matters including the use of such navigational aids as the gyrocompass, radar, direction finder, echo-sounding device, and position-fixing device together with other instruments.

MANNING of VESSELS

The Ship Master:

Masters are required to establish and enforce rest periods for watch-keeping personnel and to ensure that watch systems are so arranged that the efficiency of watch-keeping personnel is not impaired by fatigue. (STCW code).

STCW code is the Standards of Training, Certification & Watchkeeping for Seafarers, approved by IMO.

MANNING of VESSELS

Ship’s Officers and Crew Manning:

generally be divided into several categories:

the deck department

radio officers

engine room department

catering department

and other.

MANNING of VESSELS Deck Department:

this department is the responsibility of the chief officer or first mate

supervises the handling of cargo

responsible for the upkeep of the ship and its equipment

not responsible for the engine room and auxiliary power gear

acts as a semi-chief of staff to the Master

Chief officer is assisted by two, three or more mates on larger vessels

also includes chief petty officer (deck), petty officers (deck) and a carpenter, together with a number of deck-hands, including junior seamen, seamen grade II and seamen grade I.

MANNING of VESSELS

Deck Department:

MANNING of VESSELS

Deck Department’s Duty:

The duties of the bosun (boatswain) are such that he acts as a foreman of the deck-hands

The carpenter’s responsibilities include attendance at the forward windlass during berthing and unberthing operations

the seamen grades I and II are watch keepers, taking their turn at steering and look-out duties

the remaining deck hands are day workers employed at sea in general duties.

MANNING of VESSELS

Engine Room Department:

the charge of the chief engineer:

responsible to the Master both for the main propulsion machinery and for auxiliaries comprising electrical plant, cargo winches, refrigerating machinery, steering gear, ventilating system, etc.

responsible for fuel, maintenance and repairs

assisted by a number of engineer officers

Also known as engineering department

MANNING of VESSELS

Engineering Department:

MANNING of VESSELS

Catering Department:

role has changed dramatically with the development of the mega cruise tonnage and focus on passenger needs in terms of catering, retail outlets, live and passive entertainment, bars and cabins.

just like a hotel management style with personnel in charge of catering, cabins and the range of shipboard facilities.

Some shipping lines rely on the purser (overall in charge), chief steward (cabins) and chief catering officer (catering) to represent their particular departments.

Sometime called as Steward’s Department

MANNING of VESSELS

MANNING of VESSELS

Engagement and discharge of the crew:

The contract of employment is made between the shipowner and the crew. It is called a crew agreement or the articles of agreement

The shipowner is the contracting party

seamen must sign the crew agreement prior to the intended voyage

The crew agreement contains a voyage clause giving the geographical limits of the voyage, and notice/termination clauses which vary by the trade in which vessel engaged, i.e. foreign-going voyage or home trade

MANNING of VESSELS

Engagement and discharge of the crew:

The ship’s Master is required to maintain a crew list which must be produced on demand to the Registry of Shipping

The crew list embraces reference; name of seaman; discharge book number or date/place of birth; mercantile marine office where registered; name of ship in which last employed – if more than 12 months since last ship, actual year of discharge; address of seaman; name of next of kin; relationship of next of kin; capacity in which employed; grade and number of certificate of competence; date of commencement of employment on board; date of leaving ship; place of leaving ship; rate of wages; if discharged – reason for discharge; signature of seaman on engagement; and signature of seaman on discharge.

MANNING of VESSELS

Engagement and discharge of the crew:

The crew list remains in being until all the persons employed under the crew agreement have been discharged

Before seamen are engaged on a new crew agreement and before they are added to an agreement which is already current, at least 24 hours’ notice must be given to the appropriate super-intendent or proper officer.

The notice of engagement must include name of ship; port of registry; official number; whether a new crew agreement is to be made or whether a person(s) is to be added; and the capacity in which each person to be engaged is to be employed.

MANNING of VESSELS

Engagement and discharge of the crew:

When a seaman is present at his discharge it must be before (a) the Master, or (b) the seaman’s employer, or (c) a person so authorized by the Master or employer.

The person before whom the seaman is discharged must enter in the official log book the place, date and time of the seaman’s discharge and in the crew list the place, date and reason for the discharge.

The seaman must sign the entry in the crew list. In the event of the seaman not being present at the time of discharge, similar entries must be made in the official log and in the crew list. All entries in the official log must be signed by the person making the entry and by a member of the crew.

The seaman can request a certificate either as to the quality of his work or indicating whether he has fulfilled his obligations under the agreement.