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).
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.
6.

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:
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.
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.
Sister vessels built with the same specification are
easier to manage, having regard to speed, capacity,
layout, age and flag.
Smaller vessels give more operational flexibility.

Fleet Planning
Continue
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
Continue
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 = Ships Crew

MANNING of VESSELS
Seafarers = Ships Crew
Duties and responsibilities of the Master :
The master is the person in charge of a vessel
The Masters duties and responsibilities are many,
varied and extensive:
Ship owners 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 Masters 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 watchkeeping 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
Ships 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 Departments Duty:
The duties of the bosun (boatswain) are such that
he acts as a foreman of the deck-hands
The carpenters 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 Stewards 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 ships 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 seamans 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 seamans 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.