#4: Ship Operations Flashcards
Primary Task of Operations Department
PRIM
Ensure Master knows and understands his responsibility and what is expected of him and his vessel
Monitor the voyage continuously to avoid delay, expenses and maximising income.
Look out for potential problems and disputes and resolve them asap before they get out of hand.
Act as clearing house for information in the ship manager’s office so that everyone knows all they need to know about what the ship is doing, in order to be able to do their jobs.
PRIM
Operations Department
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- Provide voyage estimation, calculation of charter hire, freight, and demurrage and despatch
- Issue voyage instructions
- Appoint agents and stevedores
- Arrange surveys associated with commercial
operation - Monitor the vessel for delays and problems.
- To deals with claims
- To contract for towage and salvage
- To sign bonds, undertakings as agent for the owner
- Operate the ship efficiently
Information for ship’s master
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Owners/ Chartering Broker->Operations Departments
- The amount, type and size of cargo, S.F.
- Loading port and discharged port together with their restrictions - water and air draught, berth
- Notice of readiness to Charterers, Shippers, Consignees and agents
- Charterer’s name and address
- Laycan dates
- Documents required at load port and disch port
A copy of Charter Party to forward to ship asap
OPERATIONS DEPT LIAISON WITH
OTHER DEPTS
Crew department
Crew mail is despatched to the ship by the most expeditious means, provided time permits.
Crew change. Crew can help to bring the mail.
Technical department
Spares Stores Bunker
Arrange classification surveys and renewal of certificate
Finance department
Cash advance for crew and vessel.
ARRIVAL REPORT
Arrival Conditions
Arrival draft of the ship
Forward draft
Aft draft
Mean draft
Arrival ROB
ROB HSFO
ROB MGO
ROB LSFO
Arrival GM (metacentric height)
Arrival Time
Location
Expected time of completion cargo work
ETD from the Port
ETA next Port
Upon arrival port, operations department
to ensure
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Notice of Readiness (NOR) has been tendered and accepted.
Loading operations are proceeding smoothly
All master’s requirement are being met namely
Bunkering
Cash advance
Crew change
Spares n stores
Instructions on Bill of Lading
DEPARTURE REPORT
Departure Conditions
Departure draft of the ship
Forward draft
Aft draft
Mean draft
Departure ROB
ROB HSFO
ROB MGO
ROB LSFO
Departure GM
Departure Time
Location
Actual time completion cargo work
Amount of cargo loaded
ETA next Port
After vessel departed, information found
in a departure report
The actual timing on completion of cargo work
The timing on unberthing
Sailing condition namely
Departure draft
Departure GM
Arrival condition for next port, namely
Arrival draft
Arrival GM
ETA next port
The actual port disbursement
VOYAGE PLANNING
Bunkering
Marine Fuel Oil (MFO)
Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (LSFO)
Marine Diesel Oil (MDO)
Marine Gas Oil (MGO)
Ship’s Routeing
BUNKERING
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Cost of bunker
Availability of bunkering services
Beware of any delay
Quality & Quantity
Reputation
Along the trading route preferably at POL/POD
Main engine uses fuel oil at sea and diesel oil during manoeuvring (approaching and departing from ports)
Auxiliary engine uses diesel oil
Although some ships can take power from the main to turn the generators at sea at full away on passage.
MDO is also used in the main engine for starting and warming up main engine and manoeuvring
When vessel is in port, main engine is shut down.
No consumption of fuel oil.
Diesel generator is required to provide electricity/power.
Diesel is consumed when vessel is in port.
If more cranes or power is required,
More diesel generators are required to be started
More diesel is burnt.
If cargo operation is using ship’s gear, then more
diesel is used as compared to using shore gear.
Bunkering always cause delay to vessel and involve additional port charges unless done concurrently with loading and discharging.
If vessel has to deviate from her passage to bunker, then additional delay and extra expenses will be incurred for port disbursement and extra steaming.
A bunkering call usually takes at least 12 hours to
complete the whole process.
COST
Bunker cost is constantly changing
Check constantly with all major suppliers to get the best price.
AVAILABILITY
Major bunkering ports in the world are:
Singapore
Hong Kong
Rotterdam
Los Angeles
Cape Town
Jeddah
Abnormal delay may occur even in major bunkering port
Due to unusual high demand during peak hours
Breakdown of one or more bunkering barges
QUALITY
Quality of the bunker is very important.
Inferior quality can cause higher consumption and possible damage to engine in the long run.
Pay special attention to the specification of the bunker when buying and receiving it on board ship.
To ensure that bunker supplied to ships are as ordered, ship owners are using the services of quality analysis service namely
Lloyds Register - FOSBAS (Fuel Oil Bunker Analysis and Advisory)
Norske Veritas - VFQT ( Veritas Fuel Quality Testing)
Ship Engineers should be conscious about the quality of bunker received on board ship.
For time charter, bunker is supply by time charterer.
Supply of bunker becomes the charterer’s responsibility and ship manager’s loses direct control over the quality of bunker supplied to ship.
Engine well-being is under the responsibility of the owner
and not the charterer.
Charterer’s immediate concern is minimise cost and they are
not too concern with the long term condition of the engine.
Precautions before, during and after bunkering
Scuppers on deck must be plugged
Bunker tanks which are receiving the bunkers must be emptied before bunkering
Take oil sample at the manifold during bunkering
Send sample to shore for lab test
Allow for 7 days awaiting the lab test
Do not use the new oil until the result of the lab test is rec’d by the ship
Safety margin for bunker
- In case the vessel encounter bad weather
Speed decreases,
Steaming time increases
Burn extra bunker - Not all ports have bunkering facilities/types of bunker fuel
- Vessel need extra bunker to burn while waiting for the
result of the lab test - Allow for unpumpable oil/sludge/residue
Mass Flow Meter (MFM)
The use of MPA approved MFM for MFO delivery is mandatory in the Port of Singapore from 1 January 2017
The use of MPA approved MFM for distillate delivery is mandatory in the Port of Singapore from 1 July 2019
Sulphur Limits in Emission Control Areas
In ECA, ships will have to use fuel oil with sulphur content of not more than 0.1% from 1 January 2015.
Outside ECA, ships will have to use fuel oil with sulphur content of not more than 0.5% on and after 1 January 2020.
SHIP’S ROUTEING
For short voyages, the shortest distance between two places is a straight line.
For long voyages especially across the oceans, the shortest distance between two distance is not a straight line but a great circle route.
In addition, we have to allow for:
Currents
Wind
Weather
An unfavourable route can affect
vessel’s performance:
Speed reduced
Cargo damage
Vessel damage
Extra bunker
Weather Routeing Services
Assist master to do voyage planning
Specialist in meteorology and navigation
Information available and fed into sophisticated computer system
Common for** time charterers** to insist upon the ship to engage the weather routeing services to take the best route.
Provide independent evidence and check on the position of the ship and weather condition – can help to minimise maritime fraud
Avoid misunderstanding between Shipowner and Charterer on the speed of the ship and consumption of bunker
VOYAGE CHARTER
Charterers are given a fixed time (laytime) for loading and discharging.
If charterers take longer to effect the cargo operations
Charterer to pay demurrage to ship owner.
Daily rate of demurrage is about = daily running cost of the
ship.
If charterer take lesser time to effect the cargo operations
Ship owner to pay despatch to charterer for the time saved.
Despatch is usually half the demurrage.
Commission (Brokerage Fee)
For time charterer, commission is payable on the total hire paid.
For voyage charterer, commission is on gross freight.
