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TAKEROperator
APRIL 2009

www.tankeroperator.com

Features:







Intertanko heads for Tokyo

EU attacks class
People are the main assets
IBIA asks the questions
Tank coatings contamination
IMOS accepted into tanker family

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Weve made environment

part of our business
We adhere to a mix of new technologies and systems, slow-steaming, careful
route planning, R&D funding, and other initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions.

www.ds-norden.com

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Contents
04

Markets
Chemical and product tankers in for a rough ride

06

Emergency response
Vessel response plans at the forefront

08

Japan Report
 Imports and exports hit
 Intertanko arrives

13
15

Middle East Gulf Report

GEM and Gulfnav fleet expansion
Classification Societies
 EU bares its teeth
 Russian initiatives

20

Manning & Training

 People of vital importance
 Soft skills important
 Training raising the bar
 Satcoms a valuable perk
 Monitoring software
 Podcast eLearning provider
 On board satellite TV a hit
 Continuing professional development

36

Technology
36 Bunkering
 IBIA helps to find answers
 Never a better time to test
 OW Bunker expands
41 Cargo monitoring
 Cargo tank coatings contamination
 Cleaning interface launched
46 Case study
Italian group assesses IMOS

TANKEROperator
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01

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COMMENT

Shipping recruitment conundrum

We make no apology for the rather large manning &
training feature in this issue as despite the
economic gloom and doom, recruiting, retaining &
training is still arguably the key issue in todays
shipping industry, both ashore and afloat.
Many companies are experiencing difficulties just to stay in business,
let alone think of recruitment. Not so in the marine industry cries
international shipping recruitment consultant Faststream.
Since the third quarter of last year, Faststreams global recruiters,
based in Southampton (UK), Oslo (Norway), Singapore and Fort
Lauderdale (US), have been collecting and collating information on
shipping related positions filled.
The sectors examined were ship operations, shipmanagement,
classification societies and consultants.
Somewhat surprisingly, the date reveals that companies still had
positions, which needed filling with high quality candidates and indeed
these positions were being filled. Salaries remained firm and good
experienced candidates were still in demand. This sector does have an
older age profile and many companies were found to have succession
plans in place.
Shipping, especially in the technical departments, was facing a
workforce, which is approaching retirement age at a time when more
ships needed to be surveyed, managed and maintained, as vessels still
had to move safely.
All too often it was found that recruitment was viewed as a problem
and a distressed purchase. Faststreams answer was to take a long term
view and plan accordingly well in advance.
Class active
The recruitment consultants found during the survey that the average
age of a successful candidate was 38.5 years. During the period under
review, Faststream filled vacancies on behalf of the top five IACS class

Faststream found that there was an immediate demand for

experienced personnel, especially in the tanker sector.

02

societies. All have invested considerable time and money in bringing in

new blood and training up the next generation of surveyors.
A frightening statistic is that up to 40% of the class society workforce
will reach retirement age in five years time. However, with the
unexpected collapse of freight rates and newbuilding orders, many class
societies have put recruitment on hold, at least for the time being. The
average age of candidates placed with class societies was 30.
This age profile differs somewhat to that of the ship operations and
shipmanagement sectors. Here, the average age of a superintendent
placed within these sectors was 41 as they had an immediate demand for
experienced personnel, especially in the tanker sector.
In general, it was found that personnel were less likely to take a risk
with a new employer today, preferring to stay where they were if
possible. For example, Faststreams data revealed that people placed in
shipping operations had been with their previous employer for an
average of almost four years.
Salaries have remained firm with an average across all the sectors
covered by the survey of 55,620 per annum. Candidates tended to
focus more on the bottom line, rather than opt for bonuses and
benefits in a salary package. Ship operators and managers paid the
highest average salary of 59,583 per annum and also offered the
best packages.
Bonus schemes
Nearly 75% of those offered places with shipping companies were also
offered a bonus scheme of some sort, compared with only 25% placed
with class societies. Shipping companies were more likely to offer
pensions and private healthcare. However, class societies were often
more creative by offering incentives, such as free accommodation, gym
membership and car allowances.
Class societies could not compete with shipping companies on
salaries as their average stood at 46,431 per annum. However, it was
found that candidates were attracted to this sector by the variety of work
and career opportunities offered. Typical candidates were those coming
straight from the sea and younger less experienced people.
Western shipping companies tended to hire people from a similar
employment background, while they were often more likely to express a
preference about the type of seafaring experience needed. Many larger
organisations preferred ex seafarers from similar sized concerns.
However, class societies have a broader customer base and encouraged
seafarers with experience in a range of shipping companies.
Still the best salaries offered were for positions in the Middle East
where there were a number of large LNG and oil infrastructure projects
that required experienced technical shipping personnel.
However, Faststream warned that it would be unrealistic today to
expect to pay off the mortgage in a couple of years, as the cost of living
in that area had soared. Space in international schools was also in short
supply, resulting in many companies looking for candidates without
dependents, who could start immediately.
Although the time taken to fill a vacancy varied across the different
sectors, the average time taken by Faststream was roughly 10.4 weeks
for shipping companies and class societies. The trend was for a lengthier
recruitment process with two or three rounds of interviews and longer
discussions/negotiations taking place.
Faststream also noted that shipping trainees were still in demand,
particularly from class societies. Here, the average salary was
32,843 per annum with eight weeks being the average time taken
TO
to fill a vacancy.

TANKEROperator  April 2009

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INDUSTRY - MARKETS

Chemical and
product tankers set
for a rough ride
S
peaking about the product carrier
market, ICAPs tanker expert
Simon Chattrabhuti said that the
demand level had remained
surprisingly high with increasing volumes
seen cross trading and in the long haul trades.
He put this down to a geographical missmatch of different products and specifications
aided by traders taking cargoes in arbitrage
trades. Major oil exporters, including some
OPEC member states, were now actively
importing products.
Oil demand was falling in North American,
OECD Europe and Pacific regions. Growth
forecast for China was weak to negative.
Indias heavily subsidised products market

04

A rather bleak picture of

the chemical and product
tanker market was painted
by two leading experts at
the recent avigate/IPTA
conference.

was expected to maintain its growth pattern.

South America, the Middle East and Africa
would be central to product tanker demand
growth, Chattrabhuti said.
The traditional transatlantic MR trade in
gasoline had somewhat diminished on the
back of increased domestic ethanol

production. However, US ethanol production

appeared to have fallen back lately.
Falling demand
Europes gasoline demand fell significantly
during the decade and was expected to
continue to decline on the back of the
recession in the short term and environmental
concerns with Europes road truck fleet
increasingly turning to diesel in the long term.
European demand for gasoil/diesel was
expected to rise once economic growth returns
and there will be a significant flow of US and
Asian distillates into Europe, as well as
imports from the FSU with a high demand for
low sulphur distillates.

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INDUSTRY MARKETS
In a somewhat bizarre scenario,
Chattrabhuti said the jet fuel had been shipped
out of Europe to Asia in LR2s only to be
stored and then shipped back again. Budget
airlines had spurred European demand for
jet fuel.
South Korean demand for naphtha had
driven OECD Pacific growth for this product
but overall, the OECD Pacific region had seen
falls in all major types of refined product
demand.
In the Middle East, Iran, Iraq and Saudi
Arabia were importers of gasoline. Mexico
was a large product importer, while
Venezuela, Ecuador and Brazil saw further
import growth. In Africa, tankers could
experience up to a months delay in
discharging. Indonesia was also an importer
and Chattrabhuti said that he expected the
intra-Asia trades to grow.
Chinas increasing refinery capacity was
probably good news for VLCCs, but not for
product tankers, except for those lifting
naphtha. India was the most interesting area
where most of the major products were both
imported and exported. Refiner Reliance was
export orientated as it was not allowed
government subsidies for imports, whereas
state-owned refineries benefited from
subsidies for the domestic market.
With the coming on stream of new
refineries and the upgrading of some older
ones, more clean products were likely to be
seen traded, but less fuel oil.
However, Chattrabhuti said that overall he
expected the market to decline this year on the
back of strong fleet growth and weak or
negative product tanker demand growth going
forward. However, cross-trading and arbitrage
might help sustain the market.
In the medium to long term, he expected a
strong demand growth until refineries hit a
balance between regional supply and demand.

In a somewhat bizarre scenario...the jet fuel

had been shipped out of Europe to Asia in
LR2s only to be stored and then shipped
back again. Budget airlines had spurred
European demand for jet fuel.

However, investment in refinery capacity

could be delayed due to the credit crunch.
He also gave a fleet breakdown in different
size ranges.
Aframaxes. There were 770 in service, of
which 85 were single hull. The orderbook
stood at a further 234 vessels. Of those in
service, 163 were coated (LR2s) with another
53 out of the orderbook also coated. Of these,
18 were single hull.
Panamaxes. There were 371 in service of
which 231 were fully coated and another 105
on order. Single hull vessels totalled 54.
MRs (45-55 K). There are 689 in service
with another 412 to come. Of those in service
only 39 were single hull.
Small MRs (27-45 K). There are 920 in
service with another 158 on order. Single
hull vessels accounted for 236 of the total
in service.
Chemical tankers
In the chemical tanker sector of over 5,000
dwt, there are 1,684 vessels of 29.8 mill dwt,
according to Inge Steenslands research guru
Geir Olafsen.
He also said that the orderbook stood at 875
vessels of 16.6 mill dwt, although future
delays and cancellations could account for
20% of the vessels on order. He said that
Turkish builders could face up to 40% of their
orderbook cancelled or delayed.

Chemical carrier trades amounted to 165

mill tonnes annually with methanol and liquid
chemicals taking the lions share at 46% of the
total. Palm oil and vegetable oil accounted for
another 29%, while acids and caustic soda
amounted to 12% of the total tonnage carried.
At the bottom of the list came ethanol with
2% and biodiesel with only 1%, he said.
Historically, the chemical trades had gown
by an average of 6% per year. However, this
year the forecast is only about a 3% growth
pattern, rising again to 6% next year and 7%
for 2011 onward.
By 2011, the fleet is expected to have
expanded to 39 mill dwt given a scrapping
level of 27 years of age, while exports from
the Middle East are set to rise, Olafsen
thought, resulting in more long haul trades
and therefore extra tonne/miles.
Rates should be softer this year through
2011, but seasonal strengths were still likely.
There is a downside risk of another 15%
drop in rates, he told the conference. The
turning point could come next year with a
market balance re-established by 2012-2013,
supported by a firmer product tanker market.
During the downturn, some chemical
tankers could switch to the product trades.
More overlap could occur in the transatlantic
MR trades, he thought. In the East, the gap is
much wider with fewer MR cargoes seen, he
TO
concluded.

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9. - 12. June

April 2009

TANKEROperator

05

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INDUSTRY - EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Emergency response plans

needed in US waters
The US is about to tighten regulations concerning vessel response plans (VPRs).
essels visiting US ports will have to
show evidence of adequate salvage
and fire fighting capabilities and
their timely availability in their
VPRs. All vessels must re-submit their plans for
approval by 1st June, 2010.
The regulations were designed to assure the
US Coast Guard (USCG) that salvage
providers listed in VPRs have proven
capability and that the delivery of services
would not be delayed by contract negotiations.
TankerOperator spoke with US-based
salvage company Resolve Marines Bob
Umbdenstock, director of planning &
corporate relations, about the difficulties from
a salvage company perspective.
The US has many ports with oil terminals
along its three coastlines East, Gulf and
West. Umbdenstock explained that the new
regulations would actually make responding
along the coasts easier in so far as they will
require service providers to formalise
arrangements with local sub-contractors on
which they have traditionally relied.
He said that it was important to note that,
historically, adequate salvage assistance has
always responded to casualties in US waters
even though that particular industry was
relatively small.

Logistics
To help cope with the obvious logistical
problems of getting equipment to the right
place at the right time, Resolve maintains
salvage equipment in depots on the east, gulf
and west coasts, plus in Hawaii. The
company recognises that timely response is
acutely logistics dependent and constantly
works to refine its resource management
systems, Umbdenstock said.
In an incident to which it is appointed,
Resolve becomes the prime contractor. As
marine casualties were unique in character,
Umbdenstock said that Resolve could subcontract specific specialised services, or provide
support to another salvor in need of assistance.
The USCG has not endorsed the salvage
companies themselves to act when an incident
occurs, but rather 15 criteria have been
stipulated that shipping companies should use
to vet salvage and fire fighting providers.
06

The USCG said that the White Sea salvage was a prime example of a working VPR.

Umbdenstock claimed that Resolve easily met

all these criteria.
He said that the USCG purposely cited a
recent Resolve operation in New York harbour
(the Aframax White Sea lightering and refloating)
as a success illustration of how its regulatory
system is designed to benefit public welfare.
Currently, 203 US and international tanker
owners listed Resolve Marine as their salvage
provider in VRPs. This involved more than 2,900
tankers plus over 4,600 other types of vessels.
There is no fee involved as companies are
not charged for the right to cite the salvage
company in their VRPs. When Resolve's
assistance is needed, clients are charged in
accordance with services rendered on the basis
of traditional marine salvage contract forms.
Resolve is not only involved in the US but
also elsewhere in the world. Umbdenstock
explained that the company had worked
throughout the western hemisphere for a long
time. The companys strategic plans include
the capacity to render time critical response
service to any client vessel in any part of the
world. Resolve will therefore expand its
organisation by augmenting its own resource
inventories, entering into key partnerships
and, possibly, acquiring complementary
service contractors, Umbdenstock said.
The salvage concern has also performed
many complex wreck removal operations on
behalf of members of the International Group
of P&I Clubs. In addition to salvage network,
Resolve has partnered with National Response
Corporation to form 1 Call a one-stop
Salvage and Oil Spill Response Organisation
(OSRO), which has virtually limitless spill
management and emergency response
capabilities anywhere in the world.
As for the White Sea incident mentioned
earlier, this referred to a 243 m Aframax that ran
aground off of Coney Island, NY. Resolve was

called in to refloat the vessel and successfully

removed 548,000 barrels of oil. On the Federal
Register - the USCG register - listed the White
Sea salvage as; "An example of the benefit of
the VRP planholder having a pre-arranged
contract with a reputable salvor can also be
found in the salvage response to the White Sea".
Resolve claims to be the only US company
with proprietary salvage and firefighting
capabilities. The company operates training
facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Resolve
Fire & Hazard Response - offering marine fire
fighting training to seafarers and to marine
and land-based fire departments, both public
and private.
At the heart of the training programme, is
the Gray Manatee, a 140 ft long shipboard
firefighting simulator designed by Resolve
Marine groups engineering staff for
firefighting training.
The Gray Manatee has more than 20
separate compartments connected to both
horizontal and vertical passageways. In
addition, multiple watertight doors and hatches,
an engine room complete with a marine power
plant, galley, catwalks and other design features
provide students with a realistic training
environment, Umbdenstock said.
The fire school trains marine based
firefighters, as well as land-based port and
municipal firefighters. Umbdenstock said that
the centre not only trains marine firefighting
but also includes a full range of maritime
training and safety courses.
Resolve is a member of the American
Salvage Association (ASA), which has 16
general and nearly 50 associate members.
ASA works closely with the International
Salvage Union (ISU) to show how
professional salvage services can benefit
global commerce and the marine environment,
Umbdenstock concluded.
TO

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Page 6

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Email: [email protected] www.goodwoodship.com
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INDUSTRY - JAPAN

Japan riding a
rollercoaster
ence the country is also
completely reliant on imports of
raw materials, including oil and
gas, to keep its industry and its
large population fed.
However, like many developed countries,
Japan is facing severe economic problems, as
both developed and developing nations stop,
or severely curtail, imports.
Japan's dependence on foreign markets means
that its economy has been one of the worst
affected by the global downturn, which has
stifled demand for cars and high-tech gadgets.
February figures produced during the last
week of March, showed that Japanese exports
almost halved from a year ago. This was a
record fall that puts the world's No 2 economy
on course for its worst recession since World
War II, analysts said.
During February, Japanese exports fell by
49.4% from a year earlier, surpassing
January's slump of 45.7%, the finance
ministry reported. The Japanese economy also
logged its worst performance in almost 35
years in the final quarter of 2008, shrinking at
an annualised rate of 12.1%.
Analysts said this quarter was likely to be
even worse with a 15.1% contraction forecast
by one pundit, which would be the worst in
the post-war era.
Japan's trade surplus fell by 91.2% in
February from a year earlier to Yen82.35 bill
($840 mill) as imports dropped 43%. This was
the first surplus seen in five months, but local
analysts warned against optimism.
Following the recession of the 1990s, the
corporate sector was a key driver of Japan's
economic recovery, as companies enjoyed
strong profits and invested heavily to expand
their production facilities.

Tanker interests
Japans tanker business is now run from all over
the world, including the UK and Singapore as
Japans big three Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha,
Mitsui OSK and Nippon Yusen Kaisha and
others diversified a few years ago.
The country still relies heavily on crude oil
and gas imports by sea and also on
petrochemical exports from its refineries.
Most of Japanese companies are in the middle
08

Japans economy relies

heavily on exports as it has
little or no natural
resources to call upon.
of fleet replacement programmes, as many of
the large tankers built in the 1990s were of
single hull construction.
At the end of March, the Baltic Exchange
TD3 route (Double hull, 260,000 tonnes, Ras
Tanura to Chiba) was being fixed at W36, or the
equivalent of $25,300 per day, which was below
breakeven point for some if not most owners.
Orders dried up
New tankers together with LNGCs,
containerships and large drybulk carriers have
kept Japanese shipyards afloat. However,
similar to most of the other shipbuilding centres,
orders have all but dried up with the last of the
present delivery dates scheduled for 2011.
In February, the Japan Ship Exporters
Association reported only five export orders
had been placed, the lowest level for five
years. Out of the five, one was a VLCC and

the other four were dry bulkers, including a

woodchip carrier. In the previous three
months, there was also only one tanker
ordered per month for export.
In comparison, from April to October 2008,
the total number of export tankers ordered in
Japanese yards was 29, while the figure for the
fiscal year April 2007 to March 2008 was 71.
Of course, it is almost impossible to gauge
how many of the total newbuildings will be
re-negotiated, put back, or even cancelled,
although in the tanker sector, we are not
hearing the numbers of cancelled or
postponed deals that have been banded about
in the containership and drybulk sectors.
There are still a plethora of yards in Japan
building vessels of every type and size. Due to
its reliance on sea transportation, there are many
domestic yards turning out small chemical,
product and gas tankers for local owners.
However, the larger yards tend to batch
build to a set design. Many are specialising in
chemical carriers for overseas interests in the
10,000 35,000 dwt range and in MRs.
Heavily involved with MR building is
Onomichi with over 35 on order for various

Intertanko conference speakers(see page 9)

Brad Berman, president, Liberian Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR).
Monica Bonvalet, commercial promotion director, Port Maritime de Marseille.
Steve Christy, head of research, EA Gibson.
Erika Feller, assistant high commissioner-protection, U High Commission for Refugees.
Faz Peermohamed, Admiralty Partner, Ince & Co.
Capt Hisaya Higuchi, manager of risk management team, safety and environmental
management group, YK Line.
Kenneth Koo, chairman and ceo, Tai Chong Cheang Steamship.
Takeshi Matsui, president, Sanko Lines.
Capt Mike Watson, president, International Maritime Pilots Association.
Dr Kong-Gyun Oh, chairman IACS/chairman and ceo, Korean Register.
Geir Olafsen, head of research, Inge Steensland.
Charles Parks, vice president marine, Tesoro Maritime.
Denis Petropoulos, managing director, Braemar Seascope.
Leigh Phillips, president, Biehl & Co.
Ralph Rohena, director HSE/regulatory & government affairs, ConocoPhillips.
Richard Sadler, ceo, Lloyds Register.
Capt Graham Westgarth, president, Teekay Marine Services.
Dave Williamson, vice president operations, BP Shipping.
Zambrano Rosendo, former general director, PMI Comercio International.

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INDUSTRY - JAPAN
owners, plus Shin Kurushima and Naikai.
As for chemical carriers, series are under
construction at Fukuoka, Keihin, Kitanihon,
Kurinoura and Usuki, among others.
Large tankers were also prominent in the
orderbooks Aframaxes were booked at Mitsui,
Namura, Sasebo (around 10) Sumitomo (over
25) and Tsuneishi.
Somewhat surprisingly, there was a dearth
of Suezmaxes, however, the VLCC count
more than made up for this. Yards involved
with VLCC construction included IHI with
11, Imabari with three, Kawasaki with one,
Mitsubishi with one, Mitsui with three,
Namura with two, and Universal with 17.
Japanese yards have also picked up a share
of the LNGC market with Kawasaki building
at least six, Koyo building one and Mitsubishi
building three.
LPG carriers also feature in the orderbook
with Kanrei building a series of small gas
tankers for StealthGas, Kawasaki building
three for Zodiac, while Mitsubishi is building
a series of gas carriers for BW Gas, MOL,
Maersk and Yuyo Steamship.
There are many other smaller gas carriers

Nick Fistes will chair Intertankos meetings in Tokyo.

on order or under construction for domestic

owners and operators.
As of July last year, there were 108 members
of the Japanese Shipowners Association (JSA),
many of which have tanker interests. Japanese
owners and managers have the full range of
vessels in their portfolios, from Inland Sea
coastal tankers of all types to large gas carriers
and VLCCs.

Intertanko comes to town

Next month, Tokyo will play host to
Intertankos annual event.
The event consists of the usual pattern of
formal Intertanko committee meetings, a
general two-day conference on all things
tankers, plus of course a social programme
for partners, a golf tournament and various
evening get togethers.

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INDUSTRY - JAPAN
Today, Intertanko has 270 members,
representing about 80% of the independent
tanker owners tonnage, plus another 330
associate members. Many will meet at the
Conrad Tokyo Hotel starting on Tuesday 12th
May with a chartering seminar for which
separate registration is required.
The following day, Wednesday 13th May,
various Intertanko meetings take place, which
are restricted to committee members only,
except for an associate members open hour at
the end of the day. During the evening there is
a welcome reception and dinner. These are
being sponsored by Teekay and
ClassNK/Valles Steamship respectively.
As is normal with the conferences organised
by Intertanko, breakfast is offered in the
exhibition area each morning before the
serious business gets underway. Thursdays
subjects include the latest market
developments and issues related to the tanker
industry. During the late afternoon, Intertanko
will be holding its Annual General Meeting
(AGM), before a gala dinner is held at Meiji
Kinenkan.
As part of a full programme, there will be a
new-look Poseidon Challenge session on the

LRs Richard Sadler will join the Poseidon

Challenge debate.

Friday morning entitled Lessons Learned

from Quality Improvement, chaired by Capt
Graham Westgarth, president of Teekay
Marine Services. He will be followed by Richard Sadler, ceo Lloyds Register; Dave
Williamson, vice president operations, BP
Shipping; Faz Peermohamed, admiralty
partner, Ince & Co and Capt Hisaya Higuchi,
manager of risk management team, safety &
environmental management group, NYK Line.
In total, the following Tanker Issues

sessions had been confirmed:

 Tanker Emissions Efficiency obligations
and options.
 Poseidon Challenge lessons learned from
quality improvement (see above).
 Human Element the human side of piracy
and recruitment in the tanker sector.
 Bio-fuels and the blending issue.
The closing dinner on Friday evening will be
held at the Roppongi Hills Club. Saturday
sees the golf tournament for those with strong
constitutions following a week of meetings,
networking and socialising.
Among the various sponsors are Valles
Steamship, Teekay, ClassNK, Germanischer
Lloyd, Korean Register, American Bureau of
Shipping, Det Norske Veritas, International
Registries and SpecTec.
In addition to the above, there is an
exhibition area capable of housing 17 booths.
Some of the companies taking a booth at the
time of writing include Videotel, Consilium,
Q88, Emerson Process Management,
Honeywell Marine Solutions/Honeywell
Tanksystem, Ulysses Systems, Det Norske
Veritas, Propulsion Dynamics, ClassNK, Ship
TO
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Page 5

Winner - Seatrade Middle East &

Indian Subcontinent Awards 2007 Ship Agent Of The Year.

Winner - Lloyds list,

Middle East Awards 2008
for Marine Agency

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INDUSTRY - MIDDLE EAST GULF

GEM continues
newbuilding programme
Gulf Energy Maritime has taken delivery of the first Hyundai-built Panamax,
plus an MR this year and earlier ordered two LR2s.
EM, which claimed to be the
Middle East's largest
independent commercial product
tanker operator, is in the middle
of considerable fleet expansion programme.
In late March, GEM took delivery of the
first ever Panamax tanker built by Hyundai
Mipo Dockyard (HMD). The 75,000 dwt
product oil carrier, Gulf Castle, was also the
first of four Panamax newbuildings scheduled
for delivery this year for the Dubai-based
company from HMD and is the fifth Panamax
vessel to enter GEMs fleet.
Earlier in the month, GEM took delivery of
the 47,000 dwt Gulf Muttrah and with the
delivery of the Gulf Castle, the fleet now
totals 13 vessels.
The delivery of Gulf Castle marks a
significant milestone in our partnership with
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. Being the very first
Panamax vessel manufactured out of its
dockyards, GEM is honoured in being their
customer for such a historic event, said
Ahmed Essa Hareb Al Falahi, GEMs ceo.
Having received two new vessels thus far
this year, GEM is scheduled to take delivery
of four more tankers in 2009 one 47,000
dwt chemical tanker Gulf Rastaq - and three
more 75,000 dwt Panamaxes Gulf Cobalt,
Gulf Coral and Gulf Crystal.
Al Falahi added: As the second vessel
received from HMD this year, we are confident
that the remaining four vessels scheduled for
delivery will also be delivered on-time and
beyond the highest industry specifications all
in line with GEMs business strategy of
adhering with the highest standards of safety
and quality for the benefit of our customers, the
environment and our staff.
Last year, GEM took delivery of the $56
mill Gulf Baynunah and Gulf Jumeirah.
The IMO II N2 type, 47,000 dwt
oil/chemical tanker is the first of two vessels
that we are adding to our growing fleet, Al
Falahi said during the Gulf Baynunahs
handing over ceremony.
The Gulf Muttrah is also an IMO II-N2
type. Following the delivery of Gulf
Baynunah and Gulf Jumeirah in 2008, Gulf

April 2009

TANKEROperator

Muttrah was the third new IMO II N2 type

vessel introduced by GEM.
Aframax contracts
Not stopping there, in February 2008, the
company ordered two Aframax LR2 vessels
Gulf Vision and Gulf Valour - from Samsung
Heavy Industries. They will each have a
capacity of 114,700 dwt and will be capable
of carrying both clean petroleum products
(CPP) and dirty products, such as crude and
fuel oil. They are both scheduled for delivery
during 2011.
GEM said that its adherence to safety,
quality and security had been acknowledged
and recognised by the shipping fraternity
through the three awards it received in 2008
alone. Seatrade Middle East and Indian
Subcontinent Awards awarded GEM in the
Safety and Quality category, while Lloyds
Middle East Shipping Awards recognised
GEM in the Clean Seas category and
bestowed the company with the Tanker
Company of the Year award.
The company also said that its Tanker
Management Self Assessment System
(TMSA) has been approved by ExxonMobil,
BP, Shell and Chevtex the first Middle East
product tanker operator to be approved by
four of the worlds oil majors.
GEM is certified by Lloyds Register
Quality Assurance to the ISO 9001-2000
quality management system and ISO 14001-

2004 environment management system for the

operational and technical management of a
fleet of petroleum and chemical tankers
trading worldwide. These also incorporate the
pollution prevention requirements of the
IMOs ISM code.
Established four years ago, the company
has built an asset value now standing at $1.3
bill and is a joint venture partnership between
Dubais Emirates National Oil Company
(ENOC), Abu Dhabis International Petroleum
Investment Company (IPIC), the Oman Oil
Company (OOC) and Thales of France under
the UAE Offsets programme.
Last month, ShipNet completed the
implementation of its WEB supplier solution,
a sub- section of Marine ERP to GEM.
GEMs decision to implement the WEB
supplier platform was based on a requirement
to seamlessly integrate the ShipNet
procurement system with the companys
suppliers. As a further expansion of GEMs
utilisation of the Marine ERP solution, it was
deemed a natural step to test and roll it out in
the procurement department, ShipNet said.
Tomas Hozman, ShipNets regional
manager said: GEM, like most shipowners
involved in technical management and
procurement, were looking for a functional,
easy to deploy and cost effective supplier
integration solution. By deploying a ShipNet
hosted solution GEM very quickly went live
TO
at a very low cost.

The 37,000 dwt IMO II type Gulf Mews was delivered by Hyundai Mipo in July, 2007.

13

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INDUSTRY - MIDDLE EAST GULF

Gulfnav forges ahead

on long term contracts
In February, Dubai-based Gulf avigation Holding (Gulfnav) announced a record
net profit of AED148.22 mill for the year ended 31st December, 2008.
his represented a 27.73% increase in
profit compared to the AED116.04
mill posted in 2007. The companys
revenues rose to AED395.95 mill,
an increase of 45% over that of 2007. Moreover
Gulfnavs total assets rose to AED3.04 bill, an
increase of 13% over that of 2007.
As a result, the Board proposed a cash
dividend of 8% of the share capital equivalent
to 8 fils per share for the fiscal year 2008.
Gulfnav had already distributed a cash
dividend of 5% of its share capital equivalent
to 5 fils per share for the first half of 2008.
The remaining 3% will now be distributed.
Commenting on the companys
performance, chairman EGR Abdullah Al
Shuraim said; "2008 has been a remarkable
year for Gulfnav. We were able to deliver a
robust performance, concrete financial results
and remarkable growth across all business
areas. Our performance reflects the success of
our strategy of innovation in providing high
quality and sophisticated services to clients. In
addition to constant and cautious monitoring
to the market updates and tackling with its
variable circumstances during the world
financial unrest.
EGR Al Shuraim added that the companys
performance would continue its growth
financially and in total assets, as more tankers

were due to be delivered in 2009.

Indeed, Gulfnav started the year with the
delivery of the new chemical tanker Gulf Deffi
on 5th Jan. Following her delivery, she was
handed over to International Shipping Company,
a subsidiary of The Saudi Basic Industries
Corporation (SABIC) on a 15 year timecharter.
Three more tankers are to join the fleet this year.
Per Wistoft, the new Chief Executive
Officer commented, "Our committed
employees were able to meet client
requirements and implement our strategy
during 2008. We utilised our assets to the
utmost through well placed and long-term
charters, which have been contracted with
excellent chartering hires before the current
slump in some of the shipping sectors caused
by the international downturn. Going forward,
we anticipate a series of operation and
management initiatives that will add
shareholder value in 2009.
He continued; 2009 will however be a very
challenging year. The situation for the industry
as a whole is not encouraging, but the crude
and chemical sector is still the healthiest amid
other shipping sectors. The current global
economic climate creates an environment
where all stakeholders will have to rethink
their strategies and many will struggle.
However this may also create opportunities to

Gulf Deffi is one of four standard Hyundai Mipo 46,000 dwt MRs delivered to Gulfnav.

14

which we feel we are well positioned to

benefit from.
Following the delivery of the Gulf Deffi in
January, Gulfnav took delivery of the Gulf
Jalmuda from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard. The
tanker was officially inaugurated during a
ceremony, which took place at Jebel Ali in March.
Gulf Jalmuda was the last in a series of four
chemical carriers ordered by Gulfnav. With
deadweight of 45,951 tonnes, a capacity of
54,300 cu m, 22 specially coated cargo tanks
and classed as an IMO Type II chemical
carrier, she has the capability of carrying a
broad range of petrochemical products.
The vessel was also delivered to SABIC
subsidiary International Shipping Company on a
15 year timecharter and was the last of four
vessels long term chartered to SABIC by Gulfnav.
At the ceremony, EGR Al Shuraim said that
the current financial crisis had serious impact
on all business sectors in the first quarter of
this year, but effective from the second half of
2009, the company expected demand to return
to levels that will bring more profits for the
sector and better rates. He also said that it
believed that oil and chemical tankers would
continue to operate better than other shipping
sectors and would remain the healthiest sector.
EGR Al Shuraim said that Gulfnav would
continue its strategy of growth backed with high
liquidity, a good record with the international
and local banks and blue-chip customers once
the price of vessels reach reasonable levels,
through the purchase of tankers under
construction, secondhand ships, plus the
acquisition of other shipping companies.
This vessel was financed by Fortis Bank.
Gulf Navigation Holding is an ISO
9001:2000 certified Dubai-based company and
is a UAE holding entity with operations
worldwide and 11 specialised subsidiaries.
The company operates crude, clean
petroleum product (CPP) and chemical
tankers, owning 19 tankers and also charters
VLCCs, chemical, plus product tankers. It is
also the sole agency for a large number of
global marine manufacturers and claimed to
be the only maritime and shipping company
listed on the Dubai Financial Market.
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INDUSTRY - CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

EU and IACS
discussions coming
to a head
Talks between the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) and the
European Union (EU) were at a delicate stage at the time of writing.
he EU is insistent that IACS
complies with competition law and
open up its membership beyond
the 10 class societies that currently
make up the numbers. Last month, the EU
formally adopted the wording of 3MSP
without any changes in the regulation
addressing ROs.
The EU started its investigation into IACS
at the beginning of last year due to possible
anti-trust violations, culminating in January

April 2009

TANKEROperator

2008s raid on the offices of five of the top

class societies after a tip-off from a nonIACS member. The class societies raided
were Germanischer Lloyd, Lloyds
Register, Det Norske Veritas, Bureau Veritas
and RINA.
This comes at a time when the shipping
industry could be in the throws of cutting
corners in order to make ends meet, which
could also include so called class hopping.
In February, ABS president Christopher

Wiernicki warned that tanker owners and

others would be hard pressed to maintain cash
flows on lower priced assets earning low
freight rates.
This could result in a lowering of safety and
maintenance standards and compromises made
on future newbuildings. It was up to the class
societies to combat any tendency. IACS had
discussed these issues and said that its
members would not make any compromises
on safety and quality.

15

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INDUSTRY - CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

Speaking at the recent Connecticut
Maritime Association (CMA) conference,
IACS chairman Oh Kong-Gyun said that
there had been successful regulatory
intervention at IACS. He also confirmed that
the EU had ordered membership changes, but
also said that legal restraints meant that he
could not give any details. We are currently
facing many difficulties with the regulators,
he said.
It is hoped that the European Commission
will realise the role of the IACS to promote
safety, Oh said. The EU must ensure that
the quality (of standards) classification
societies will enjoy under the new
membership criteria will continue and that
whatever we have been doing up until now at
IACS will continue.
Intervention needed
Since its expulsion from IACS in 2001, the
Polish Register had argued that EU
intervention was needed to encourage the
exchange of information beyond IACS
members.
Oh said it remained to be seen whether the
IACS would have to re-admit the Polish
Registry as a member.
Were not focusing on any single
classification society, Oh said. What were
trying to do is make sure that there is a
balance between bringing ourselves into
compliance and at the same time making sure
that the quality of the work that we provide to
the maritime industry is not jeopardised. There
is a fine balance between the two and Im sure
the EU will realise this as well.
He urged the shipping industry to ensure
operations and maintenance standards were
not comprised during the market collapse,
which had devastated the dry bulk and
container sectors of the industry.
IACS members began talks with the EU
competition directorate six months ago. It has
now posted information about the rules on its
website and said that its work remains
transparent.
Mentioning CSR, which seemed to be one

of the core issues with the EU, the first VLCC

built to the rules was delivered on 27th
October last year in Shanghai.
The 318,000 dwt Hua San was built to LR
class by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding
(SWS) and was delivered to Singaporean
tanker concern Ocean Tankers, five months
ahead of schedule.
Hua San was the first of 11 VLCCs
confirmed to LR class on order at SWS
and was also the largest vessel built in China
to date.
"We are obviously very proud to have
supported the design, construction and now
delivery of the worlds first VLCC built to
Common Structural Rules. That the vessel
was delivered well ahead of schedule is a
testimony to the professionalism of our
partnership with Ocean Tankers and
Waigaoqiao Shipyard," said Nick Brown,
general manager China/ LR Asia, speaking
at the time of her delivery. "With a global
recession looming and financing harder to
find, the industry spotlight rightly has
intensified on maintaining the construction
of quality ships. The success of this project
is the result of our strategy to work with
yards and owners who share our vision
for quality."
Six VLCCs
The VLCC was the first to be delivered in an
initial contract for six VLCCs ordered by
Ocean Tankers at SWS, four of which were
classed to LR. In 2007, the tanker operator
returned to the yard for another three VLCCs,
with three options, again awarding the class
to LR.
Tankers built to CSR, which applied to new
ships contracted on or after 1st April, 2006,
feature increased strength requirements and
more robust fatigue-related construction. CSR
design requirements target a vessel life of 25
years under comparatively harsh North
Atlantic operational conditions.
"With the growth in demand for crude oil in
China showing no sign of abating, it is
anticipated that this market will require

Oh Kong-Gyun is leading IACS through a

difficult period.

another 40 to 50 VLCCs in the next five

years," said Chen Minjun, SWS president.
"We therefore believe the future demand for
this type of ship is very promising."
SWS, which saw its annual production
almost triple to 3.53 mill dwt in more than
four years starting from 2004, has also
developed a series of Aframaxes, as well as
a high specification FPSOs, among other
ship types.
The basic design for the Hua San was
created by Korea Marine Consultants with the
detail and production design completed inhouse by SWS. Both were supported at a very
early stage of development by LR Asias
Shanghai design support office, LR said. TO

...[We are] trying to..make sure that there is a balance between

bringing ourselves into compliance and at the same time making
sure that the quality of the work that we provide to the
maritime industry is not jeopardised.
Oh Kong-Gyun, chairman, IACS

16

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INDUSTRY - CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

Russian Register leads

on environmental issues
Maritime Register of Russias (RS) philosophy determines the priorities of RS
personnel, that is - providing high safety standards at sea and environmental protection.
nderstanding that every member
of the maritime community is
responsible to future generations,
RS allocates vast resources to
undertake scientific research with a focus on
enhancing safety standards. RS assists
shipowners using the accumulated experience,
scientific potential and high qualification of its
personnel. We intend to further contribute to
the implementation of high technical standards
in ship design, shipbuilding and shipping using
our unique experience in providing safety,
said RS director general Nikolay Reshetov.
Experience, gained in more than 95 years of
activity, has resulted in the register carrying
out services for the most modern oil tankers, a
significant number of which are now built for

operation in ice conditions.

The specific focus on safe operations in
harsh ice conditions enabled RS to perform
design appraisal and in-service survey of the
unique Varandey system components designed
for large tanker offshore oil loading and
shipments in the polar region. The project
included the construction of a fixed offshore
ice-resistant offloading terminal (FOIROT)
plus a series of three Arctic shuttle tankers,
equipped with bow loading systems and
designed for independent ice operations.
Shuttle tankers
New ship designs are mainly connected with the
transportation of raw materials in the Arctic
region. With regard to this, another significant

project in which RS participated was the

construction of two double-acting shuttle
tankers of 70,000 dwt for year-round operation
in the Arctic climate. The structural features of
the recently launched lead ship Mikhail Ulyanov
are based on the double-acting concept:
application of AZIPOD azimuth thrusters and
ice strengthening of the stern and bow.
The tankers are equipped with modified
Arctic bow loading systems that negate the
possibility of pollution during cargo operations.
They are to be used for oil transportation from
the Prirazlomnoye oil field in the Barents Sea.
In accordance with RS requirements for
structural integrity of ice strengthening, they
have been assigned one of the highest ice
categories Arc6. Construction of the second

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LONDON
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T H E M A R S H A L L I S L A N D S M A R I T I M E A N D C OR P OR AT E A D M I N I S T R ATOR S

TANKEROperator  April 2009

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INDUSTRY - CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES

tanker - Kirill Lavrov - was recently started.
The data obtained during the projects
appraisal and development has shown that the
equipment design coupled with the correct
choice of materials were essential for providing
operational safety in low temperature conditions.
To assist shipbuilders and shipowners in creating
a safe Arctic fleet, RS has developed a set of
additional requirements for polar vessels. The
requirements concern icing protection (ANTIICE, effective since 1st October, 2008) plus
structural, equipment and system optimisation
for long-term navigation in low temperature
conditions (WINTERIZATION, becomes
effective this year).
Ballast water
RS also places high emphasis on
environmental safety having introduced
additional distinguishing marks in the class
notation for greener ships ECO and ECOS. In 2005, RS held the VIII International
Seminar on Marine Environment Safety
Management. Ballast water management
(BWM) was one of the main issues of the
forum as proper BWM is one of the key
factors in the protection of the Worlds oceans.

April 2009

TANKEROperator

In 2009, after consideration and approval of a

number of ballast water treatment systems by
IMOs MEPC, the technical obstacles were
removed opening the way to the ratification
and application of the IMO Ballast Water
Management Convention requirements.
These requirements have been incorporated
to the RS regulatory documents since 2003
and RS has vast experience in BWM planning
consideration with regard to the distinctive
features of each particular vessel.
In preparation for the Conventions entry into
force and in order to define recommendations
for shipowners, representatives of maritime
administrations and port authorities, RS collates
information on the approved manufacturers, on
research institutions, which are capable of
approving the systems conformity with the
conventions standards, as well as on the
equipment suppliers, for collecting and
analysing ballast water samples.
RS will advise shipowners of the latest
requirements for ship design and during
equipment retrofitting, crew training, coordination of port services and facilities.
Particular attention is being paid to the Baltic Sea
and the Caspian Sea, as special commissions

have been established to protect their ecosystems,

and the regions are currently under the regulation
of international conventions.
In the terms of the global financial crisis the
international maritime community continues to
move forward in enhancing the existing
maritime and environmental safety standards
and implementing the new ones. The pattern of
the approach is determined not only by the
development of modern technologies,
accumulated experience of implementing the
decisions taken and the growing demands in sea
passenger and cargo transportation, but also in
the first instance by the urge to minimise vessel
accident rate and ensuring the proper image of
the maritime industry, emphasised Reshetov.
RS has called for all members of the
maritime industry to co-operate and conducts
seminars and conferences involving
representatives of shipowners, shipbuilding,
shiprepair yards and industrial enterprises.
This year, RS will organise the XII
International Seminar Safety and Marine
Environment Protection: Prospects We Face,
the second in a series of Quality Shipping:
XXI Century Standard seminars, to discuss
TO
how to achieve safety goals.

19

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

Look after your

assets
The challenge of shipmanagement is to always be proactive to keep
a competitive edge against the companys clients in the most critical fields*.
hese are - finding and maintaining
of quality crews and the constant
use of the latest technology
available.
This is essential as clients will always
benchmark a shipmanagement company
against themselves, asking the question - Can
we do it better ourselves?

Crew welfare
Shipmanagers have maintained a leading
position in the provision of quality crews,
which has helped them to survive.
Today, most shipowners contract crew
provision to third parties, either crewing
agents, crew managers, or shipmanagers.
Shipmanagers have maintained a dominant
position in the crew supply sector. This has
been achieved through effort, sweat and
money.
For example, shipmanagers have  Opened offices in all the major crew
supply centres.
 Organised large scale recruitment systems.
 Installed sophisticated crew management
software systems.
 Created and financed sophisticated training
centres.
 Constantly looked for new sources of
quality crews.
These efforts have paid off, as most
InterManager members continue to see growth
in their crewing activities, despite the latest
crisis.
Shipmanagers have realised that seafarers
are their most important assets and have gone
to great efforts to attract and maintain their
quality crews, in a world where the hunt for
good seafarers and in particular competent
officers, has become ruthless.
Crew retention has become a central issue.
And, due to intense competition, they must be
convinced that staying with the company is
the best solution for them.
But, as always in these situations, you can
only satisfy seafarers needs by having a deep
understanding of what they are. American
20

Can we do it better ourselves? asks Guy Morel.

psychologist, Abraham Maslow, developed a

theory on the hierarchy of needs, which in
order were - basic, safety, social, self-esteem,
and self-actualisation.
Each category can be applied to the
situation in shipping thus
1) Basic is associated with simple
physiological needs, representing survival
requirements.
2) Safety needs to correspond to a desire of
predictability, including job security,
financial comfort and health insurance.
This is a level of need that shipmanagers
are careful to fulfill to the best extent. This
will be a key factor in a seafarers decision
to join a company.

The seafarer will look at the pay package,

health insurance, treatment by the company to
both the seafarer and his/her family. A
decision will then be made on all those
elements. Obviously, if the package offered is
better elsewhere, this is where he/she will go.
The actions are directly addressed to the
individual:
 Proper recruitment process.
 Training for career development.
 Competitive salaries and incentive
programmes.
 Management of career patterns and
promotion.
 Establishing the systems that are
guaranteeing safety at sea.

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

 Assistance in case of emergency.
 Medical supervision and proper health
coverage.
 Prospects of a long career in the group.
3) Once physiological and safety needs are
fulfilled, the next level is social. For
Maslow, the three key words were
friendship, intimacy and family.
To fulfill social needs, the key is to create a
sense of belonging. By developing an
environment that cares for them beyond the
simple satisfaction of physiological and safety
needs, companies are giving them a group to
which they can identify.
These groups are:
The ships crew on board: Crews need to
feel that they are part of an organised group,
rather than a commodity that has been placed
there to do a job for a period before being
dumped again. Careful management, choice of
nationalities, organisation of work and nonworking life on board, entertainment, adapted
food, etc are all important aspects that will
achieve a sense of belonging to the group on
board the ship.
The company: Crews have to feel that they
are part of a larger group, extending beyond

the ship, that has regular and substantial

interaction with them. Superintendent visits
are now organised and regular: crew visits to
shore offices; shore staff visits to ships. Small
things, such as acknowledging a birthday, or
giving away business cards with a seafarers
name and the logo of the company, achieve
great results because they create the sense of
group recognition.
The family: The most important group to
whom to relate. Because it is this group
where all seafarers come from and it must be
ensured that they maintain this belonging.
Communications
The use of modern communications has
revolutionised this aspect of crew welfare.
Duplicating the home environment on board is
fundamental. The levels of communications
are varied - from the simple ability to send
and receive emails, to SMS exchange, voice
communications, web browsing to video
conferencing.
Communications from the ship are
expensive and it may be offered in a limited
way. But they must be offered the ability to
communicate, or the company will lose them.

4) The fourth level is self-esteem. This deals

with the need to be respected and
recognised. The need for more effort at the
self-esteem need level is important: the
shipping industry has come up short in this
area. Shipping has a hard time recognising
seafarers contribution and allowing them
to develop their own confidence and their
own self-respect, as companies are still
acting as though the power in the
management offices ashore and once
disembarked, seafarers are considered no
longer part of the group.
Lately, new thinking is changing these
attitudes in a very encouraging way: the
recognition that crew loyalty is not due but
must be earned, has contributed greatly to this
new, more integrative way of thinking.
The concept of company culture is
important at this level. For example, some
managers are acknowledging employees by
name publicly for time served within the
company.
But, there is also the sense of being together
when things are not going well - the sense of
not being abandoned.
The recent uproar surrounding the unjust

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

criminalisation of the Hebei Spirit officers has
done more in creating self-esteem for our
crews than all the concerted efforts that went
before.
For the first time, all members of the
shipping fraternity (owners, managers, crews,
unions) became united to defend their own
people. The battle has not been won thus far,
but captain Chawla and chief officer Chetan
are out of jail.
Another issue on crew self-esteem is the
image of shipping. Too often the industry is
mentioned publicly during a catastrophe, be it
a major accident, a major environmental
disaster, or a major criminal activity like the
attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden.
In this context, shipping has not been very
good: too many shipping people have been
selfishly trying to mind their own businesses
in a fiercely competitive environment, which
has created a culture of discretion and shade.
5) The last level of need corresponds to
vocational issues.
However, turning to the role that IT plays in
the build up of crew welfare, this is
substantial as the IT industry has been
supporting crew needs at all levels.

Safety needs are the playground of IT

applications: Crew management software
allows us to maintain and manage our data
bases. From the first contact with the crew to
the management of crew travel, from the
establishment of crew documentation, to their
salary and allotment management, all crew
functions have been integrated into computer
systems.
Crew training activities have been
simplified by the use of real time computer
based simulators. Computer based training
systems and lately, web courses, such as the
ones offered by Videotel, have allowed
seafarers to advance their careers while
remaining on board.
GMDSS includes a set of communication
systems. These have already contributed to the
saving of many lives at sea.
Social needs are now ITs new frontier. The
first application is communication systems.
High speed broadband is slowly becoming a
standard of modern shipping operations. We
must offer email facilities and Internet access
on board ships. The reaction of some
operators, worried that crews will have
reduced productivity because of their access to

Internet, is unreasonable. We are no longer in

a situation of choice.
The issue of cost is, of course serious, but
Im sure that applying IT to shipping
imaginatively will continue to help us find
better, cheaper and more efficient ways for
our crews to be happy and to want to work on
our ships.
The last message is that it has taken many
years for us to realise the extent that our crews
are important to us and to our operations.
Today, as a result of the abrupt crisis, we
will be tempted to cut back on what is
considered to be non-essential: the well-being
of our crews. It would be dramatically wrong
to do that because that would be unfair to our
crews, and because we would be in an
extremely difficult situation when the market
TO
moves up again.

*This is an extract from a

presentation given by Guy Morel,
general secretary of InterManager at
the recent Digital Ship Conference
Limassol, Cyprus.




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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

Human factors, bridge

team management
and performance
This article tries to illustrate the impact of the so called soft skills,
namely human factors impact on bridge team performance while vessels
are operating under demanding conditions such as departure, arrivals,
congested areas, narrow channels and open waters*.
t is well accepted in marine incident
investigation that the number one factor
causing maritime accidents is human
error. This rather simplistic explanation
leaves no room for the implementation of
specific actions and tools to ensure that
repetition will hardly ever occur.
FORCE Technology has developed a model
in order to better analyse and comprehend
human factors related issues, namely the
Septigon model. This model helps provide a
more realistic view of human performance and
failure. By using it, a more up-to-date picture
of the role played by the so called
performance shaping factors (PSF) on team
performance can be acquired.
PSF deals with the human factors aspect.
These can be internal within the individual
human being, related to the interaction
between the individual and other individuals
(inter-personal interaction), related to the
interaction with equipment and vessel, with
procedures and other written material, and
they can be related to interaction with, or
exposure to, the physical environment inside
and outside the vessel.
Briefly, the Septigon concept states that the
root causes of accidents have to be searched
for in the failure of co-operation between the
components in the integrated system of
humans, technology, organisation, procedures
and working environment. It is more correct
to talk about a functionality breakdown in this
integrated system rather than human error or
technical mistakes.
In order to understand how a team
performs, we must look at the integrated
system as a whole rather than breaking it
down into isolated components such as
technical errors, communication flaws and so
on. If the system is analysed by breaking it
down into single components, its overview as

April 2009

TANKEROperator

a whole disappears and thereby the possibility

of identifying the reasons behind a teams
poor performance or wrong doings.
Consequently, the model provides a very
good insight into the relevant role specific
subjects play in incidents and accidents, e.g.
teamwork, group interaction, communication
between the ship and the shoreside
management team plus among crew members,
mindful safety habits, best practices, economic
pressure, environment, new technology,
industry structure, regulatory bodies, company
culture, workload, fatigue etc.
My intention is to convey the knowledge
gained by observing bridge teams performing
in real case scenarios in order to gain fresh
knowledge about how the team members
interact, and the role played by PSF in their
overall performance. Valuable contribution to
the conclusions has been provided by
incidents observed at first hand and by the
investigations into the more serious incidents.
These onsite observations also allowed me to
evaluate the safety climate on board the different
vessels, as they provided a snapshot of selected
aspects of an organisations safety culture at a
particular point in time. This was a key point in
this study, as previous studies had revealed that
an important relationship exists between safety
climate and performance in the sense that a
robust measure of safety climate could be used
as a predictive safety performance indicator.
Here, the variables between the safety climate
and the safety performance are the seafarers
knowledge level, skill and motivation.
Situations involving poor communication
skills, misunderstandings between pilot and
master or the officer of the watch, aggressive
autocratic management styles, reluctance to
question a senior officers decision, lack of
practical use of crew resource management
principles, wrong interpretation of the

teamwork concept and the impacts of different

management styles in performance and safety
can best be observed and analysed on board
while they take place and the conclusions
drawn can be used right away to improve
performance and safety.
While on board, I saw how seafarers cope
with their daily work on the bridge their
successes and failures among others how
they learn and how they perform when
interacting within a non-linear socio-technical
system, where on several occasions work
situations were under specified or
unpredictable, where they had no choice rather
than overcoming multiple constraints, where
they were meeting demands with stretched or
improper resources such as on time
performance, cost cutting, customer
satisfaction, reduced manning levels or
pressures of scarcity and competition. I not
only became acquainted with the different
ways that seafarers operated and behaved, but
also with their feelings and motivations. I
could also observe how other things somehow
influenced how they got the job done such as
masters attitudes, company managers images,
organisation, colleagues and ship type etc.
Over a three year period, some 17 vessels
were visited with the average time spent on
board being eight days and in some cases 10
days. The vessels were mainly tankers, both
new and medium aged.
I found numerous examples of synergy in
management styles, proper team work, good
task sharing and well motivated safe minded
crews, but I also found situations
characterised by lack of co-operation, fear,
poor team work, complacency and autocratic
management styles. Each of these scenarios
had an impact on safety and performance,
depending on the situation.
The activities performed on board were sub23

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

divided into five categories, as follows
1) Observations.
2) Informal interviews or conversations.
3) Guided interviews addressing human
factors and bridge resource management
aspects.
4) Individual coaching.
5) Group training.
Training and Response
The conclusions varied as the bridge team
generally responded according to expectations
when situations were foreseen or predicted in
advance. For example
 Proper synergistic management styles
flourished when situations were under
control and harmony reigned.
 Cross-checking activities, efficient
communication techniques, proper task
sharing and a good level of assertiveness
could be seen when vessels came under more
demanding scenarios such as narrow
channels, areas of traffic, departures and
arrivals. Everything was well under control.
 Teams were moving in tune with one
another, changing management styles to
suit the situation faced.
However, this changed abruptly when teams
were faced with unexpected or unwanted
situations which were not under control. It
should be noted that these did not include
crises or extreme situations. For example
 Teams stopped working as real teams.
 Management styles became autocratic.
 Communication became ineffective.
 There were no cross-checks.
 The responsible person quickly became
overloaded.

 Assertive behaviour was nowhere to be seen.

Functions v procedures
To protect safe systems from the vagaries of
human nature, typical recommendations by
shipping companies include tightening
procedures and closing regulatory gaps,
creating a new rule/procedure when things go
wrong or introducing more technology to
replace human functions if machines do the
work, humans cannot make errors.
However, the general perception on board a
ship is that the shoreside management only
understands the blame culture. Drowning
seafarers in rules and regulations reduces the
bandwidth in which people operate and
creates room for errors and poor performance.
Well trained operators with a good and
proactive safety culture follow procedures,
comply with regulations and try to perform as
best they can. But when things do not happen as
expected, the entire scenario changes. Coordinated teamwork is no longer well coordinated, team members are inclined to go back
to basics such as forgetting the effective principles
of cross-checking and task sharing, and they fail
to follow basic team working principles.
A good example occurred when a tanker
was leaving the port of Galveston. The master
had been training navigating officers in an
identified hazard while operating the engine
telegraph. On board the ship, a processor
controlled the engines rev/min according to
the final position of the engine telegraphs
handles while manoeuvring, and the master
had explained that if a quick engine reaction
was required, the OOW should remember to
depress a button that would bypass the

David Moore
International Consulting Service
Maritime Services
Ship Registry
Ship Financing
Sales and
Purchase

Email:[email protected]

24

Tel: +1(614) 257-1638

processor, allowing the engines to go to full

speed ahead, or come to a crash stop very
quickly.
After departure and while approaching the
breakwaters off Galveston, a vessel to port
was also leaving the area and very slowly
overtaking the tanker with the intention of
crossing its bow when safe to do so. The
master was watching events when the other
ship suddenly turned to starboard to join the
main channel. The master also reacted by
turning to starboard and putting the telegraph
to full ahead. However, the engine did not
react accordingly, leaving the master shouting
that the engine had failed, until the mate on
watch depressed the bypass button.
The question was why did the master forget
to depress the bypass button, something he had
been teaching day in day out? A possible
answer was that he had always used the button
for teaching and had not actually used it in a
real situation. The situation turned out to be a
near miss, which everybody learned from.
While sailing on board these vessels for
three years, I observed that a great many
situations arose, some quite critical, where
team members proved to have the needed
knowledge to avoid undesired foreseeable
situations, but did nothing to prevent them
from occurring. Presumably due to the fact
that team members had never or very seldom
tried to apply their knowledge in practice.
Risky situations that could easily have been
avoided and managed safely developed into
nightmares instead.
Another example was a state-of-the-art double
hull tanker carrying more than 140,000 tonnes of
crude oil colliding with a Chinese bulker in the
Far East. The tanker had a top trained crew
working for a model shipping company, which
had an impeccable reputation and image.
At first, it was not possible to ascertain how the
tanker had sailed for 35 minutes on a collision
course in zero visibility at maximum speed.
The well known factors playing a major
role in incidents such as stress, task fixation
and the unconscious distortion of data were all
present here. But moreover, course evaluations
and experiences indicated that there was a
problem on board company vessels in
practising the behaviour and using the tools
provided in bridge resource management
(BRM) training soft skills.
Fleet personnel had undergone rigorous
simulator-based BRM training courses for
more than 14 years, still attendees kept saying
that it was difficult to apply the acquired
knowledge on board ship. The cause of this
was the historical authoritarian and
hierarchical nature of a shipboard working

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

environment. As a consequence, seafarers
drew a line when the courses were over which
meant that all knowledge acquired during the
courses was never put into practice on board.
Junior officers said that they hardly ever
thought to use the knowledge gained on board,
and they could clearly see that most of the
more senior officers did not have a proactive
attitude or promoted the use of BRM.
It was confirmed that the seafarers involved
in this particular incident had the knowledge
to have avoided and managed the situation
safely. It was easy to see that they did not use
the BRM tools in a practical manner, doing
nothing to neutralise the potential risk due to
the lack of transfer of the knowledge acquired
into usable skills.
Suggested actions
The strategy thought to be the most effective
was to provide trainers to sail twice every
other year on board each vessel in the fleet to
coach and mentor bridge teams while
underway. The trainers should ensure that
BRM plus human factors and situational
awareness tools were put to practical use as
well as provide refresher training to address

identified shortcomings.
There are basic steps that every organisation
needs to follow to promote BRM skills and
human factors knowledge throughout the
company and to improve teams performance
by becoming more aware of the situations
they find themselves in.
 Establish trust.
 Adopt a credible, non-punitive policy
towards error.
 Demonstrate commitment to taking action
to reduce error-inducing conditions.
 Ensure a broad understanding of the way
that human factors aspects impact on safety
and performance.
 Reinforce BRM on board, with special
focus on threat and error management
strategies for seafarers.
 Reinforce the use of BRM tools in daily
operational activities.
Trust is a critical element of a safety culture
since it enables free communication. It is
obtained by demonstrating a non-punitive
attitude towards error and showing, in
practice, that safety concerns are addressed.
Just repeating classical training or evaluation
will not enhance safety and performance to the

desired levels, nor prevent incidents from

occurring. Neither will active leadership occur
simply because seniors have attended some
courses. Proper evaluation of skills gained is
best done in the work place, using actual ships
equipment while on passage.
The focus should be on the creation of high
performance teams with the necessary freedom
to act, which will prevent a single person
catastrophic error by applying BRM tools,
enhancing knowledge of the human factors
aspects and having a deep understanding of risk
and situational awareness, particularly in
demanding situations.
Failure to identify, manage and reduce risks in
any part of the shipboard chain will inevitably
have consequences elsewhere. Everyone from a
seafarer to a boardroom director in a shipping
company and national registry administrators
share a responsibility to play their part in
TO
increasing safety and performance.

*This is an extract from a paper

written by Captain Guillermo A
Gomez Garay of FORCE
Technology.

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April 2009

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

Raising the
training bar
Since opening in Svendborg 31 years ago, the Maersk Training Centre (MTC)
has come a long way, not least by opening another three centres worldwide
and gaining class society recognition.
n addition to the centres in Svendborg
(opened 1978), Chennai (2006),
Newcastle upon Tyne (2007) and
Wuhan (2008), there are now five
faculties Oil & Gas, Maritime, People
Skills, Safety & Security and Terminals &
Logistics.
Two years ago, DNV awarded MTC the
maritime certificate Centre of Excellence. To
date, MTC is the only training centre to
receive this accolade.
More recently, MTC has certified its liquid
cargo handling simulator (LCHS) through
DNV Seaskill with acknowledgement from
Intertankos TOTS standard. Again this is a
first centre to come up to the Intertanko
standard.
MTCs LCHS was supplied by L3 and is
capable of simulating chemical, LPG, LNG,
products, crude and FPSO cargo operations.
The latest addition was the LPG cargo
handling course, which was further enhanced
by DNV certification against SIGTTO
requirements at the end of last year. To cut
participants travel costs, LHCS courses are
offered at Svendborg, Chennai and Newcastle.

Further DNV certified courses against the

class societys standard for certification
learning programmes are planned while
Danish Maritime Authority, UKs MCA and
Singapore are to approve the security courses.
In addition, the MCA is to give approval and
recognition to the bridge resource
management course.
Bridge handling courses have also been
provided for both Danish owners NORDEN
and TORM, as well as for Maersks offshore,
container and tanker departments. A full
bridge simulator is available at Svendborg,
while a new simulation and innovation centre
is currently being fitted out at the Danish
training facility. The new simulator will have
a potential of up to four satellite vessels to
create a fully interactive real work
environment. This new centre is due to be
opened in July of this year.
The opening of the three new centres was
aimed to coincide with MTC opening its
doors to provide training facilities for other
companies and industries. Getting the
message across that we are, after three
decades, no long an exclusive AP Moller-

The LCHS were supplied by L3 and cover all types of wet cargoes and gases.

26

Maersk training area is one of our major

targets. We are very focused on getting
external customers and have already delivered
several external courses, senior MTC
instructor Sren Ross Segel explained to
TAKEROperator.
For example, several tanker concerns have
signed up for MTCs unique Surviving Armed
Piracy and Robbery (SPAR) courses, which
are very relevant today with the increased
attacks on shipping.
Conversely, the AP Moller-Maersk group is
not restricted to using MTC for its training
needs. Each course is offered and negotiated
on market terms in competition with other
training centres.
Originally, the Svendborg training centre
was opened in response to an accident on a
North Sea rig and first concentrated on
training for the offshore sector. Since then and
in response to requests from AP MollerMaersks Technical Organisation, seafarer
training was added, before the new faculties
came on stream. It should be pointed out that
MTC does not normally cater for cadets, but
rather for seafarers that need training beyond
their basic certificates.
All the courses, including those offered by
the other three centres, are overseen and
audited by Svendborg who sets the course
plans, either by using local or travelling
instructors.
To help ensure that there is a constant,
consistent and common standard, DNV
evaluates specific courses in each of the
centres. A co-operative venture has been set
up with learning centres, such as South
Tyneside Marine College and a joint venture
is underway with the University of Southern
Denmark. These are aimed at seeking new
methods of conveying knowledge. Also,
MTC India is working with AMET and
MTC China with Wuhan University
TO
of Technology.

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INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

E-TOTS emerges

A first for Thome

In response to many customers requesting an

easier method of adopting Intertankos Tanker
Officer Training Standards (TOTS) initiative, Seagull
has negotiated an agreement to license the E-TOTS
content.
This simple administration and monitoring tool will allow more
companies to adopt the initiative with minimal extra workload.
Seagull said that it firmly believed that initiatives like TOTS
provide the seafarer with improved proficiency and valuable career
development opportunities and should be encouraged throughout the
industry.
Intertanko's marine director, Capt Howard Snaith, said, "We are
very pleased that TOTS is progressing into electronic format, as this
will enhance effective monitoring of each officers progression
through the TOTS system and reduce the workload for participants.
Seagull said that this initiative by Intertanko had created great
interest within the industry and that major companies were requesting
TOTS in electronic format.
The agreement between Intertanko and Seagull enables Seagull to
deliver the TOTS record books and computer-based assessments in an
electronic format. All are organised easily within Seagulls
Competence Manager software, which is a seamlessly integrated part
of the Seagull Training System.
Seagull also said that it was confident TOTS would maintain its
position as the industry standard and enable the ultimate objective to
be achieved of increasing the number of competent tanker officers and
provide alternative methods of measuring experience, other than time
in rank and time in company.


In an agreement signed with Thome, Det

Norske Veritas (DNV) is to deploy a
sophisticated crew appraisal and training
system to the Singapore-based shipmanager.
Under the agreement, DNV will verify and certify Thome Ship
Managements competence management system in accordance
with DNV standards and in compliance with specifications
from the Society of International Gas Tankers and Terminal
Operators (SIGTTO) and Intertankos Tanker Officer Training
Standards (TOTS).
This has meant that Thome has become the first Asian-based
shipmanager to set up a classification society-endorsed
competence management system for its managed fleet, which
currently consists of more than 100 vessels.
DNV and Thome will systematically examine crew tasks, work
tools, operating environment, officers mental well-being, training
and experience, and communications across different vessel
types.
Highlighting one of its key focus areas, DNV aims to
address what lies behind human error on board highly
diversified fleets of ships with the aid of its SeaSkill auditing
process.
The entire process is expected to take 12 months and the
results will then be audited by DNV.
DNV claims to be the only classification society to
offer a full suite of services supporting shipowners and
managers in competency benchmarking through its
SeaSkill system.


MTCs Segel explains DNV and TOTS role in training

Speaking about the role of
DNV and TOTS in MTCs
training syllabus, Segel
explained; We see DNV
Seaskill as a tool uniforming
and standardising
requirements of competence
into standards (see page 26).
He said that by having this co-operation
agreement, MTC gets to put its
fingerprint into the standards, especially
in terms of the learning and training
structure and also into the course content.
It is a lot easier to align courses to the
industrys updated requirements, he
said.
As for tanker seafarer training, MTC
draws on specific area knowledge from
the Maersk Tanker Technical
Organisation (MTTO) and also uses
Maersk Tankers commercial
department to ascertain what type

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of vessels shipping companies are

building today.
For example, during the past two to
three years, product carriers have become
more versatile and flexible in their cargo
carrying requirements.
It has become harder to define a
chemical and a product tanker separately.
Several years ago, oil majors would ship
gasoline and other oil products in a
product tanker. Today, a tanker might be
called upon to lift vegetable oils and
chemicals, or refined products.
Oil majors need to send an inspector to
vet a specific vessel, but the
questionnaire has now been widened to
cater for the chemical/product carriers of
today. Each vetting certificate lasts for 12
months and during this time, the vessel
could lift a variety of cargoes. Thats the
challenge we see in delivering courses. A
straight chemical tanker course might not

be the same as a product tanker course,

Segel said. We need to refine standards
and requirements for vessel operations
and not just for the cargo grades carried.
We need the recognition of the industry
and oil majors.
MTC recently organised a workshop
with oil majors and other interested
parties where experience and knowledge
was used to draw up a set of standards,
which are currently in draught form.
As for TOTS, this created a
competence framework and baseline
allowing MTC to go beyond the
statutory requirements for tankers, Segel
said. It is raising the bar from STCW.
We are setting our own standards even
further complimenting TOTS. We are
developing new standards, which can be
useful. However, we need TOTS to
show that our standards are working,
he concluded.


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Global satcoms potential

in attracting cadets
It has taken longer than might have been expected, but the maritime industry
has at last accepted that humans are its most valuable resource*.
he reasons for this late realisation
include the industrys long
obsession with hardware and for
many years, the plentiful supply of
able bodies and bright minds.
It took a series of casualties and their
resulting pollution to focus attention on the
human factor once more, though the
orderbook boom and the coincidental shortage
of sea staff brought the problems of supply
and demand into even sharper relief.
Training and education of seafarers has
quickly become a pressing requirement for the
tanker industry working increasingly under the
regulators spotlight. It is also a practical tool
in attracting and retaining the seafarers that
shipowners desperately need.
The seriousness of the problem was
underlined at the launch of Go to Sea, the
latest initiative designed to encourage young
people to consider a career in the maritime
industry, focussed on improving the
recruitment and retention of officers.
A report by Drewry Shipping Consultants
assessed the current shortfall of officers in the
global shipping fleet at 34,000, against a total
requirement of 498,000. But based on Drewrys
fleet growth projections and the assumption that
officer supply will increase at the current rate,
the report predicts that by 2012, the officer
shortfall will have grown to 83,900.
Go to Sea highlighted that attracting the
next generation of cadets will require not just
improvements to pay and conditions but also a
commitment to training that will make
continuous professional development a fixture
in maritime careers.

Career development
Most tanker owners and operators
acknowledge that Inmarsat FleetBroadband
has the ability to increase seafarer retention,
but its role in career development is perhaps
less well understood. The main barrier to
adoption is pressure on costs but once total
cost of ownership is understood and the
system is seen to be delivering efficiencies for
on board IT, FleetBroadbands potential as a
driver to education has infinite possibilities.
28

Just as awareness of the advantages of IPbased, high-speed communications has grown,

Due to its experience, Inmarsat is now in a
position to advance the use of remote
educational programmes and on board
certification using FleetBroadband.
Among the companies to realise this
opportunity was Hong Kong-based shipmanager
Wallem, which carried out a full evaluation of
FleetBroadband in 2008 on board the 159,156
dwt Suezmax Sonangol Kizomba. As well as its
commitment to information technology,
Wallems investment in human resources saw it
establish a seafarer training centre in Mumbai in
1994, upgrading it in 2005.
More than 20 value-added courses are
available to Wallem seafarers, providing skills
and knowledge, which is supplementary to
basic qualifications and in the process keeping
them up to date on Wallem procedures, new
regulatory requirements and technical systems.
The companys training programme is also
designed to provide support for cadets and to
follow them while they are on board ship. All
the cadets are enrolled in a programme run
under the auspices of the Indian Ministry of
Shipping, which requires they first complete the
basic safety training prescribed by STCW 95.
When on board ship, Wallem encourages
the cadets to complete two to three hours of
training time per day, in addition to the
average working shift of eight hours.
Assignments are checked and marked by the
shipboard training officer and sent to the
companys training officer at the Mumbai
centre. Work is evaluated and graded and
submitted for formal approval.
The training officer can ask the cadet to resubmit the work if necessary and Chittur
Subramanian, marine superintendent at Wallem
Shipmanagement, said the process is designed
to judge progress on an individual basis. The
programme is structured for a certain amount
of work per week and a lot of thought is given
to questions and answers so the cadet cannot
copy from a text book. They have to study the
subject and complete each question from their
own knowledge, he explained.
The basic courses are structured by the

ministry of shipping but the Wallem training

centre will tailor the content to the type of
ship the cadet is serving on. On board ship,
cadets can take advantage of the same
facilities of existing officers, accessing an ondemand database of 180 different topics,
enabling them to complete a wide range of
additional assignments.
Saving time
Completing additional training on board while
studying for mandatory courses can mean time
saved when the cadet goes for their final
exam, according to Subramanian. The process
is supported while at sea by the chief officer
or chief engineer but they can in turn draw on
expertise ashore in Mumbai from where
several trainers, themselves qualified masters
and chief engineers provide support.
For the cadets, remote training is a chance
to put theory into practice, watching senior
officers and forming a clear picture of the
tasks that await them in their careers at sea.
Wallem cadet Tata sent assignments from his
ship in hard copy having asked the senior
officers for their input and used the on board
library for research. "The results of my
assignments would be sent to me on email in
about 15 days. Having email on board really
helped with receiving feedback for
assignments and keeping in contact with my
family," he said.
Although down the years, the number of
cadets has fallen to one per ship, the effect has
been that the traditional cascade of
information from third and second year cadets
to the first year intake has been replaced by
more structured training programmes and
direct contact with the chief officers.
Subramanian said the process is also
designed to use cultural background to its
advantage. We have cadets who clearly
benefit from training with officers of different
nationalities as the experience is not always
the same as what they learnt at home. The
cadets interaction with the chief, the master
and the second and third officers means they
gain information and knowledge when
actually carrying out their duties.

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Since the majority of maritime training in
commonwealth countries follows the UK
model, much of the syllabus is common and
the core themes of operating and running a
ship safety universal. In one case, this allowed
Wallems Indian officers to train cadets from
the UK and have their work assessed by the
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
If the process sounds thorough, it is also a
little long-winded, since the approving
authorities currently accept only hand-written
documents signed by the shipboard and shore
side training officers. In future, Subramanian
expects broadband communications to play a
greater role, with improved bandwidth
encouraging students and educators to make
greater use of technology. Broadband on the
ship would mean that the entire training
programme could be put online for the cadet
to access from on board ship and also use to
make their submission, he said.
The trend to online learning certainly
supports this assertion. Training software
providers, such as Seagull and Videotel, which
supply ships with CDs and DVDs for shipboard

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training, have already put their training courses

online. Both offer a huge range of training
courses and Seagull has recently negotiated with
tanker owners association Intertanko to offer its
Tanker Officer Training Standards (TOTS)
programme in electronic format (see page 27).
The Nautical Institute is putting the
finishing touches to a web-based system for
monitoring and encouraging continuous
professional development (see page 35) and
Lloyds Maritime Academy recently
announced the first maritime MBA offered
entirely online, aimed at both shipboard and
shore-based staff.
Over and above mandatory courses, better
use of communications could mean that on
board training is extended to new systems and
equipment, with vendors playing a greater role
in the familiarisation process. A good example
of technology with a large-scale training
demand is the ECDIS. The system was
recently mandated by IMO under a phased
programme that begins with newbuilding
passenger ships of 500 gt and tankers of 3,000
gt from 1st July, 2012.

The ECDIS course operated by Wallem in

Mumbai covers data and display functions with
hands-on training provided. Students practice
setting up and maintaining a display, planning
and monitoring a route and using basic
navigational functions and equipment in a real
time navigational environment. They also learn
to activate updates and complete actions
necessary for a safe navigational watch.
Crucially for getting the best training in the
of ECDIS, officers and cadets could undertake
on-board training, often during actual
navigation under supervision of the chief
officer. Its valuable for cadets and essential
for officers in gaining better understanding of
equipment vital to safety of navigation.
Once the full potential of remote training
using FleetBroadband is realised, Inmarsat
will make its own contribution to improving
the potential that online training and
TO
education offers the industry.

*This article was written with the help

of Piers Cunningham, Inmarsats
head of maritime business and Wallem
Shipmanagement.

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How important is
monitoring via software
in a downturn?
Anyone who has read management books has probably heard about
how leading companies manage information in order to
accelerate decision-making, preparation, efficiency etc*.
low stock market and a low
charter market are environments
when good theory is found
interesting but rarely adopted. In
such an environment, why pay now for
something hopefully attainable later, when the
company is barely overcoming costs today?
Information technology can significantly
support decision making and assist in
improving processes in shipping so as to make
a company operate better than its competitors,
especially during a low market period.
In the shipping business, an informationcentric organisation could be described as one
that pays a lot of attention to how information is
internally distributed and disseminated, an
organisation that distributes information to the
right person at the right time, without spending
a tremendous conscious effort to achieve this.
So what would be the bottom line
advantages of better information distribution?
 Earlier risk assessment and a better chance
of managing risk more cost effectively;
 Better preparation before performing
critical operations where sub-optimal
procedural variations can cost a lot of
money;
 Prevention of incidents arising from
uninformed areas in the organisation;
 Lowering costs by having less people
minding paperwork and putting more
attention on optimising spending and
operation;
 Faster vetting approval on tankers and less
time with sub-optimal approvals;
 Far better internal compliance with new
cost and efficiency policies and procedures.
An example of risk assessment necessary in
day-to-day shipmanagement could involve - a
report of seawater content in the stern tube
lubricating oil shows a higher level than usual.
Is this information something that remains
within the technical department, or is it a
subject requiring some risk assessment from a

30

commercial as well as a technical standpoint?

If it remains within the technical
department, is there not a major likelihood
that an early opportunity to inspect the stern
gland may be lost if the vessel is promptly
chartered to an area where stern seal repairs
are prohibitively expensive and unreliable?
If there is a chance of the gland quickly
deteriorating, could this not soon require
immediate intervention and interruption of the
vessels current employment or even salvage?
This should be assessed by both senior
management and commercial management.
Boilers, inert gas systems and main engine
components can also all introduce tremendous
commercial risk.
The convenience with which information is
managed and co-ordinated plays a major role
in the avoidance of a delay, such as, for
example, a delay in the delivery of necessary
standby spare parts.
So how can good co-ordination save costs?
The lost earnings for a day or two, or the
missing of the next employment, or the loss of
an opportunity to perform other downtime work
and avoid another several days of downtime.
A few months later, during a vetting
inspection the inspector asks to see the risk
assessment checks made during the stern seal
repair. He finds that a variety of checklists
from the companys safety management
system were omitted during the repair period:
the diver co-ordination checklist, the stand by
mooring contingency while the vessel was at
the repair berth, the weather checks during the
repair and others.
Oil companies view vetting as an
assessment of managerial competence. They
rely on spot checks and record checks. How
can you maintain records if the SMS system is
so complicated that it is unclear which item of
paperwork pertains to each circumstance?
How does a company implement measures
designed to save costs? A significant step is

the ability to manage information. Proper

information management can ensure that
progress in adopting new processes is
transparent. It can also ensure convenience in
gathering, comparing, and making decisions
based on adequate information so as to better
achieve cost control.
The distribution of important corporate
information must be as close to automatic as
possible and must find the user with the right
information at the right time with minimal
required dissemination from the end user. We
have to go beyond email, which alerts the
receiver when the sender sends the
information. We must be able to put the
information in front of the user at the time that
the user is likely to need it, even if the user is
not consciously looking for it. Critical
corporate information is often overlooked
because it is difficult to find.
User convenience is the key to effective
information management and significantly
reduced operational costs. Systems must have
the capacity to organize all relevant data, and
to know about how shipping works.
Ulysses Task Assistant software has been
designed precisely for the purpose of taking
email and customary shipping applications,
such as planned maintenance and adding the
elements that are needed for success. Task
Orientation is a mechanism of relating
overlapping information and allowing coordination by relating all data and content to
the end use by each user, in other words the
time when each user needs the information.
This ensures that documents and data
actually help people perform their tasks and
support their decision processes, making
processes more transparent and thus more
efficient, is the key to make a company
operate better than its competitors, especially
TO
during a low market period.

*This article is an extract from a

paper written by Ulysses Systems.

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Take charge of the

information highway
I

nformation overload is the bane of

modern day working life, and the daily
assault on our senses can, at times, be
draining. The tanker industry has its
own unique assaults on the senses with
fixtures and open vessels lists pouring in,
market indices doing the rounds and a
plethora of industry news feeds to wade
through every day.
Offering some relief from the onslaught,
online eLearning provider Coracle has
launched sector-specific tanker shipping
podcasts in partnership with Braemar
Seascope.
Coracle offers a weekly podcast covering
VLCC, clean products, suezmax and aframax
tanker movements and trends. The company
said that it believed that its podcasts can
consolidate some of the information doing the
rounds into topical and informative soundbites
relevant to specific tanker sectors.
Coracle founder and managing director,
James Tweed said he hoped that the podcasts

Shipping podcast provider

aims to give tanker
operators better control of
continuous professional
development.

will help to shift todays learning focus away

from simple information gathering and towards
the development of continuous professional
development (CPD).
CPD by definition helps individuals to
undertake learning - through a broad range of
activities - that maintains, develops and
enhances skills and knowledge in order to
improve performance in practice.
In conversation with TAKEROperator,
Tweed said: Podcasts on the tanker industry
give industry players the opportunity to tailor
the information they receive and listen to that
information at a time that suits them. With an
automatic download through iTunes, tanker

operators can put their commuting time to

good use and be a step ahead of the game by
the time they reach their desks in the morning.
This also means that they can discard
much of the other information which is either
not specific to their sector or at least two days
old useless in todays fast moving industry,
he continued.
In addition to its podcasts for the tanker
industry, Coracle also offers a number of
eLearning options designed to boost tanker
industry knowledge. Learning ranges from
grass roots options, right up to professional
examinations leading the way to membership
of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
The company launched its Foundation
Diploma eLearning courses in Tanker
Chartering and in Ship Operations and
Management in September 2007. Strong takeup prompted Coracle to introduce a second
tier Advanced Diploma in mid-2008, allowing
students to progress from the Foundation
Diploma.

Financial helping hand to boost training options

Coracle has also launched an
Educational Fund to support its
students through their studies.
Spurred on by frequent requests from
students for financial assistance with course
fees and assistance with conducting research
into available grants, the UK-based company
felt compelled to remove the financial
barriers to learning wherever possible.
Tweed said: We feel that eLearning
naturally transcends barriers of language,
geography, race, gender and physical
abilities so its high time we added finance
to that list. We have established an
Education Fund to meet that aim and have
already allocated our first round of study
awards.
The deadline for entries for the second
round of funding was 27th March. Students
can apply directly through the Coracle
website at www.coracleonline.com.
Coracle aims to develop the Education
Fund over time to provide grant research

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TANKEROperator

facilities and to further develop the concept

of immersive learning, Tweed seed.
Another initiative saw Coracle launch a
Background to Shipping certificate to plug
the gap for on-track grass root learning for
the maritime industry.
The 100% online course adapted from
the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
Understanding Shipping course allows
students to study the nine sections at home
or in the office and then submit multiplechoice answers for marking. In keeping with
the eLearning ethos, marks and the
certificate will then be sent via email.
Tweed explained: Its easy to get caught
up in the jargon of our industry and
consequently new entrants often get dumped
in the deep end. Its not fair to expect back
office staff to instantly understand the
nuances of our industry; companies should
invest in appropriate training for every
member of staff and that includes support
staff.

He continued: By selecting an entry-level

course, staff without a background in
shipping can quickly get up to speed, which
will ultimately save their employer time and
money.

Coracle managing director James Tweed.

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Coracles easy to navigate website.

Tweed is particularly keen to note the wide

geographical spread of students that have
learned and are learning through Coracle.
While the company currently has students
from 57 countries, those students specifically

studying tanker chartering and ship operations

and management courses in 2009 come from
India, UK, Hong Kong, China, Switzerland,
Russia, Ghana, Turkey, US, Singapore,
Kuwait, Angola, Cyprus, Denmark,

Cameroon, Liberia, Dubai, and Italy.

This demonstrates that shipping eLearning
is accessible to all. In an industry as broad as
ours, we have to remove as many as the
barriers to learning as possible, Tweed said.
One such barrier is language. Tweed
concedes that for many Coracle students
English is not their first language. However,
as English is the international language for
shipping, all courses and course material are
delivered in English.
We understand that this can be difficult for
some students, but it is important that
shipping students conquer English to be able
to fully converse in the maritime industry. To
this end, we offer a bolt-on English as a
Foreign Language module to aid students,
Tweed explained.
This module is held in private online
classes for a maximum of five students and
can be audio and/or video enabled. Lessons
and class discussions are catered to the
specific needs and interests of each student
and each class session is automatically
transcribed for the benefit of both the
student and the teacher.
TO

Greek academy to benefit from Transas simulators

TRANSAS Hellas in collaboration
with Transas Mediterranean
recently supplied a radar bridge
simulator to the AEN - Epirus
Merchant Marine Academy in
Greece.
The simulator, a Navi Trainer 4000, can
provide the necessary training for various
types of vessels.
The bridge simulator is designed with builtin equipment flexibility to allow for the reconfiguration between many ship types,
including the most modern vessels.
Navigational equipment fitted on each
bridge simulate real system interfaces,
including state of the art ARPA/Radar, ECDIS
(Navi Sailor 3000), GMDSS communications
and the most updated integrated navigation
systems.
Each element of the simulation suite can be
operated independently, or in integrated
training scenarios involving up to four
interactive navigational bridges. A
comprehensive library of vessel models is
available for use with databases covering large
areas, including, important worldwide ports
and routes.
The Epirus Academy is owned by the
Greek Ministry of Merchant Marine and is
32

one of eight academies in Greece whose

purpose is to train ships officers by
providing them constant and up to date
training in maritime theory, as well as in

the use of modern technologies.

The studies include theoretical courses and
practical exercises in the respective workshops
assisted by the simulators.


A Navi Trainer 4000 fitted with a Navi Sailor 3000 ECDIS.

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Seafarers satellite TV
has arrived
Unicom has explored the possibility of offering live TV on its managed fleet. Unicoms IT
manager Alexey Bozrikov, talked about the project*.
rew welfare and management is
undoubtedly one of the hotest
topics in the maritime industry
today. The availability and
retention of quality seafarers remains a serious
problem for many in the shipping sector.
Unicom, the shipmanagement arm of
Russian state shipowner and operator
Sovcomflot, is one company that is keenly
aware of the competition for crews in the
current market.
With a fleet that includes crude oil,
chemical/product tankers, LNG and LPG
carriers, having experienced and qualified
crews is an essential component in running an
efficient, and more importantly safe, business.
With this in mind, Unicom IT manager
Alexey Bozrikov decided that the company
needed to take a new approach to its crew
management, and find new ways to convince
the seafarers that Unicom vessels were the
only place for them.
Most companies are going some way
towards trying to keep crews and have
retention rates at their maximum level, he
told the conference*. Seafarers are coming
and going, and the average level of
competence and quality of the seafarers is
decreasing.

What everybody's trying to do is to keep

all of those people who have already been
with the company for maybe five or 10
consecutive years. We've tried, and we've
done many different things, starting with pay
raises and pension schemes and permanent
contracts, but everybody knows about this and
everybody does it.
So at Unicom we decided to go one step
further and to introduce satellite TV as an
entertainment package for the seafarers on
board our ships.
Having live TV systems on ships is
obviously more complicated than getting a
subscription to new channels at home, with
variable weather conditions and harsh
environments, coupled with the inconvenient
fact that the vessel is constantly moving,
providing a range of engineering challenges.
What we were looking for was a system
that would be easy to install, which could be
installed by the crew and then commissioned
by the supplier later, said Bozrikov.
It needed the ability to work in heavy
weather conditions, such as rolling, and the
ability to withstand low temperatures, because
we've got a few ships trading in the Arctic
area where temperatures are really low.
We also had some other technical

requirements, like the ability to serve several

TV receivers and satellite receivers, and
having user defined satellites because
obviously you can't just put all of the satellites
in one system, it will depend on the vessels
trading area. And, of course, since Unicom's
crew is 99% Russian-speaking we were
obviously looking for a system capable of
delivering Russian language channels.
Customised services
Having specified its requirements and
evaluated the available options, Unicom
decided to proceed with a trial of KVHs
TracVision M9 maritime satellite television
system.
This system has a modem, satellite antenna
and master control unit, and then you connect
what you want to that, your satellite receivers
and end user equipment, Bozrikov said.
Unicom worked with Navicom, a Russian
partner of KVH, to customise the system to its
own specific requirements, particularly with
regard to Russian language services and
content.
Having been satisfied with the performance
of the system through the initial evaluation,
Unicom decided to proceed with a larger-scale
implementation of the system to see how

Unicom has a
need for a
Russian language
TV network.

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crews would react to their new-found ability
to relax with the latest Russian prime-time TV.
We started installing the system around
September 2008, explained Bozrikov. There
have been good reports about the stability of
the system, obviously the signal is lost
sometimes. The equipment met 95% of our
needs, and has also had a financially attractive
package, though I won't be disclosing that! By
now we have about 50 vessels installed out of
60, the contract was for 60 vessels.
For ease of installation, there were only a
couple of vessels where they said the
installation was complicated, but I think this
depends on whether there was an electrical
engineer on board, he added.
The most critical aspect of the installation
process was the need for caution dealing with
the potentially dangerous environment on
board tankers, especially drilling for the
necessary cabling. Bozrikov said that dish
installation was not a problem as long as they
were fitted in areas without blind or dead
spots. Some were fitted on newbuildings at
shipyards.
Crew reaction
After a majority of the installations had been
completed and the system was up and
running, Bozrikov and his team carried out a
crew survey to gauge the reaction of those on
board to the service.
We did a vessel opinion poll of the first 39
vessels that were installed, and the first thing
we saw was the great enthusiasm of the crews

...as a management company, this project has

helped us in achieving good crew retention rates
[which] under the two year TMSA (tanker
management self assessment) formula...
its 94.6% and for top officers 90.45%.

for this, he said.

The performance and reliability of the
service, aspects of the installations that
Bozrikov was keen to examine with the
system operating in real trading conditions,
received favourable responses from the
seafarers.
For performance in difficult weather
conditions we got very good responses from
the vessels, he said. We asked them
specifically to report on what happened during
rolling and so on, and they said it was almost
like at home during heavy rain or a
thunderstorm. You do get a weak signal
sometimes, but most of the time it works.
As for service and help from the
manufacturer, only 15% of vessels actually
requested service, most of them did not
because it worked straight away, so we are
pretty happy with the equipment.
We have had certain issues with ships
trading in the Arctic, we now have two ships
that work permanently in that area where the
temperature goes to -20 or 25 deg C. The
external cables started to get kind of hard, so

they might need additional maintenance, we're

working on that now, he said.

Future improvements
With the system now bedded in and a part of
the daily lives of crews on board Unicom
managed vessels, the company believes that
its decision to install the technology has been
a good one, and looks forward to extending
the system and its capabilities in the future.
We're already working on increasing the
number of TVs on board, because we got
some feedback from the seafarers that they
wanted to have more places where they could
watch TV, said Bozrikov.
We think, as a management company, that
this project has helped us in achieving good
crew retention rates. Our crew retention rates,
under the two year TMSA (tanker
management self assessment) formula, which
I think everybody knows about for their KPIs,
for ratings it's 94.6% and for top officers
90.45%, he claimed.
We would like to see some automated
systems for updating the control unit, where
you program the satellites' positions, because
for now it's quite technical.
There's usually someone on board who's
familiar with those kinds of things and how to
use a communications program over a serial
port to program this thing, but if there was an
interface, and e-mails distributed with the
satellite data which they could just import,
that would be much easier, he explained.
For anyone who would be thinking about
implementing the same services, just keep in
mind that there is really poor channel choice
in the US and Atlantic area, Bozrikov
warned.
In Europe there are no problems, there are
lots of satellites, lots of channels. Far eastern
Japan and those sea areas also have similar
problems to the US, for what we want for our
TO
ships, he concluded.

*This is an extract from a paper

delivered at the recent Digital
Ship Cyprus event.
Radoms have to be installed in areas without blind or dead spots.

34

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Page 16

INDUSTRY - MANNING AND TRAINING

The autical Institute

launches CPD
A major initiative aimed at helping maritime professionals develop their careers and meet
future industry requirements for personnel has been unveiled by The autical Institute (I).
Is continuing professional
development (CPD) scheme is
aimed at helping retention of
seafarers and ensuring that they
can further their careers at sea and ashore.
The industry has estimated that the shortfall
of officers could reach 83,900 by 2012,
against fleet requirements and has initiated
campaigns to attract recruits not least the
Go to Sea campaign backed by the IMO.
Where the NI programme differs is in its
aim at keeping professionals employed in the
maritime industry, Peter Aylott, NIs director
of professional development explained.
The NI system will provide career
guidance and a mechanism for individuals to
help people discover what careers there are
and what training provision is available so
they can plan their careers accordingly, he
said. Few people actually plan their careers
or know where to go to get information about
training. This lack of information of career
opportunities can lead to frustration.
Not enough people are being attracted into
the marine industry, not enough are staying and
there is no formal link to industry or career.
Things have to change and the NI decided that
it could help with this, Aylott explained.
The NIs CPD system is a password

protected web-based entity where individuals

can keep electronic certificates in one place. It
will provide practical help and guidance for
instance on how to develop a CV individually
tailored to a particular job.
There is nothing like this in the maritime
industry at the moment, although it is standard
practice in other industries, Aylott claimed.
Backed by the IMO, the CPD system was
developed by Northern Ireland-based Aurion
Learning, which specialises in CPD learning.
It will be released at the end of April and has
already attracted the support of Efthimios
Mitropoulos, IMO Secretary-General who
said: I very much support the ideas within
the NI currently aimed at encouraging
maritime professionals to adopt CPD.
Aylott explained: Companies want to attract
personnel with suitable qualifications and there
are people who want a career in the maritime
industry without necessarily going to sea. Now
there is a system to help achieve these aims.
A range of learning will be recognised in
support of an individuals CPD, including
programmes of study, participation at
seminars and conferences and job exchanges
and secondments. The NI CPD will support
life long learning, added Aylott. It will help
in planning professional development, help in

Left to right: Peter Aylott, The Nautical Institutes director of professional development;
Captain Andy Winbow, director, administrative division, IMO; Chris Haughton, NI CPD
conference chairman; Captain Richard Coates, president, NI; Dr Maureen Murphy, managing
director, Aurion Learning and Captain Martin Burley, group training director, V Ships.

April 2009

TANKEROperator

Captain Andy Winbow, IMOs director

administrative division addresses the
CPD launch conference.

research for training and employment, and

support learning activity.
The NI CPD system was launched at IMOs
London headquarters with a conference,
which included presentations from NI
president Capt Richard Coates; Capt Andy
Winbow, director, administrative division,
IMO; Capt Martin Burley, V Ships group
training director and Dr Maureen Murphy,
managing director, Aurion Learning.
Captain Coates commented: It is
fundamental to the continued success of our
industry that knowledge, experiences and
lessons learned are shared to the mutual
benefit of all parties.
Conference chairman, Chris Haughton, who
also chaired the NIs working group on CPD,
said the NI scheme would help mentoring,
particularly internationally so expertise and
experience could be passed on.
Many company managements operate
competence management systems (CMS)
pointed out Capt Burley. We believe that a
CPD system should complement a CMS. The
former enables the individual to manage their
own learning against their own goals; the
latter manages the collective capability of a
companys employees to ensure that they can
fulfil assigned duties.
TO
35

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Page 1

TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING

More questions
than answers
The bunker industry is very aware of its environmental responsibilities and has
responded well to the demands made of it by the regulators*.
BIA is represented at IMO, where all
the important decisions are made. It
formed part of the panel of experts
which helped shape the changes to
MARPOL Annex VI and wholeheartedly
supports moves to further reduce sulphur and
other emissions from ships.
IBIA believes that moves to further tighten
emissions controls on shipping through
changes to Annex VI should be based on a
multiple-solution approach, which must
evaluate all credible options, including lowsulphur heavy fuel oil, distillate fuels,
alternative fuels and emission abatement
equipment as a means to cut emissions
without compromising safety and efficiency.
Ships will always need fuel and shipping is
the most cost-effective and green method of
transport. It is relatively easy to produce new
environmental legislation, but it can be very
difficult to manage the change needed to
achieve legislative compliance.
The vast majority of oceangoing vessels
have been designed to store, treat and
consume heavy residual high-sulphur fuel and
newbuildings leaving the yard now are no
different in this respect. In fact, the marine
industry has excelled over the past 50 years or
so at efficiently using the fuel which nobody
else wanted.
High-sulphur residual fuel produced in a
refinery has a lower value than the crude oil
from which it is made, but it is a cost-effective
form of energy. Converting this fuel to
distillate would have a very negative effect on
the environment, which may not be
compensated by ships switching to distillates.
Refiners and fuel suppliers have excelled
down the years at providing a global network
of reasonable quality residual fuel. Of course
things may go wrong from time to time, but
the vast majority of residual fuels supplied to
ships are delivered on time, on spec and are
consumed without incident.
It seems that moves are afoot to phase out
the consumption of residual fuel on ships over
the next 15 years or so. But this is not set in

36

IBIA chairman Chris Fisher.

stone and it is to be hoped that future reviews

will include scientific-based reasoning and
intelligent cost/benefit relationships.
IBIA will be involved in such reviews and
will help with the development of practical
and cost-effective solutions, which will benefit
both commerce and the environment. If the
shipping industry has to abandon the use of
residual fuel, this will create a bigger
challenge than managing short-term hiccups in
the global economy.
At the moment, there are more questions
than answers. Can the bunker industry supply
good-quality, low-sulphur residual fuel,
particularly when the sulphur upper limit is
one per cent? Can refiners produce sufficient
quantities of distillate fuel on a global basis?
Where is abatement technology going? How
will existing marine engines perform on
distillate fuel? Are biofuels a threat or an
opportunity? For how long will shipowners

want residual fuel and when will refiners have

to resort to total conversion? Can terminals
use residual storage tanks to store distillate
fuel, or is a huge investment needed?
The answers to these and other
questions can only be found if people from all
sides of the industry come together in a spirit
of trust and understanding in an attempt to
find the solutions. As yet, this is not
happening, but there has never been a more
important time than now for refiners,
suppliers, technologists, environmentalists,
buyers, shipowners and support service
providers to sit down together and work
TO
through the urgent issues facing us all.

*This article was written by Chris

Fisher, chairman, the
International Bunker Industry
Association (IBIA).
TANKEROperator  April 2009

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Page 2

PHYSICAL STRENGTH
GLOBAL REACH

FROM THE DESIGNERS IN SCANDINAVIA TO YOUR

LIVING ROOM. A WORLD THAT RELIES ON SHIPPING
NEEDS A RELIABLE FUEL SUPPLIER.

Peninsula Petroleum is a major physical bunker and lubricant supplier operating from the ports
of Gibraltar, Ceuta, the Canary Islands, Panama, Piraeus and Singapore. As a physical supplier and a
worldwide trader with annual sales in excess of 4,000,000 tonnes, we have the resources and capabilities
to guarantee the highest quality products and rst-class customer care at all times.
With ofces in London, Gibraltar, Geneva, Piraeus, Dubai, Singapore and Shanghai our highly
skilled staff can look after your needs 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

LONDON
TEL: +44 (0) 207 766 3999

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Tel: +350 200 52641

DUBAI
Tel: +971-4-343 2813

GENEVA
Tel: +41 22 322 9600

GREECE
Tel: +30 210 4287800

SHANGHAI
SINGAPORE
Tel: +65 6238 6621 Tel: +86 21 5386 8866

WWW.PENINSULAPETROLEUM.COM

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Page 3

TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING

Passing the fuel test

With continued advances in technology, it is now possible to determine the
concentrations of a variety of chemicals in bunker fuels*.
hese include both those which
occur naturally as part of the
refining process and those which
are introduced during the blending
process. And the results of research show just
how important fuel testing can be.
During 2008, 19% of all samples tested by
Lintec had one or more parameters failing to
meet the relevant ISO specification; 19.6% of
heavy fuels tested failed, while offspecifications for distillates were lower, at
13%, with over 15% of low-sulphur fuels
(lsfo) failing to meet the limits.
The main parameters found to be offspecification were viscosity (almost 9%),
density (4%), water content (under 3%) and
sulphur (just over 1%). In addition, 2.4% of
all samples tested by Lintec were rated as
having a critical off-specification parameter.
This can be defined as a fuel failing to meet
sulphur legislation, a high acid number, or
excessive catalytic fines in the fuel.
This pattern of non-compliant parameters is
repeated for lsfos, the main offenders being
viscosity, density and water content. But only
2% of lsfos tested during 2008 failed to
comply with the ECA sulphur limit. This is in
stark contrast to fourth-quarter of 2007, when
14% of lsfos were found to be off-

specification for sulphur.

Although in percentage terms the numbers
of samples found to be off-specification for
catalytic fines were at similar levels for high
and low-sulphur fuels, the average aluminium
and silicon levels for lsfos was markedly
higher than the average for high-sulphur fuels.
Increased blending will invariably introduce
the possibility of different quality issues
which are potentially not covered by ISO
8217: 2005. Lintec has found that around 2%3% of fuels analysed under its chemical
screening programme have evidence of
chemical waste. In the majority of cases, this
waste will not affect the operation or safety of
the vessel. But, in a small number of
instances, this chemical contamination can
lead to acid attack of fuel pumps and other
engine components, plus filter blockage
caused by the build-up of polymer.
The value of fuel testing is self-evident and
owners, operators and charterers should not be
tempted as a result of financial pressures
induced by the current global economic
downturn into using non-accredited
laboratories for fuel testing and analysis.
The marine industry is under acute financial
pressure at the moment, so it is no surprise to
find that some sectors of the shipping industry

Jones advised owners and operators to use accredited fuel testing laboratories.

38

Lintecs managing director Geoff Jones.

are contemplating whether it is worth forgoing

quality for a lower perceived price. It is not.
Quality matters
Quality really does matter. The minimum
entry level for any testing agency must be a
documented Quality Management System
(QMS). This is designed to ensure that, at a
basic level, the quality, administrative and
technical systems, which govern the
operations of a testing agency, are welldocumented. The next tier is certification of
the management system for conformity to an
international standard, usually ISO 9001:2008.
But since 2005, the gold standard has been
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (E), which specifies the
requirements for competence to carry out testing
in a manner not covered by ISO 9001. ISO 17025
is used as a measure to recognise the technical
competence of a testing agency and is designed to
give customers confidence in the test house.
Employing a non-accredited laboratory for
your bunker testing may result in a vessel
burning poor-quality fuel, with all the ensuing
operational and commercial difficulties this
TO
brings with it.

*This article was written by

Geoff Jones, managing
director, Lintec Testing
Services.
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TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING

OW Bunker looks to
the future
Global customers offered 24-hour access to in-depth knowledge and information on
bunker market in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Antwerp (ARA range), while new barges
have been introduced and a training programme set up.
W Bunker, one of the worlds
largest suppliers and traders of
marine fuel, has opened a new
ARA trading office.
Located in Geneva, this office was
established to give global customers access to
a centralised team of experts on the ARA
physical and paper market; providing 24-hour
information on local market knowledge and
issues, as well as offering the groups global
sales teams specific information on focused
pricing strategies.
OW Bunker said that this move also

strengthens the bunker supplier and traders

already considerable physical presence in
ARA, where all grades of fuel oil, including
low sulphur fuel oil, are supplied from its
eight barges in the region.
Geneva is one of Europes leading trading
hubs for the oil and derivatives markets.
The office is headed by Andrew Huzzard,
who has a wealth of experience in the
bunker market. Huzzard is supported by
Marco Kolff, who moved across from OW
Bunkers risk management division to run
derivatives trading, while Martin Hugel

The Bominot Network

Europe / Africa
Hamburg
Bremerhaven
Kiel
Rostock
Scandinavia
London
Rotterdam
Madrid
Gibraltar
Ceuta
Las Palmas
Malta
Athens
Tallinn
St. Petersburg
Cape Town
The Americas
Houston
New Orleans
Delaware
Norfolk
New York
Panama
Buenos Aires
Rio de Janeiro
Ecuador
Far/Middle East
Singapore
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onal company operating
Shanghai
around the globe, with
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more than 30 years of
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experience in the bunker market. Our business portMumbai
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folio covers activities ranging from cargo trading to
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April 2009

the supply of bunker fuels, lubricants and other services of crucial importance to the shipping industry:
at competitive prices

TANKEROperator

joined from Wrist Hamburg and has taken

on the role of ARA purchaser.
Commenting on the new office, Andrew
Huzzard said; As the largest bunkering
region in Europe with around 20 mill tonnes
in delivered bunker fuel alone, it is vital
that our global customers and sales teams
have constant access to the latest
information on the ARA market. The new
office will streamline and pool all the
groups knowledge into one centralised
team, where we will be able to provide
advice and details on all related aspects

energy
at work
Bominot imposes strict
standards on all its operations, and accepts
nothing less. We offer
round-the-clock service, whenever and wherever
you need us. You can always count on Bominot at
your next port of call.
Choose a dynamic partner: www.bominot.net

39

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Page 5

TECHNOLOGY - BUNKERING

As the largest bunkering region in Europe with around 20 mill

tonnes in delivered bunker fuel alone, it is vital that our global
customers and sales teams have constant access to the latest
information on the ARA market.
Andrew Huzzard, OW Bunker

from trading and physical supply to

derivatives and risk management strategies.
During the past year, OW Bunker has
renewed its bunker barge fleet, which now
totals 12 vessels.
Two of the new vessels the 4,200 dwt
sisters OW Aalborg and OW Copenhagen operate in and around Denmark. They make
frequent calls at the large bunker station at
Prvestenen, Copenhagen from where bunkers
are delivered to the many vessels passing
through the resund.
Also using Prvestenen last year, were the
6,000 dwt OW Atlantic and the chartered
7,800 dwt Besiktas Halland.
Training initiative
OW Bunker, has also launched a new

international training programme claimed

to be the first of its kind for the bunker
industry. The official launch followed a
successful pilot programme, which
involved 12 recruits going through the
learning process.
Aimed at attracting recruits from outside
the sector, as well as from inside worldwide,
the programme was established to help solve
recruitment shortage issues in shipping-related
industries and to drive progression and
improve professionalism within the wider
bunker industry.
The two-year training programme has
space for a minimum of 10 people each
year. Participants range from graduates to
traders with a couple of years experience, as
well as people from other industries who

can bring a fresh perspective and new ways

of working.
It includes external training courses in
sales, as well as courses on the shipping
industry and the bunkering market, risk
management plus internal courses on OWs
business and brand, which is led by senior
staff. After four months, trainees are given
hands-on experience and begin to deal
with customer inquiries on their own. Each
trainee is provided with a personal mentor
to guide them through this process and
throughout the two-year programme.
The significant investment required to run
this international training programme is
viewed by OW Bunker as necessary in
securing both the future of the company and
in the best interests of the wider industry. TO

The OW Copenhagen and the Besiktas Halland seen at Prvestenen, Copenhagen.

40

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Page 6

TECHNOLOGY - CARGO MONITORING

Cargo contamination by
tank coatings an issue
The issue of contamination of vegetable oils by previous cargoes retained
in cargo tank coatings has long been recognised and understood.
ndividual coatings have different
absorption, de-sorption and retention
(ADR) characteristics, depending
largely on their type and formulation.
These characteristics are also dependent on
many other factors, such as, properties of the
absorbed cargo, temperature of stowage,
duration of stowage, subsequent cargo
properties and the type temperature and
duration of tank cleaning following cargo
discharge.
Coatings ADR properties have been studied
for many years and a great deal of information
is available from the coatings suppliers
concerning the different generic types they
supply. However, there is apparently little
information available from the operational
side of the bulk liquid shipping trade on the
effectiveness of tank cleaning in reducing the
potential for contamination of subsequent
vegetable oil cargoes, by previously absorbed
prior cargoes. Understandably, it becomes
very difficult for trade associations to regulate
such situations and also difficult for
legislating bodies to establish, which previous
cargoes are acceptable and which are not.
With this in mind, MarinSpec Associates*
planned and executed a project that was
specifically designed to investigate the
influence of simulated tank cleaning on the
transmission of chemical cargoes retained in
organic cargo tank coatings into subsequent
cargoes of vegetable oils.

April 2009

TANKEROperator

The primary objective of the project was to

generate information that could assist
regulators and legislators in their
deliberations; as well as providing useful
information to the market as a whole,
including, but not limited to, coating suppliers
and to tanker charterers and operators.
Methodology
It was considered essential that the
methodology adopted should reflect industry
practice and at the same time include worst
case scenarios. The following considerations
were made1. Selection of chemical cargoes
The selection criteria were  The cargoes had to be moved in large
volumes.
 They had to be absorbed by the coatings,
without destroying them.
 They had to be detectable in vegetable oils
at low concentrations.
Four cargoes were selected. These were i) Styrene Monomer (SM).
ii) Ethylene Dichloride (EDC).
iii) Toluene (TOL).
iv) iso Butyl Acetate (BUTAC).
2. Immersion time and carriage
temperature of the chemical cargo
The selection criteria were  Immersion time had to reflect a realistic
maximum voyage duration.
 Carriage temperature had to reflect a

realistic maximum loading/stowage

temperature to encourage maximum
absorption of the cargo.
It was agreed that an immersion time of 30
days at a temperature of 30C satisfied these
objectives.
3. Cleaning Regimes
The selection criteria were  A minimum of two cleaning procedures
were needed for comparison purposes.
 One cleaning procedure would reflect a
minimal cold procedure that all chemical
tankers would be expected to carry out.
 The other cleaning procedure would be a
standard hot cleaning procedure that all
chemical tankers could reasonably be
expected to achieve.
The cold washing procedure selected was
 One hour cold seawater recirculation.
 Cold fresh water flush.
 Natural ventilation for about 24 hours.
The hot washing procedure selected was
 One hour cold seawater recirculation.
 Four hours hot (60C) seawater
recirculation.
 Two hours steaming (Maximum
temperature 55C).
 Natural ventilation for about 24 hours.
4. Selection of vegetable oils
The selection criteria were  An oil carried at ambient temperature
(crude sunflower oil with a carriage
temperature 30C was selected).

41

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Page 7

TECHNOLOGY - CARGO MONITORING

 An oil known to be loaded and carried at
elevated temperature (RBD palm stearin
with a carriage temperature of 70C was
selected).
In both cases, the maximum stowage
temperature likely to be encountered in practice
was used to encourage maximum transmission
of retained previous cargo into the oil.
5. Selection of coating types
The range of coatings considered for the
project was representative of those used in
practice. These consisted of epoxy phenolic
coatings, straight epoxy coatings and two
coatings classified as undefined.
The coatings were assessed in two groups
according to their declared resistance to the
selected previous cargoes. One set was
exposed to styrene monomer and ethylene
dichloride while the other was exposed to
toluene and iso butyl acetate.
Results
The manufacturer of each coating was asked to
provide mild steel test panels, measuring 125
mm x 50 mm x 3 mm, prepared and coated
according to the companys own particular
specifications. Post curing, where applicable,
was carried out by MarinSpec according to the
manufacturers published instructions.
Each coating was given a unique
identifying code and all the work was run in

Coating

AE
BA
CB
CD
DA
DB
EB

Cold Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

3.2
< 0.1
13.1
14.4
13.7
10.0
0.97

triplicate in order to reduce the impact of

rogue analytical results.
After exposure to the chemical cargoes and
the subsequent cleaning, the test panels were
individually, fully immersed in 400g of the
respective vegetable oils for the given
duration/temperature.
The test panels were then removed before
the oils were submitted to an independent
certified public analyst laboratory where the
quantification of the transmitted chemical
cargoes was carried out using GC mass
spectrometry.
The following coatings, representative of
six phenolic epoxy types and one undefined
type were exposed to styrene monomer and
ethylene dichloride:
AE, BA, CB, CD, DA, DB and EB
The following coatings, representative of two
straight epoxy types and one undefined type
were exposed to toluene and iso butyl acetate:
AC, DC and DG
The following results were generated.
All the tables contain the reported results,
which are the average of the individual
triplicate results corrected to take into
consideration a contact ratio of 1 sq m of
coating to 1 cu m of vegetable oil cargo.
This is considered to be typical of the
surface area to volume ratio, which may exist
on an IMO type II/III chemical tanker. These

Hot Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

2.7
< 0.1
1.2
8.5
4.1
4.1
0.9

figures can be re-calculated for other contact

ratios if required.
Observations
A great deal of information was revealed and
the results showed many interesting and
valuable observations.
When analysing these results, the following
considerations should be taken into account:
 Coatings of the same generic type may
display different ADR characteristics due
to design and formulation differences.
 They can also have different ADR
characteristics in the same cargo.
 Dry film thickness (DFT) influences ADR
characteristics. The reported results were
not corrected for DFT.
 The results detailed were relevant to only
two previous cargoes for each generic type
and may not be indicative of other previous
cargoes. Having said that, it must be noted
that EDC is perhaps the cargo most readily
absorbed by organic coatings.
4.1 The highest amount of each previous
cargo transmitted is seen in the table next page.
4.2 The coating displaying the least amount
of transmission of styrene monomer and EDC
was the coating coded BA, while the one
displaying the least amount of transmission of
toluene and iso butyl acetate was the coating
coded AC. This was most likely due to low

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

8.3
< 0.1
15.2
28.9
22.4
19.7
2.9

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

11.6
< 0.1
14.1
25.4
30.4
19.4
3.0

Table 1 Immersion in styrene monomer (all results are mg styrene monomer/Kg of vegetable oil).

Coating

AE
BA
CB
CD
DA
DB
EB

Cold Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

13.5
< 0.1
23.8
22.6
26.2
17.5
18.3

Hot Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

9.6
< 0.1
11.3
14.4
10.0
6.8
8.0

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

15.0
< 0.1
27.8
30.9
25.9
25.1
24.3

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

13.1
< 0.1
25.4
21.2
24.1
22.7
16.0

Table 2 Immersion in ethylene dichloride (all results are mg ethylene dichloride/Kg of vegetable oil).

42

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TECHNOLOGY - CARGO MONITORING

Coating

Cold Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

AC
DC
DG

3.1
3.8
5.5

Hot Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

7.7
16.1
10.6

7.0
15.6
10.7

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

13.8
12.2
19.8

13.9
11.9
20.1

2.0
3.9
5.5

Table 3 Immersion in toluene (all results are mg toluene/Kg of vegetable oil).

Coating

Cold Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

AC
DC
DG

5.1
1.2
7.5

Hot Washing
Immersion into
CSFO (at 30C)

4.3
0.8
8.0

Table 4 Immersion in iso butyl acetate (all results are mg iso butyl acetate/Kg of vegetable oil).

absorption of these previous cargoes, or good

cargo release characteristics, or both.
4.3 In nearly all instances, some benefit was
derived from hot tank cleaning compared to
cold tank cleaning, which resulted in a
reduction of the amount of chemical cargo
transmitted into the vegetable oils.
4.4 In two instances (Table 1 coatings AE
and DA) there was an increase in the
transmission of SM into palm stearin
following hot tank cleaning.
This observation was only made when the
test panels were immersed in the palm stearin,
which was held at a temperature of 70C for

Previous
Cargo

Worst Case
Transmission
mg / Kg

Styrene Monomer
Ethylene Dichloride
Toluene
iso Butyl Acetate

Coating

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

AE
DA

8.3
22.4

Coating

Cold Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

AE
DA
April 2009

30.4
30.9
16.1
20.1

15.0
25.9


TANKEROperator

30 days. This immersion temperature is above

the temperature of the hot tank cleaning
carried out prior to the immersion in the RBD
palm stearin. It should also be noted that the
duration of the hot tank cleaning was only six
hours, compared to an immersion time of 30
days in the RBD palm stearin. Both of these
factors have had an impact on this
observation.
Looking a little more closely, when the
same panels were exposed to EDC and then
palm stearin, it can be seen that hot tank
cleaning did provide some benefit in reducing
the levels of transmission.
This suggests that the influence and
efficiency of hot tank cleaning depends to
some degree on the chemical properties
(particularly volatility and persistency) of the
absorbed chemical cargo and not only on the
temperature and duration of cleaning.
4.5 It is known that different cargo tank
coatings behave differently when exposed to
the same chemical cargoes, particularly in
terms of their ADR properties and, as noted,

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

11.6
30.4

Hot Washing
Immersion into
PS (at 70C)

13.1
24.1

the nature of the cargo itself has some

influence on this.
It cannot be ignored that one of the cargoes
is entirely different in terms of its chemical
properties, compared to the others. Styrene
monomer (as the name implies) is a chemical
capable of polymerisation and that process
tends to be accelerated at elevated
temperatures, for example, during hot tank
cleaning. Although the styrene monomer used
in this work was inhibited, (in order to reduce
the risk of polymerisation), the amount and
extent which the inhibitor itself was
absorbed/desorbed into each coating type (or
not as the case may be) remains unknown.
As a result, it should be considered that
some of the absorbed styrene monomer may
or may not have polymerised inside the
coatings and this could have directly affected
the transmission results. It is clear that there
was quite a variation in the amount of styrene
monomer transmitted by each of the coatings,
ranging from 30.4 mg/Kg palm stearin down
to almost nothing.
4.6 In general, by comparing the
transmission figures of the different chemicals
into palm stearin (at 70C) against the crude
sunflower oil (at 30C), it is apparent that the
temperature of the vegetable oil does directly
influence the transmission of the absorbed
chemical cargo.
This information is important for vessel
charterers and operators in the vegetable oil
trade as it can be used to optimise working
procedures. In particular, there appear to be
clear benefits in keeping the vegetable oil
stowage temperatures at a workable minimum
and/or increasing tank cleaning temperatures
to a level above the stowage temperature of
the vegetable oil cargo.
43

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TECHNOLOGY - CARGO MONITORING

closed gauging

The HERMetic
UTImeter Gtex is a
portable electronic
level gauge for closed
gas tight operation
resulting in increased
safety and efciency.
The unit is used for custody transfer,
inventory control measurement and
free water detection on marine vessels.
Connected to a HERMetic vapour control valve, the UTImeter Gtex avoids
any gas release during operation and
enables 3, optionally 4 measurements
in one single operation, Ullage,
Temperature, Oil-water interface level
and Innage. By increasing safety and
efciency, Honeywell Enraf Tanksystem
helps customers improve business
performance.

For more information visit our website

www.tanksystem.com or call +41 26 919 15 00
2008 Honeywell International, Inc. All rights reserved

Conclusions
1. The organic cargo tank coatings assessed in this project did absorb
the chemical cargoes they were exposed to.
1.2.Some of the absorbed chemical cargo was then transmitted into
subsequent cargoes of vegetable oils. The amount of absorption
and subsequent transmission clearly varied between coatings
exposed to the same previous cargoes.
3. Of those coatings exposed to styrene monomer, the lowest
recorded level of transmission was < 0.1 mg/Kg, while the highest
recorded level was 30.4 mg/Kg of vegetable oil. The coating
displaying the least transmission in this category was coating BA.
4. Of those coatings exposed to ethylene dichloride, the lowest
recorded level of transmission was < 0.1 mg/Kg, while the highest
recorded level of transmission was 30.9 mg/Kg of vegetable oil,
which was reduced to 21.2 mg/Kg by hot tank cleaning for six
hours at 60C. The coating displaying the least transmission in
this category was coating BA.
5. Of those coatings exposed to toluene, the lowest recorded level of
transmission was 3.1 mg/Kg, while the highest recorded level of
transmission was 16.1 mg/Kg of vegetable oil. Tank cleaning did
not appear to have a significant effect on reducing the transmission
of the toluene into the vegetable oil. The coating displaying the
least transmission in this category was coating AC.
2.6.Of those coatings exposed to iso butyl acetate, the lowest recorded
level of transmission was 1.2 mg/Kg, while the highest recorded
level was 19.8 mg/Kg of vegetable oil. Tank cleaning did not
appear to have a significant effect on reducing the transmission of
the iso butyl acetate. The coating displaying the least transmission
in this category was coating DC.
3.7.It is clear that the carriage temperature of the subsequent vegetable
oil has a dramatic influence on the amount of transmission of
retained cargo. As carriage temperature increases, so does the
transmission of retained previous cargo.
4.8.The transmission of chemical cargoes retained in organic tank
coatings into vegetable oils appears to be manageable by utilising
the standard tank cleaning equipment available on vessels
currently operating today. That management may be improved by
the optimisation of washing water temperatures and duration,
combined with adjustment of the temperature of the subsequent
TO
vegetable oil cargo to the lowest operable level.

Acknowledgements
MarinSpec Associates would like to acknowledge
and thank all companies and organisations whose
co-operation enabled this project to take place;
including but not limited to - FOSFA International
for their assistance in constructing the
methodology of this project and also for their
partial funding of the project; paint manufacturers
for their contribution of information, coated panels
and funding and AAK UK for the supply of
the large quantities of vegetable oils used in this
project.
TANKEROperator  April 2009

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TECHNOLOGY - CARGO MONITORING

New Scanjet cleaning interface launched

KROHNE Skarpenord has added
the Scanjet cleaning machine
interface to the
CARGOMASTER tank
monitoring system.
With this solution, tanker operators will be
able to track their tank washing processes in
cargo tanks and print complete reports when
completed.
Tank cleaning is an important and time
consuming process. Improving the
efficiency for cleaning procedures on
tankers, may save considerable time in port
and make cleaning safer, said Nils-Olav
Skeie, R&D manager KROHNE
Skarpenord. With the Scanjet interface, we
offer added value to our tank monitoring
systems, combining high technology in an
easy-to-use environment.
The first system was delivered to Erria, a
Danish chemical tanker owner, which
focuses on efficiency, safety and high
quality solutions.
The CARGOMASTER has been
installed on more than 600 tankers
worldwide, from large crude carriers to the

smallest chemical tankers. For almost all

tankers, tank cleaning is an important issue,
as well as a time consuming operation.
The development of the interface started
in 2008, triggered by customer inquiries
from both tanker owners and shipyards.
All tank cleaning machines are monitored
continuously by the CARGOMASTER
system. When the cleaning process is
initiated by the operator, the system will
automatically start recording the washing
programme, the speed and consumed time.
Following the cleaning procedures for
different cargoes, the operator can print a
complete report for documentation of the
whole process in each tank, after the
cleaning process has finished. This report
will make life easier for busy people on
board and can even make cleaning safer
claimed Skeie.
The inert gas pressure is an indicative
value in relation to whether or not the whole
process has taken place within a closed tank
and the alarm levels may be set and
monitored by the system during cleaning.
By adding this feature in the

Tank cleaning machines are continuously

monitored.

CARGOMASTER we feel that the system

is even more ready for future
recommendations and rules for cargo
handling and tanker operation, explained
Skeie. We are looking at several extensions
for the CARGOMASTER monitoring
system and will introduce new programme
features later this year.


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45

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TECHNOLOGY - OPERATIONS CASE STUDY

Major tanker manager

embraces IMOS
ne of the latest tanker
management concerns to sign up
to Veson Nauticals Integrated
Maritime Operations System
(IMOS) is Venice-based Motia Compagnia di
Navigazione.
Motia is the technical management company
looking after the fleet operated by Seaarland
Shipping from Amsterdam. It also owns
chemical/product tankers in its own right. Both
are part of the Zachello group of companies.
Global operations manager for both Motia
and Seaarland, Capt Roberto Zanca explained
to TAKEROperator that IMOS had only
been rolled out across Motia and Seaarlands
fleet thus far, as their other operating partners
used their own systems.
The companies also have outlets in India
(crewing only) and Singapore. The latter had
already signed up to the IMOS system to
operate three LR1s. Another Zachello group
company - gas tanker specialist SynerGas had also installed IMOS, but Capt Zanca said
that this was a totally separate system to the
one recently installed with Motia/Seaarland.
He explained that both fleets operate in
pooling arrangements, mainly Handytankers
and Aframax International, whose commercial
managers use different systems to perform their
day-to-day businesses. Most of the vessels are
on long term charters within the pool systems
and are rarely on the spot market.
Motia/Seaarland had been testing Vesons
OnBoard system (see page 47), which had
now been completed. During the summer,

Motia tests OnBoard,

while Veson announces
new enhancements to
its software systems,
including IMOS.
more vessels will become online and it is the
intention to eventually fit the system on board
the entire fleet.
Capt Zanca said that during the trials the
system performed to expectations once initial
computer-based problems had been ironed out.
He said that the system saved the companies
time as the personnel did not have to access
many different files in order to get the
information needed.
IMOS is capable of handling all the
information pertaining to a voyage, which can

then be analysed to see whether it was

performed in the most economically efficient
way. All the statistics needed can be
downloaded and analysed in various formats
for ease of use, for example for voyage
planning purposes. This increases office
efficiency, Capt Zanca explained.
The system was installed in the offices and
personnel were trained with the help of Veson
technicians. However, OnBoard was found to
be user-friendly and no set training exercises
were need, he said.
For the technical requirements, the companies
use InfoShip and have two separate accounting
systems, which will be eventually integrated
into IMOS. This move will again save the
companies a certain amount of time and thus
increase efficiency, Capt Zanca said.
Today, Seaarlands fleet includes 11
Handymax tankers, three Panamax bulkers, four

Motias Alice is lined up for IMOS.

Beyond monitoring...
Vessel Performance Analysis
The CASPER Service provides technical managers with the information they need to
sustain highest propulsion efficiency in a changing technology environment for drydock
treatment, planned maintenance and performance monitoring systems.

www.propulsiondynamics.com

Hull Performance Monitoring U Fuel Conservation U Emissions Reduction

2009 Propulsion Dynamics, Inc. All rights reserved.

46

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TECHNOLOGY - OPERATIONS CASE STUDY

Aframaxes and three LR1s. A newbuilding
programme involves the expansion of its
drybulk sector, plus three Suezmaxes, another
two Aframaxes, one LR1 and two Handymax
tankers. Motia is also involved in a newbuilding
programme, which includes two MRs and two
Handymax product tankers.
The total fleet also includes 23 chartered
tankers ranging from 35,000 dwt to 160,000 dwt.
Upgraded version
Last month, Veson unveiled version 6 of
IMOS. IMOS v6 differs from its predecessors
in that it is claimed to deliver a powerful
solution tailored for each user based on his/her
role within the organisation aimed at
enhancing productivity.
Company president, John Veson, explained
Whether you are a trader, operator, charterer,
or in finance, IMOS v6 drives the workflow;
rather than simply acting as a repository for
information. It proactively provides the user
with whats next and what if scenarios,
which lead to more informed decision making.
In these volatile times, it provides a solution
that inspires confidence in decisions that must
be made to help insure profitability.
The software consists of nine core modules:
Chartering, operations, financials, cargo
planning, trading, demurrage, pooling, data
center and data services. They can be integrated
to build complete solutions for commercial
maritime organisations, including tanker, LNG,
chemical and barge operating companies.
Streamlined user interface, new contract
management features, and powerful planning
tools are just some of the features available
with this version, including:
User Interface and User Experience:
1) Streamlined navigation with fewer clicks
and enhanced keyboard access.
2) IMOS desktop remembers tab, search,
report and view settings across sessions.
3) Tear-Off Tabs for side-by-side window
display.

Web-based service
Veson has introduced Veslink, a
new configurable web-based
service that creates a network
of contacts for exchanging
data. As a result, the company
has now placed its OnBoard and
Distances services under the
Veslink banner.
Veslink OnBoard, formerly part of IMOS,
retains its original functionality: it
simplifies, manages and automates vital
voyage communications from vessels to
onshore company offices. It enables officers
and the onshore offices to track vessel status
through timely position, arrival, departure
and activity reports created at sea
including position/noon reports, port activity
reports, departure reports and custom
reports. OnBoard became the first example
of a Veslink service as all reports are
submitted and routed via the web, or email
to onshore company offices.
The shipping industry is moving beyond
adopting technology solutions to
understanding the importance of having
instant access to information. As we
continue to update and add modules to
IMOS, it became clear to us that we needed
to differentiate between software installed
on site and web-based communication

4) Flexible lists with user-controlled column

layout, sort order, filters and views.
5) Enhanced form interfaces throughout.
Contract Management:
1) Captures more details, supports more
contract variability.
2) Positions contracts as templates to coordinate work flow.
3) Configurable per-customer, per-port rate
tables to automate complex price calculations.

services, Veson explained. OnBoard is

now part of Veslink because it has always
been a communication service that gives
vessel operators, as well as the ships
officers, immediate access to vital
operations data via the web. Our distances
service had been either an on site, or webbased service. Now it will be offered only
as a web-based service to allow for
continuous updates and access to our fully
zoomable nautical chart interface, which is
key to verifying assumptions in routing.
Veslink Distances now also offers
integration with Jeppesen Marine C-Maps
nautical charts. The web-based service
allows companies to plan voyages, analyse
incident sites, improve efficiency and limit
environmental impact using Jeppesens
official government-issued maritime
navigational charts within an IMOS
installation, as well as for individual
subscribers of the service. This cartography
and software enables a user to chart the best
possible course for a voyage, Veson claimed.
Two versions of the charts are available:
 Zoom Level 1:100,000 built into and
included in the IMOS Fleet Map and
Veslink Online Distances.
 Zoom Level 1:15,000 with point to point
and point to port distance calculation. 

4) Job and lightering contract management.

5) Additional master contract types to
organise related contracts.
Planning Tools:
1) Cargo matching with voyage and scenariolevel plan evaluation.
2) Job planning and TCO Voyage Estimator
for safety vessel fleet management.
3) Flexible graphical schedules.
4) Enhanced maps and map integration. TO

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April 2009

TANKEROperator

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+31 (0)511 46 72 22
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www.damen-bergum.nl

47

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TECHNOLOGY - NEWS

GL forms technical assurance and consulting company

A fully integrated technical
assurance and consulting
company has been formed by the
merger of Noble Denton and GL.
It will serve the worldwide energy
industries.
The new entity will provide assurance,
inspection and consulting, as well as project
management on a worldwide scale. It will
focus on the entire life cycle of oil and gas upstream, midstream and downstream,
renewables and energy installations both
onshore and offshore. This includes safety,
integrity, reliability and performance
management.
"The merger is a reflection of the needs of
our clients who increasingly face challenges in
technology, environment and asset integrity.
They are looking for partners who can provide
a single source of engineering, consulting and
project management services in the
geographies in which they are based. This
merger will ensure that we become the
premier global business partner in oil and gas,
renewables and energy supply markets," said
Pekka Paasivaara, GL executive board
member.

Hamburg-based GL and Noble Denton,

headquartered in London have followed
similar growth strategies. Both organisations
have concluded a number of acquisitions
recently to complement their areas of
expertise.
Acquisitions by GL include the UK-based
Advantica group, Canadian and US PV
Inspection, Montreal-based Helimax, Kuala
Lumpur-based Trident Consultants, US-based
Materials Consulting Services and
International Refinery Services in Singapore.
Noble Denton has strengthened its portfolio
by acquiring Martech Unlimited, BOMEL
Consultants, Intelligent Decisions, Poseidon
Maritime, Lowe Offshore International,
Standard Engineering and Brevik Engineering.
"With Noble Denton's expert knowledge in
assurance and consulting as well as project
management and transportation and
installation services relating to offshore assets
we will enter a new dimension of services and
expertise for the marine, offshore oil and gas
industry. We will be the full service provider
for the entire lifecycle of oil and gas
installations," said Paasivaara.
Both companies serve clients from oil and

gas companies, contractors, shipyards,

shipowners, consultants, designers and
financial institutions across the marine and
energy industries. The joint workforce will
amount to more than 6,400 employees in
80 countries.


Pekka Paasivaara, GL executive

board member.

EU approval given for HERCULES-Beta project

The HERCULES-Beta research
project proposal was recently
approved by the European
Commission.
This project is a major international cooperative effort to maximise fuel efficiency
combined with ultra-low emissions aiming at
developing future generations of optimally
efficient and clean marine diesel engines.
It also aims to surpass the current limits set
by the IMO to radically improve the
environmental performance of waterborne
transport.
The project began on 1st September 2008
with a budget of 25 mill and it was due to
run for 36 months. The project consortium
has 32 participants, including enginecomponent suppliers, equipment
manufacturers, universities, research
institutions and shipping companies from
10 European countries.
HERCULES-Beta is the second phase of
the HERCULES programme, which was
conceived in 2002 as a long-term strategic
R&D plan. The project was initiated by
Europe's two major engine manufacturers,
48

Wrtsil Corp and MAN Diesel. Diesel

propulsion systems currently power 99% of
the world fleet.
The project's principal aim is to reduce
marine diesel engine fuel consumption by
10% and to improve the efficiency of marine
diesel propulsion systems to more than 60%,
significantly reducing CO2 emissions as a
result. A further aim of the project is to target
ultra-low exhaust emissions by eliminating
70% of NOx and 50% of particulates from
marine engines by 2020.
HERCULES-Beta comprises 54 subprojects and is funded by the ECs Framework
Program 7 (FP7, Theme Transport).
Origination
In 2007, a group of more than 40 European
companies, universities and research
institutions, led by MAN Diesel and Wrtsil
Corp, successfully completed a major, 43month, co-operative research project under the
name HERCULES (High Efficiency R&D on
Combustion with Ultra-Low Emissions for
Ships) with a budget of 33 mill, partly
funded by the EU (15 mill) and the Swiss

Federal Government (2.5 mill).

The first phase of the project concentrated
on the development of tools (for example,
simulation software, measurement techniques,
etc) and the general investigation of potential
avenues for reducing emissions and fuel
consumption. Initially, the project established
and operated prototypes. The results
stemming from these indicated a great
potential for significantly reducing fuel
consumption and emissions and reaching the
project's ambitious targets.
HERCULES-Beta will directly build on the
findings of the first phase. The tools
previously established will be employed to
more closely investigate, understand and
ultimately optimise the engines.
Both analytical investigations as well as
prototypes will be refined, based on firstphase results, with the intention of achieving
the ultra-low emission and fuel consumption
targets. Finally, by carrying out field-tests on
the prototypes developed in the first phase,
information on the important effect of
real-life boundary conditions will be gathered
and analysed.


TANKEROperator  April 2009

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Page 1

The bunker forecast

brought to you by Topoil
Norway

Sweden

Denmark

There is a 100% chance of physical bunker supply in the entire Topoil area. Heading outside
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Topoil area you can expect all grades of fuel and marine diesel within a few hours. You will find
bunker conditions to stay like this or get even brighter in the near future.

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OBC:OBC.qxd

03/04/2009

12:25

Page 1

Dedicated to safer
cleaner seas

25th - 28th May

2009, Abu Dhabi
Please visit us at
Stand E34