Ship Operations: Planning, Maintenance and Commercial Interfaces
Operational planning
A candidate must be able to describe the master's role in voyage planning, bunkering, port operations and the interface with charterers, agents and terminal representatives. Know the content of a voyage instruction, the importance of a letter of protest, and the discipline of recording times of arrival, notice and readiness.
Maintenance and inspections
Understand the planned maintenance system, the classification society survey regime, and the difference between a statutory certificate and a class certificate. Know the port state control inspection process, the meaning of a detainable deficiency, and the value of pre-inspection self-assessment.
Bunkering and fuel management
Know the safety checklist for bunkering, the significance of sulphur limits and the changeover procedure, and the risk of incompatibility between fuel batches. Understand sampling and the retention of samples.
Permits and hot work
Be able to describe the permit-to-work system, enclosed space entry procedures and the isolation of machinery before maintenance.
Traps
- Signing a statement of facts without noting disagreement.
- Assuming a class certificate guarantees compliance with all statutory requirements.
- Treating a bunker delivery note as conclusive without sampling.
- Allowing hot work without a formal permit and fire watch.
Worked example
A vessel arrives at anchorage at 06:00 and is ready to berth at 10:00 but is not berthed until 22:00. The statement of facts should record arrival, readiness and actual berthing, and the master should issue a letter of protest if the delay is attributable to the charterer or terminal. The record, not the recollection, supports the claim.