Maritime Industry - Assignment Example

? Maritime Industry Word Count: 2000 (8 pages) As fledgling ship operator you are about to take delivery of a brand new 65.000 tonne deadweight bulk carrier, for which you have secured a year-long charter to complete voyages between Indonesia and Japan. ? ?In 2000 words(+/-10%) Please answer the following question: ?? 1- With regards to your ship type and trading pattern investigate the background of this trade, the cargoes that could be carried. ??(528 words) According to the “Japan-Indonesia Economic Partnership Agreement: Joint Study Group Report” (2004), “Both sides emphasized that one of the main purposes of the Japan-Indonesia EPA is to pursue expansion of investment from Japan to Indonesia through the improvement of investment climate in Indonesia” (pp. 5). Really, it is somewhat speculative as to who needs who in this situation. With regard to the ship type, a 65.000 tonne deadweight bulk carrier would probably be appropriate for shipping lots of heavy cargo, such as car parts. If car parts for an average car weighed 2 tonnes apiece, at least 32 cars could be assembled in Japan if the cargo were carrying that kind of weight. Japan has indicated that Indonesia is very useful for its employment of cheap labor. However, Japan, on the other hand, has noted that it is not interested in the shipment of natural persons to its country, unless they have state-sponsored tourist visas and/or visas for work or study. In this regard, Japan is very unforgiving in its assessment of who the Japanese are letting into the country and who they will not. The trading patterns eminent in Japanese-Indonesian relations seem to be that Japan, in return for Indonesia’s cheaply-produced, labor-intensive goods—requires energy from Indonesia. Since Indonesia is a larger country, it can produce power because there is more land to build factories and generators and other power-producing and energy-producing structures. There are several limitations on trade which Japan has placed on Indonesia, some of which are not immediately understandable, but which probably would make more sense if one were more informed about Japanese history, culture, and economy. One of these difficult ideas for outsiders to embrace is the idea of Japan’s stricture against leather imports. Dating back from the Edo era, a people called “…[B]uraku-min…were engaged in occupations thought to be undesirable, including disposal of the dead, collecting garbage, butchering animals and tanning and crafting leather. The jobs of handling the flesh of four-legged animals, such as butchers and leather artisans, were thought to be something violating Buddhist strictures against killing” (Hisane, 2011, pgh. 32). The type of cargoes that are restricted from being sent to Japan include any tuna or skipjack tuna, which is apparently a big market for the Japanese. Additionally, any type of footwear would be a sensitive issue to be shipped to Japan. Japan also has a variety of grain products which are forbidden or restricted severely—including barley, wheat, corn, and various other foods. Indonesia strictly has limits on the amount of soy, barley, corn, and wheat that they will allow from Japan. Obviously, both countries maintain limits on what types of products they will allow into and allow out of their respective nations. Japan also has no need for textile products from Indonesia, because obviously there are still a lot of textile industries in Japan. These industries are most likely supported by unskilled Japanese workers, and as it stands it seems like Japan does not need any more unskilled workers, as they have all the available jobs being filled right now. Japan said that it will only accept skilled workers into its country unless the people have specialized visas for specific purposes. 2- With regard to your vessel's port operation and your answer to question 1, investigate potential ports of call, cargo handling facilities and other services the vessel might require whilst in port. ??(500 words) Ports of call between Indonesia and Japan include the following: Kupang in West Timor, Indonesia; Komodo Island, Indonesia; Karimunjawa, Indonesia; Makassar in Sulawesi, Indonesia; Atsugi in Japan; and Okinawa in Japan. These ports of call are all able to handle large ships with a lot of cargo. These ports all have cargo handling facilities that are adequate to handle a 65.000 tonne carrier. Services that the vessel might need while in port include fuel fill-up, inspection, and tune-ups. Mainly, the concern for the vessel is fuel. If the ship gets stuck out at sea, this could cause a major international incident, especially if the ship must be abandoned by the crew or must be rescued with tugboats from surrounding nations. Surrounding nations do not have agreements with Indonesia like Japan does regarding trade, so this could be problematic for either a vessel heading to Japan from Indonesia or headed to Indonesia from Japan. In both regards, it must be assured that there is adequate fuel onboard to sustain the journey. The second point is the necessity for inspections. If there is any difficulty with regard to the way the ship has been built, it might need to be inspected and repaired before the ship moves on to its next cargo docking. Any types of mechanical repairs should be made at this point, as it is important to note that when the vessel is out at sea, repairs will be difficult to impossible. The third problem that vessels may have difficulty with are tune-ups. Tune-ups are necessary every once in awhile. Every so often, ships must be repaired, and this is where the port operation comes into play. Every port is different, so not every port is going to offer the same kinds of amenities for its vessels. For example, there will probably be more military personnel in Okinawa, since there are U.S. Air Force and Navy bases nearby. There might be better fueling opportunities in Sulawesi because of their coffee exportation business. One has to think in terms of what makes most sense for the company with the vessel that is carrying the cargo. A 65.000 tonne carrier is responsible for carrying a large amount of cargo, and therefore these elements need to be planned months in advance of the trips, or there could be difficulties scheduling fuel fill-ups, inspections, and tune-ups. In addition, it would be wise to make sure that all the ports of call are secured with security that is hired by the vessel’s company, to ensure the safe arrival of the products to the customer(s). There is no more disheartening proposition than to have pirates hijack a ship’s cargo because it did not have adequate security protecting the cargo. This is especially true if any of the goods being shipped to and fro Japan and Indonesia are going to be perishable food items. There is a food shortage everywhere in the world, as food prices continue to rise due to natural disasters around the world now. 3- Briefly explain the requirements of STCW 95 with regard to the certification of seafarers. Outline the role of the Merchant Navy Training Board (MNTB). (477 words) ??The STCW card allows a mariner to work in foreign governments’ waters. Wtihout this card, it would be difficult to impossible to work in foreign governments’ waters. This means that if you were a mariner on a boat and did not have the proper licensure, you could be fined or jailed or both, depending upon what you did within the waters of the offended country. It is basically a mariner’s duty to have all of the proper licensure and certification. Simply having a “Z-card” is not enough for being a seafarer in international waters. If you do not have your STCW card, you are going to be considered trespassing in international waters, which can get you into trouble. The Z-card is only allowed for use as a mariner in local waters. Local waters are defined by the governments to which they belong, so it is best that one figure out the exact coordinates of where your vessel will be at all times to make sure that you have the proper authority to be in those waters as a mariner, deckhand, or whatever other professional capacity you are undertaking. It doesn’t make sense to get your Z-card and then have to rot in some foreign country’s jail system because you were not astute enough to get your STCW card before departure. The role of the Merchant Navy Training Board is to train mariners so they are ready to be seaworthy. This means that they must undergo all of the required training that is mandatory for their particular course(s) of study. Assistant engineers, lifeboatmen, AB’s, and ordinary mariners all have different requirements as to what they must undergo in order to receive proper training for their specialties. In other words, if they don’t receive training, they are unable to receive certification and this will deter them from being able to continue being able to do what they had previously done, sometimes as existing mariners on a contingency basis. The law changes all the time so it behooves everyone who is a seafarer to stay abreast of current trends and news in order to ensure that their certification stays current. Classes and other courses may have to be taken in order to maintain current certification, with respect to the specific profession being undertaken. If one is unsure, one should obtain the necessary licensure and/or certification before embarking upon a journey that could land a mariner in jail or with heavy fines in a foreign country because of a lack of or improper training. It makes the most sense to try to understand how best to go about receiving adequate certification. If one has the time, talent, and resources, it is best advised that training and certification be obtained subsequent to the chosen profession of the mariner. The mariner, of course, should make obtaining training, licensure, and/or certification his premier goal. 4- Explain briefly the role of classification societies, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.(MCA) (495 words)? According to the MAIB website (2011), “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) examines and investigates all types of marine accidents to or on board UK ships worldwide, and other ships in UK territorial waters” (pgh. 1). If there are any types of accidents that happen to UK ships or vessels, it is of premier importance that investigations are done in order to ensure that everything possible has been done in order to determine the cause of the accident, and reports must be conducted in the investigation demonstrating how such accidents can both a) be avoided in the future and b) can be prevented in the future. Since it is in the UK government’s best interest to ensure that all its ships are seaworthy, ships that are returning to sea after having been in an accident must go through a rigorous maintenance check as well as having any necessary equipment updates installed. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency provides “[i]nformation on maritime matters, Merchant Shipping Notices, Marine Guidance Notes and Marine Information Notes” (pgh. 1). The MCA’s primary duty is to provide information about all matters maritime. This includes weather conditions, any kinds of notices that must be provided to the shippers on the vessels that are going out to sea, as well as any kind of notes that might be of use to mariners when they are out to sea. Particularly the kinds of notes that are made to mariners include possible weather changes and patterns with regards to currents worldwide. Since UK vessels operate worldwide, mariners must be continually made aware of changing weather and water current patterns in the sea and as such are updated on the latest current information about these changes. As such, the MCA provides a very invaluable service to mariners everywhere in the pursuit of assisting mariners to be safe in their voyages at sea. It is of utmost importance that mariners check in regularly with the MCA. If there are any problems like accidents that the vessel encounters—whether it be damage to a UK vessel or damage to a vessel occurring in UK waters—this must be reported to the MAIB and, summarily, some type of investigation must be undertaken with regard to these incidents. In addition, the MAIB reserves the right to ground a ship if it feels, for any reason, it is unsafe to be in the water. As such, the MAIB is an integral part of the UK’s vetting of vessels for seaworthy voyages. The MAIB does not want to have any accidents happen on the water, and in order to ensure the safety of all mariners and their cargo, they must maintain strict standards and be sure to entertain any possible dangers that could be incurred on a vessel, in order to assess whether it is seaworthy. It is only after this careful consideration that a ship that has been damaged will be allowed to sail again. The MAIB and MCA are integral organizations. In order to make this assessment useful and worthwhile, you should investigate current trading patterns and practices, reference your case study scenario to the relevant international convention and assess the situation in board terms as well as at the micro level. REFERENCES Marine accident investigation branch (2011). Online. Available: . Maritime and coastguard agency (2011). Online. Available: . Misake, H (2011). “Defiant Japan fights for its leather industry.” Online. Available: Available: . Japan-Indonesia economic partnership agreement: joint study group report. (2011). Online. Available: . Read More