Maritime Operations: Cellular Container Ships - Assignment Example

Introduction Cellular shipping is a form of sea transportation containers that are standard and generally applied (Branch 2006). The containers are designed to rapidly load and unload cargo to save time. The containers are also constructed in a way that allows them to be bound to each other and are, therefore, relatively safe to work with. This paper will seek to look into this industry and understand how this industry operates. Question 1 The safe loading and discharge of a general purpose cargo ship and / or a container ship depends on team work. State and fully explain the roles of persons involved. When a ship docks at the port to unload the cargo, a lot of complex activities take place to ensure that the whole loading or unloading process is flawless. Several people are involved in the loading or unloading of a ship. These people are such as the pilot who guides the ship to the dock where it will be loaded or unloaded. This person is important because, without them, the ships would run the risk of running aground or even colliding with each other in the chaos of looking for docking space (Kachel 2008). This person has a good knowledge of the waters and, therefore, is hired by the ship’s master to assist guide the large vessel. The pilot, therefore, serves to protect the ship as well as the marine life. There is also the role played by the ship’s master. This is a senior person in the hierarchy of command of the ship. He/she has the responsibility of ensuring that the cargo within the ship is safely conveyed to its destination and disembarked from the ship in the case of unloading a ship. The other instance that the ship is being loaded with cargo, the ship’s master has to ensure that the safety of the cargo as well as the ship and its crew is maintained. Aside from this, the ship’s master is in charge of liaising with the port appointed representative to ensure that everything is going well (Righetti and Rimaboschi 2008). This simply indicates the role that the ship’s master has to play in ensuring safety of the ship and ship’s cargo. As mentioned above, the ship’s master has to liaise with a port appointed representative. This individual is versed with the experience that the ship’s master will need to offload the cargo. As per the rules of the International maritime Organization (1996), he/she together with the ship’s master is involved in developing a plan that ensures that the entire process of offloading or loading the cargo goes on smoothly. Due to the knowledge of the port, the representative has to ensure that the unloading machinery is availed. The representative also has to see to it that the ship’s master goes through the safety plans and agrees to them. This has the effect of ensuring the safety of all the people involved is upheld. The terminal representative also has the power to conduct routine inspections on the ship. This is meant to ensure that the ship is complying with the port regulations. This means that the representative has to be present at several inspections that must be conducted in the ship so as to be certain of the proper position of the ship and its cargo (Tusiani 1996). When the ship is safely docked, the containers have to be shifted into it or out of it. This specific role is played by the crane operator. Generally there are two types of cranes when it comes to dealing with the containers. These are the Quay cranes and Straddle Cranes. These cranes play different roles at the port as will be discussed in the subsequent segment. However, they are driven by people who deserve mention in this segment. These people are mandated to ensure that the cargo is safely unloaded from the ship and stored awaiting collection by the owners. It is the same when the containers have to be collected from the storage area then to be loaded into the ship for transportation (Laufer 2011). In the port, the silt that accumulates on the floor of the ocean has the risk of destroying ships or even forcing them to run aground. This, therefore, has to be cleared from time to time by being driven into the open sea or even being disposed off in other means. This activity, which is conducted as the huge ships dock, is mandated to dredging contractor (Yell 1995). This is an expensive venture and, therefore, not everyone can afford it. However, the ports where international trade goes on do not have a great deal of a choice in regard to dredging. According to Zumerchick and Danver 2010, there are several types of dredgers that can be applied depending on the specific area where the dredging is taking place. Around port entrances or inland waterways, the chain-and-bucket dredger will do the work fine. On the other hand, in less sheltered areas, other forms of dredgers will be employed to dredge the port. Due to the international nature of the trade that takes place, the cargo that is coming into the port must be certified by the import or export officers who are at the port. The officers ensure that the paperwork of the imports into the country and what the ship is actually carrying are matching. This is done to ensure that the unscrupulous traders do not take advantage of the situation to evade taxes (Cullen 1968). The commissioners have also the duty of auditing the port. This is to ensure that he port is productive, and corruption within the port is eliminated. The Commissioners also account for all the cargo in the port and all that leaves to go into the country or for export. This helps the country to keep track of its trade and also collect the correct amount of revenue from this trade (Talley 2009). While the ship is being loaded or offloaded, it is the duty of the crew in the ship to ensure that the cargo is properly organised. This will allow the terminal operators to know which containers will be removed and those that will remain in the ship to be delivered to another destination that the ship is supposed to go to. The crew is also responsible for book keeping of the stock in the ship. This is meant to ensure that the cargo does not get lost or go unaccounted for (Thompson 1991). This means that the crew in the ship have to ensure that the cargo that leaves or enters the ship is the right one. (1105 Words) Question 2 Fully describe the issues which have to be considered by the ship when planning the load and discharge of either a general cargo ship or a fully cellular container ship. When a ship docks at the port and is about to load or unload cargo, there are a number of factors that the crew of the ship have to look into for the safe unloading of the cargo. One of these factors is characteristic of the cargo. This is information that is vital to the ship captain when about to load cargo. According to the Lun, Lai and Cheng 2010, the shore terminal should provide this information to allow the ship crew to determine the logistics that will be involved in the transportation of cargo. For the safety of the ship, the shore terminal must provide details about the minimum depth of water beside the berth and in the fairway channels. This according to the shipping Lun, Lai and Cheng 2010, prevents the ship from running aground due to the weight that will be added to the ship once it has been loaded into the ship. This goes together with the need by the terminal operators providing information about water density at the berth. This information is very important since some ships are very huge and they require a specific amount of water in the berth for them to be able to dock especially when it plans to unload its cargo. There is a standard that though not really compulsory to the players in the shipping industry, must still be followed. This standard that has been codified gives guidance of how the whole process should be conducted safely. The code called ‘The Code of Practice for Safe Loading and Unloading of Bulk Carriers’ was published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). This code has, laid out rules for the detailed operational guidance including the duties of the master and terminal representative in the cargo operations. According to The Maritime and Coastguard Agency in partnership with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency 2003, there is a lot of formality that the ship has to follow. This documentation has to be followed to the latter for the purposes of accountability within the shipping industry. Due to the sensitivity of this industry and some of the risks that are sometimes incurred, the crew of the ship and the port officials require understanding of what they are handling in the cargo. The documentation protects all the stakeholders from law suits that may crop up due to mix-ups in the handling of the cargo (Tompkins, et al. 2010). At the port, there are a number of safety precautions that according to the International Labour Office (2005) must be undertaken. Among others, the port officials must ensure that they have fire fighting equipment on hand when loading or unloading flammable cargo. In the case of cellular container ships, the possibility that the ships cargo may be highly flammable means that the crew of the ship must inform the terminal operators. This fire safety equipment must always be within line of sight and not obstructed by anything. Lun, Lai and Cheng 2010, states that another safety requirement loading and unloading of a ship is the local port restrictions that are in effect. The port must prepare this information and present it to the ship crew to allow the crew have a bearing of the particular port’s dos and don’ts. It is quite easy for the ship crew to break the rules as a result of not being well conversant with what is expected of them. For this reason, the terminal operators must always be on hand to ensure that the ship’s crew know what is acceptable and what is not. Once the ship is on the dock, the terminal operators are required to make certain that they have the necessary implements to load or unload cargo from the ship. There are a number of equipments used in the loading and unloading of the cargo from the ship. These equipments include the cranes. These cranes are either Quay Cranes (QCs) or Straddle Cranes (SCs). The difference between these two types of cranes is that QCs can be able to move along the shore and load containers from the apron to the ship or unload them from the ship to the apron. SCs, on the other hand, are mobile cranes able to move freely within the container terminal stacking these containers to a given height (Klugl and Ossowski 2011). The terminal operators must ensure that this equipment is available. At the port, the containers are unloaded from the ship onto the port then moved to the storage area. During this process and due to the nature of the layout of the port, a lot of risks are taken by all involved in the handling of cargo. The terminal operators must, therefore, ensure that the equipment is well coordinated due to the enormous risk. That means there is a high chance that the people and machinery could collide and cause fatalities (Klugl and Ossowski 2011). According to the International Labour Office (2005), there should be an agreement on the ship’s loading and unloading plan between the terminal representative and the ship’s master. This plan will guide the whole loading or unloading process and be a point of reference in case something goes wrong. It will also allow both parties to grasp what they need to do and the timeframe of loading or unloading. In the overall outlook, this helps save money and time because the stakeholders know exactly what is required of them. In the event there is the need to deviate from this plan, there should be a consensus between the terminal representative and the ship’s master. This ensures that there is flawless movement of goods and also that the two parties are well informed of what is happening. Another important factor when loading or unloading is the storage of the cargo once it is out of the ship. This must not be near walls unless the said walls can withstand the pressure that the cargo will place on it. In the case of containers, the storage should be in a place that is open to prevent any accidents triggered example from an accidental avalanche of the containers in rough weather. This will ensure that the safety of all the stakeholders is guaranteed at all times. Conclusion The Shipping industry is a highly profitable one. It makes billions of dollars annually and involves the cross continental movement of cargo across oceans. It is, therefore, of great importance to all the nations since it allows the movement of very bulky goods. The industry is run professionally by trained people who see to it that the industry is not poorly governed. This is not to say that there are no pitfalls in the industry. However, the good in this case far outweighs the bad. Bibliography: Branch, A. E., 2006. Export Practice and Management. London: Thomson Learning. 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