Whenever cargo has to be loaded on or discharged from a vessel, the vessel has to be parked and fastened to a quay, wharf, pier, or jetty with mooring ropes to facilitate safe operation. The berthing of a ship is the process of bringing a vessel to a designated location, such as a quay, wharf,…
The structure of a ship is subject to strain during loading and bad weather conditions. The strain or load likely to be encountered by the ship’s structure constitutes perhaps one of the most formidable problems faced by ship officers during cargo operations. The two main types of cargo loads that are considered when loading a…
A Bill of Lading is a binding legal document between the consigner and the carrier in the shipment of goods and specifies the nature of goods being transported to the consignee. There are different types of Bills of Lading, and basically, the most important in shipment include To Order Bill of Lading, Claused Bill of…
Whenever you import some goods, whether as an individual or as an agent, there are other parties that are involved until you receive the goods. There is you as the consignee, a consigner or the shipper, and a notify party. A consignee is an individual, a client, or an entity that receives the shipment from…
As the shipping industry was expanding in the early 2000s, there was a need for vessels more efficient than Panamax-designed ships. To address this, an innovative idea of a ship was conceptualized around the year 2005. Hence, the Kansarmax was launched, to carry more cargo, be fuel-efficient, wave and wind-resistant, and still flexible enough to…
Grounding is one of many possible accidents that a vessel encounters. This happens when the bottom of the ship touches the seabed. The damage can be minor or it can lead to a severe oil spill. To avoid this, bridge officers can check the paper charts or ECDIS (for paperless vessels) for the depth and…
The ability of a ship to turn tightly and come exactly on the new intended track after altering course is an important issue in passage planning because of safety considerations. Normally it takes some time for a ship to respond when the wheel is turned, because of the ship’s inertia. As a result, the wheel…
For a ship to be commercially viable for carrying cargo the spaces on board need to be optimally utilized. This means cargo cannot be dumped haphazardly into the cargo spaces but rather must be loaded in an organized manner. This is done through careful planning and the result of such careful planning is a cargo…
Although maritime transport is relatively a safe mode of transportation, accidents still do happen, and whenever these occur, there are usually huge personal, economic, and environmental costs. Most trading operators around the world, therefore, have adopted a vetting process for vessels offered for charter, as a means of ensuring safer ship operations. The process of…
The COLREGs are the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. They are a set of information, advice, guides, and mandatory rules that all ships must follow in order to avoid collisions. Much like how all other regulations are structured, the Colregs set out by first defining and demarcating the responsibilities of the major contracting…