Question 3
- Give details of the Conventions and Codes that relate to the safe stowage and carriage of containers onboard the ship.
The codes and conventions relating to safe stowage and carriage of containers on board ships are important in ensuring that life at sea is kept secure. If the codes and conventions are not adhered to, it will lead to unsafe stowage, which results in several serious ship casualties that could cause injuries or maybe fatal; this could happen both at sea and during loading and discharge. Perpendicular, longitudinal, and predominantly transverse motions cause the accelerations acting on a ship in a seaway. These accelerations create forces that are the reasons behind most of the security problems onboard ships. The security problems can be dealt with by administering measures to maximize proper and safe stowage and carriage of containers onboard ships. . Several factors should be considered when planning a safe stowage and carriage of containers on board ship to ensure the codes are effective. For this reason, the Code of Secure Practicing for Cargo Stowage and Securing was adopted in 1991, and the code was to be implemented by all governments.
The main purpose of the conventions and codes is to ensure an international standard is provided to promote safe stowage and carriage of containers onboard ships. These purposes are met in several ways. The codes aim at seeking the attention of ship owners and operators to make sure the vessel serves its intended purpose. The codes are designed to provide advice to ensure the ships are equipped with the right cargo security means. The codes reduce the risks associated with vessels and offer protection to the ships’ personnel. It provides the vessel with the actions to be taken during heavy sea conditions provides measures to be taken during cargo shifting. Therefore, the conventions and codes generally protect the ship’s crew and ensure safe conduct in the boat, and the ship itself is kept secure.
The conventions and codes govern the safe stowage and carriage of containers onboard ships. The general principles require the vessel to be secured so that the persons on board are not put at risk. Planning, execution, and supervision should be done properly for the stowage to be kept safe and well secured. The principles require the personnel commissioned for the safety of stowage ought to be well qualified and experienced. The principles require the decisions made concerning safe stowage to be done based on weather conditions. These principles are essential as they act as the impetus when creating the codes.
- Explain how the loading of a container ship is planned for her arrival at a port. In your answer, you should pay attention to the kind of information provided to the stowage planners and the security, safety, and commercial considerations for the planners.
Container shipping has made it possible to transport cargo from one point to another. Transporting containers involves a series of procedures that have to be planned to ensure the containers arrive safely at their destinations. Before loading a container, the exporter is required to select a shipping company where the container would go for loading. The size of the cargo will determine the type of container chosen. A freight exporter assists both the exporters and importers and importers in transporting the cargo and gets the containers from the company responsible for shipping and delivering it to the exporters who are required to conduct fillings, stuffing, and sealing of the cargo. The loading of cargo containers in a particular port is informed to the shipmaster before the loading. The shipping company Cargo planners prepare the cargo loading plans, who later on take the information to the chief officer about the conditions of the ship. The company checks whether the goods to be transported are dangerous; if the goods are found to be toxic, they are placed in IMDG containers. Port cranes which are huge in nature loads the containers according to the cargos that serves the purpose of lifting the cargos from the tracks and transferring them to the ship. The port officials plan how the containers are placed on decks if the containers happen to be ready to be unloaded. Lashing of the containers are planned before they arrive at the port.
Similarly, refrigerated containers keep perishable or temperature-sensitive goods for a long time. The freight forwarder then arranges for intermodal transport after these procedures. The exporter’s representative or shipping agent then conducts the port’s paperwork and customs checks, inspects the containers, and issues finances to the port to change the location of the containers inside the port’s storage facility. The exporter representative is required to pick up the loading bill from the shipping line after delivering the documents to the shipping lines. The certificate of origin is then issued to the exporter by the commerce chamber at the port, where the weight of the containers is measured, and entries are designed according to the importance of the containers. The containers are placed so that they can be easily retrieved from the ship according to the schedule of their assigned vessel then the loading of the container into the vessel is ready. Planning how the containers would be offloaded is very essential since it entails the loading and securing the on board ship.
Question 4
Critically discuss the impact of the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention) on both the environment and the management and operation of merchant ships.
The Ballast Water Management Convention treaty was adopted to stop the diversion of potentially harmful aquatic organisms. The Ballast Water Management prevents the spread of these organisms by initiating standards and procedures that govern ship ballasts and sediments of water. The convention has significantly impacted the management and operation of ships controlled by merchants and the environment.
The management changed in a number of ways when the BMW convention came into power. All the ships are expected to direct their ballast water and sediments until they acquire a required set degree depending on their ship-specific ballast water plan. The vessels were also required to get hold of ballast book records and a water management certificate that had its origins from ballast. The management influenced the ships to exchange into mid-ocean ballasts as an intermediate solution. This was only temporary as most ships were expected to eventually have access to an onboard ballast water treatment system. Several guidelines have been established to ensure the BMW conventions attain their impact in management operations on all ships. The convention requires the vessel to be certified and properly surveyed. The vessel has to be verified to be having a valid certificate by the control officers of the port state who inspect the ship. This has improved the management system in the ships as most ships strive to acquire certificates so that their ships may not be rendered invalid. Article 12 of the convey advocates for efforts to be made to reduce the chances of the ship being detained or delayed unduly, which has improved the ability of the merchant ships to maintain their schedules, therefore, improving their management strategies. The strategies established by the ballast water management and sediments conventions are utilized in adjusting the transportation and the general weight of vessels in the ships to ensure the ship is maintained floating in an upright position, making sure it is well stabilized. It is safe, which makes the ballast water essential since it ensures the management conducts all its operations bearing in mind the safety of the ship. Therefore, the ballast water management and sediments convention have contributed significantly to improving the management of ships to ensure they serve their intended purpose.
The BMW convention has not only impacted the management systems in merchant ships. Still, it has also been attributed to the changes in the marine environment, not omitting the impacts it has had on the dry land. The conventions require the ships to adhere to the D1 AND D2 standards. A blast water exchange is to be conducted by the ships according to the D1 standards, indicating the volume of water to be exchanged. The water that was last taken at the port with different seawater requires the use of an efficient system of ballast to make sure that the viable organisms left are only minimal after the water has been treated. This reduces the impact shipping has on the environment, which positively impacts the marine ecosystem.
The BMW convention positively impacts the air generated from the ocean. The strategies implemented have ensured the ocean takes in approximately 50% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to produce a significant amount of oxygen which significantly improves the health conditions of the living organisms on the surface of the earth. The ocean’s role in producing oxygen enables the oceans to distribute oxygen from the equator across the poles, which impacts the climate and weather patterns. The regulation of climate and weather patterns enables scientists to study weather patterns and inform ship merchants and other travelers on when they should most likely postpone their traveling and when to carry on to minimize the chances of experiencing ship tragedies and reduce the occurrence of death at sea.
The blast water exchange similarly has negative impacts on the marine environment as it has positive impacts. As the uptake discharge water from the previous port is being exchanged with new seawater, the seawater risks being contaminated with impurities and chemicals that affect the marine environment, which may negatively impact the aquatic animals useful to human beings. The aquatic animals may die, which may affect man’s economic activities. Therefore, the process requires the person to be well informed concerning operating the machines and requires the system used to be efficient to avoid inconveniences.
Therefore, the BMW conventions have significantly attributed to the safety of ships at sea by impacting the management system positively and have also affected the environment in several ways, both positively and negatively. It has impacted marine life, and the implementation of the convention has impacted climatic conditions and other environmental factors. Therefore, several measures should be taken to ensure the BMW convention works efficiently and to reduce the loopholes associated with the utilization of the convention to make sure the convention meets all its intended purposes.
Question 5
- Discuss the commercial importance of off-port-limit operations.
The services involved in off-port limit operations avoid the costs associated with port call costs and the delays that could arise, maintaining serviced vessels as they retain streaming. The operations involved in off-port limits do not require the vessels to reduce speed during the procedure.
The off-port limit operations are commercially essential since they majorly save on costs by port charges. The service operations ensure the goods and spares are well supplied, and samples are collected purposefully. The operations are essential in several aspects. Through the operation services, the vessels passing through seas can be supplied without being needed to leave international waters. The off-port limit operations guide and direct the activities at the port and reduces the costs and other charges passengers have to incur when boarding ships. The off-port limit operations save time, saves dues, and ensure the deviation course to the RVP is minimal. These operations, therefore, depict the commercial importance of maintaining off-port limit operations.
- Explain the information required before a ship arrives at a port
There are several requirements and procedures required before a ship enters a port. The chief officer and the chief engineer are informed when the ship is expected to arrive prior to its arrival by the ship’s master. When the need arises, the principal officers arrange a meeting to discuss the necessary matters in relation to the ship’s arrival. The conditions of all goods recorded in the checklist for entering ports are checked by the officer on duty. The forward station is guided by the chiefs’ command before the ship arrives at the port. The chief officer then requests the crew members at the deck to help them in the procedure involved in berthing. The chief officer is then assisted by the Bosun to help the ship dock. The officer in the chief position then takes control of the engine room; the operating machinery systems are controlled by subordinates who second engineers command. The engine room operations are then assisted by the motorman under the supervision of engineers in senior positions before the ship arrives at the port. Other chief engineers assign the ratings of other room duties. However, the major engine astern testing ought to be carried out by each time before a ship enters a port. This testing is normally carried out before the pilot gets into the doc.
c. Evaluate the services provided by a port to an arriving ship
The port carries out a series of services before a ship enters a port. The services involved include; receiving, handling, offloading, and the products of clients being additionally shipped after they arrive at the port and are removed from the ship. After a vessel arrives at a port, the vessel is received by the port officials where the nature of the goods are examined. The goods are handled carefully after which they are offloaded from the ship. The services offered by the port are essential because they give a general view of the products both at their arrival and at their departure, providing an additional layer of protection concerning the products if all the goods in the ship arrive at the port damaged. The documentation of the port services enables the complainant to have access to a more reliable claim regarding damage. The services offered at the port level involve the storage of goods in special facilities where they are later transported to the customer, where they are processed further. Port services are very essential as they assist companies to swiftly scale up which permits them to minimally variable to perils as they progress and grow. Therefore, it provides security, delivers materials to customers and are profitable to companies that use them.
The services offered at the port majorly deal with developed and huge organizations but are also available to the general public. These services are essential in maintaining the quality of the goods involved in shipping. The reason why organizations are contracted to conduct various services in the port is due to various reasons such as the need to cut the operational costs and also as a measure of ensuring efficiency. When it comes to cost, the port management or the owner for that matter would be required to Invest on sophisticated equipments to conduct various port activities such as the offloading and facilitating transit of cargo. Combining the expenses of acquiring the necessary equipments and the efforts to maintain themnas the need arises, it would become significantly expensive as compared to contacting a company. Doing so would not only offsset expensive operational costs, but also allow the management to focus on other duties to enhance efficiency in the day to day operation of a port. Therefore, upon the arrival of a ship at the port, the aforementioned services such the offloading, transport, and storage of cargo are conducted by third parties. However, this isn’t usually the case in all ports. Other services offered by a port at an arriving ship include provision of the neccessary security, provision of the docking place, offering of storage space for goods , and also provision of the neccessary verification services as required by the law.
