Operational Role of Captain Maneuvering and Ship Handling
Handling Shore Personnel and Ship's Crew Dealing with Various Contingencies
Handing / Taking Over Ship's Command
Being the management head of the vessel, the ship's captain has to ascertain operational functionality and harmony between various
departments onboard. He/she is the person every individual onboard looks up to during critical times. The captain's decision making abilities and leadership qualities decide how smoothly and safely the ship sails.
As the captain acts as a representative of the owners of the vessel onboard, the rank of the captain commands a lot of respect and authority.
However, a lot of stress and workload has been reported in a captain’s job due to tight schedule and several international maritime conventions and regulations in force.
One of the prime roles of the ship's captain is to keep the communication effective and timely with charterers, senior management, owners, operations department, agents and port authorities. He/she is also responsible for supervision of ship officers and crew. Basic functions of the captain's rank can be defined as –
• Implementing the safety and environmental- protection policy of the company
• Motivating the crew in the observation of that policy
• Issuing appropriate orders and instructions in a clear and simple manner
• Verifying that specified requirements are observed
Operational Role of Captain
• Periodically reviewing the safety management system and reporting its
deficiencies to the shore-based management
• In many companies, captain is the designated Ship Security Officer (SSO) and hence
he/she has to discharge his/her duties and responsibilities as described in Ship Security Plan (SSP). This may include but not be limited to conducting security drills, notifying owners and UKMTO while
transiting high risk piracy areas, conducting bomb threat searches, stowaway searches or carrying out special preparations in
designing “Citadel”
• Captain is provided with the authority to take decisions deemed to be necessary in an
emergency wherein safety of the crew, cargo, property or environment pollution issue
arises
• Captain has the overriding authority where safety and pollution prevention is of priority.
He/she can also make use of lloyd’s open form (standard legal document for a
proposed marine salvage) in situations when shore based personnel cannot be contacted for the safety of life, ship and cargo
• He/she has to implement and maintain company’s policy and quality assurance system, along with other relevant instructions
• He/she has to coordinate departmental functions and activities through the
shipboard management teams and planning meetings
• Prior sailing he/she has to ascertain
seaworthiness of the vessel in all respects.
For e.g. stores, stability, navigation ,
machinery, documentation, port clearances etc.
• He/she has to ensure that water and weather tight integrity of the vessel is maintained
• He/she has to verify calculations for stability, stress and bending moments
• He/she has to head the navigation and voyage planning team
• He/she has to clearly understand and
maintain the conditions of charter party as stipulated in terms of contract of carriage or voyage orders
• He/she is responsible for cargo operations onboard
The captain is personally in-charge of ship navigation upon entering or leaving a port , approaching land, nearing or passing by danger, altering course for fog or any other adverse condition wherein his/her judgement and experience may be considered rightful and imperative.
The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventy- sixth session (2 to 13 December 2002), adopted resolution MSC.137(76) on Standards for ship maneuverability. Hence the IMO Circular:
“Explanatory notes to the standards for Ship
Maneuverability” specifies guidelines for uniform application and interpretation of maneuvering performances of ships.
This circular is crucial in streamlining and
defining maneuvering characteristics of vessels on basis of qualities such as inherent dynamic
stability, course keeping ability, initial turning, yaw checking ability, turning ability, stopping ability etc.
Manoeuvring & Ship Handling
The regulation also defines the test standards for turning tests, zig zag tests and stopping tests . The circular thus aims at determining various factors for tabulating and documenting the complex maneuvers and behaviors of vessels of different sizes in various external circumstances.
This helps the captain to understand and look for some vital basic information which will always be present and supplied irrespective of the design, construction and origin of a commercial vessel.
Captain on Bridge
“Present day scenario involves vessels manoeuvring and doing cargo transfers through ship to ship transfer operations while
underway or at anchor, with floating offshore units, at terminals, conventional buoy moorings, single point or single buoy mooring etc. To manoeuvre two giants worth millions of
dollars together within inches and carry out cargo transfer operations is never easy. It’s an art which has to be mastered with years of
expertise, deftness and professionalism.”
– Capt. Cedric Fernandes, Frontline Tankers.
Importance of Captain-Pilot I nformation Exchange
Often masters have to navigate ships to far and distant places and ports around the globe.
Technically, it's not feasible for the the captain to have information and navigation skills of all ports around the world.
Almost all major ports provide pilotage services to take the vessel alongside or navigate through them for e.g. Singapore straits spproaches and transit, Danish straits transit, Suez Canal transit, Torres straits and several other passages.
A captain can use pilot’s experience, skills and
local information to take the vessel safely through these routes.
The captain and pilot have their own strongpoint and it is the best possible option to utilize both of their expertise for the safe passage of the ship. A synergy between the pilot and the captain is therefore necessary to avoid any hazard.
The captain is however at liberty to interfere at any point of time if he/she sees his/her vessel is in
danger.
But it is expected that he/she informs the pilot about the impending danger and then takes
Captain with Pilot
appropriate corrective measure or even take over the control of his/her vessel.
The captain-Pilot information should essentially include
• Pilot's planned route
• his/her anticipated speeds, depths, and ETA’s during the passage
• Any assistance expected from shore, tugs, VTS information & contingency procedures
• Handling characteristics of his/her own vessel, condition of anchors
• Engine type and their controls
• Availability of personnel
• State and functioning of navigational equipment
• Local weather and tide data
• Mooring plans
The captain's duty also includes signing off and signing on crew members and ensure that
regularized standards of hygiene and health are implemented onboard. The captain should therefore:
• Inspect the crew accommodation and provision stores weekly or monthly
• Ensure disciplined conduct of crew members onboard and that all crew members abide by and follow various policies and guidelines as stipulated in the Safety Management System onboard. his/her decision shall be final and concluding in any crew matter onboard
• The captain has the right to make the official log entry witnessed by senior management officers onboard
• Look after training and routines for cadets and other ship’s personnel by liaising with chief mate and chief engineer
Handling Port Authorities,
Shore Personnel and Crew
• Ensure that the chief officer is provided with sufficient opportunity to develop skills such as ship handling, turning the ship etc. for his/her promotion to next rank as captain
• Retain custody of narcotics onboard and to maintain log books for all controlled
substances
The captain is also the head of various committees such as Safety Committee, Management
Committee, Security team etc. and he/she supervises and advises amendments to their functions and roles onboard.
Importance of Captain’s Standing Orders Captain’s standing orders must be based on
company's navigational policy. These requirements should also consider the trade of the vessel and experience of the bridge team onboard and must be non-conflicting with the Safety Management System Manual. Finally the standing orders have to be read, understood and signed by all the
officers.
Communication
All the vessel’s communication and administration is under captain's control and he/she is
subordinated by various departmental heads. All the external communications for e.g. with the Management, Charterers, Operators etc. are to be routed only through the captain; whereas internal communication is to be routed through proper hierarchy channel in various departments prevailing onboard.
However, it is also prudent and necessary to disseminate the information or instructions correctly and timely to various departments and crew members.
“Often in today’s cut throat market, masters have to convey tough decisions of shore management to the crew onboard and at the same time have to ensure order and harmony
with normal shipboard operations being carried out unhampered and at their regular
pace.”
– Capt. Ashish Girdhar, Scorpio Tankers.
How to Deal with External Inspectors and Surveyors?
Being a representative of owners onboard, the captain has to deal with many external authorities, inspectors and surveyors and thus co-ordinate with processes such as surveys, port clearance,
quarantine clearances, immigration approvals, facilitating for shore leaves etc.
He/she is also in possession of all the valid
statutory and mandatory certificates which pertains to trading of the vessel. These certificates include Certificate of Registry, Load Line Certificate, International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate, Receipt of Tonnage, Safety Equipment Certificate, Certificate of Class and Several other Certificates etc.
Other than these mandatory certificates there are several other documents which need to be revised and renewed based on their nature, validity or conditions stipulated in them. It is very important for the captain to ascertain that all the documents under his/her custody are valid and up to date once he/she joins a vessel. If any of them needs renewal or is expiring then the ship operators or the owners have to be notified and plan for their reinstatement
to be done at the earliest.
A warm professional welcome and courteousness towards surveyors often leads to an initial good impression and thus facilitates in smooth
interactions and inspections.
Though keeping all the relevant documents is necessary, developing a good professional rapport with the external inspectors is also required for hassle free inspection.
Nevertheless this suggests that necessary documentation or procedures should never be compromised from any side.
captain and crew with surveyor
Accidents do happen at sea, often due to human error or mechanical/ automation failures. It is important to deal with such situations and come out of them without harming the crew members, ship, cargo, or the environment. Ships can face contingencies such as fire, grounding, collision, salvage, piracy attacks etc. when at sea.
The ISM code requires all companies and shore
based management systems to come up with a set of manuals which describes procedures to be followed in case of an emergency. However it is also true that everything can never be
comprehended in a book and the probability of a different scenario in an emergency can or should never be neglected.
Thus in case of emergency, the captain has to get inputs from various sources and teams, onboard as well as ashore, and at the same time take
immediate steps to prevent the situation from getting averse.
The captain also has to communicate and coordinate with shore based assistance by
supplying them timely and relevant information.
To sum up, the captain shall not be constrained by any company document or instruction or any other person from discharging his/her responsibilities in regard to maritime safety and the protection of the environment by taking any decision or action, wherein his/her professional judgement is necessary. (IMO RESOLUTION A 443 (XI)
"Decisions of the Ship captain with regard to maritime safety and marine environment protection").
How to Deal with Various
Contingencies Onboard
However the contingency procedures provided by the company must be in conjunction with –
• SOPEP/SMPEP
• Muster list
• Ship Security Plan
• Vessel Response Plan
• Company Check List
• Company Form
• Contingency manual
The checklists to be used during an emergency situation shall be maintained in printed or soft copy on the Bridge and in the Engine Control Room in a dedicated folder for quick reference.
However, to function as a team all Deck and
Engine Officers must be familiar with the contents of the checklists and procedures provided for use in case of emergencies.
Responsibility of the Captain after Abandoning a Ship
The captain is the overall in-charge of a vessel at all times, even when he/she and his/her crew have to leave or abandon the vessel due to accidents such as fire, flooding, or collision. When a mishap occurs and the extent of damage to the ship results in “Abandon the ship” order by the captain, the crew must muster and leave the ship within no time using lifeboat or life raft.
Once all the crew is at a safe distance from the abandoned ship or are rescued by other ship or rescue team, the captain performs the following duties-
• Request the rescue team or ship to cancel the May-day order
• Communicate the reason for abandoning the ship and request to issue a navigational warning as the abandoned ship may be a threat to other vessels
• Count the number of crew rescued and report it to the nearest coastal authority
• All information about accidents and
survivors must be provided to the company and P & I club official once the recued team reaches the nearest port
• Prepare a complete report of the event that lead to the accident, along with other senior officers and submit it to company and the Maritime Accident Investigation authority
The captain of the ship is the sole person
responsible for the overall safety and security of a ship and its operations. Right from the moment he/she first steps on the ship, the captain of the ship has to be extremely particular about every aspect related to the ship and its operations.
Though a ship’s captain is an experienced person who knows his/her duties inside-out, more than often there are too many things happening
simultaneously onboard and therefore he/she must consider a few important points while handling various operations related to the ship.
This point is extremely important during handing over of duties when a new captain relieves the reigning captain.
When a ship’s captain hands over the command of the ship to a new captain, there are many
formalities and procedures involved. Handing over of the ship at the captain level is a responsible job which needs to be carried out without neglecting
Handing-Over/ Taking-Over
Of Ship’s Command
any important points. All masters are aware of the handing over procedures of the ship; however, they should not forget the following points:
A new captain while taking over a ship would take care of the following points:
• Find out about the condition of the ship, both on the interior and exterior sides
• Ask for a “To-do” list from the signing off captain about jobs that are to be carried out on the ship and also examine the ones that are recently carried
• Form a list of things that he/she would do on joining the new ship
• Take delivery of all the official documents of the ship from the off-going captain
• Have a look at the condition of the load lines, draft lines etc. to ensure that they are
properly visible
• Make an official log book entry and sign it along with the off-going captain
• Check the condition of rigging,
accommodation ladder, gangway and other related accessories
• Fill the necessary details in the official log book such as name, type of certificate of competency, reference number and other important particulars
• Take the combination/ keys of the ship’s safe and count the money and check the amount with the official records
• Check the condition of the life saving equipment and fire fighting appliances
• Check all the important documents of
owners, managers, classification society and P & I club
• Check the past records of the ship and recent activities that have been carried out from the official log book
• Inspect the muster list and ensure that it is updated
• Receive familiarization training according to STCW
• Ensure that his/her personal lifejacket is in proper condition. He/she must also know how to use it in emergency situations
• Examine the passage plan and check details of the next voyage by consulting with
appropriate deck officer
• Inquire about the condition of machinery and quantity of bunker fuel and lubricating fuel from the chief engineer
• Check about the safety surplus of fuel
required by the charter party to be carried on board ships
• Check the condition of all nautical charts and publications on board ships
• Check the situation of cargo, stability, ballast, freshwater, stored, maintenance of the ship etc. by consulting with the chief officer
• Read all the relevant clauses of bill of lading or charter party
• Check ISM documentation for any pending or recently rectified non-conformities
• Have a thorough inspection of the ship (in a practical way) to make sure he/she is
satisfied regarding the condition of the ship to take it to the sea
• If necessary, provide the standing orders for his/her crew
The signing-off captain should ensure the following before leaving the ship:
• Check (count) the money in the ship’s safe and confirm it with the records
• Bring the accounts with owners or managers up-to-date
• Make sure all the documents of the ship, crew, cargo etc. are in order for handing over to the new captain
• Provide hand-over notes for the new captain.
Mention about any particular problem or an important task that needs to be carried on in the next voyage
• Make sure he/she has signed every page of the oil record book
• Make sure to hand-over the duties in person to the new captain
Lastly make a note in the official log book and sign the same to confirm that he/she has handed over the ship to the new captain and has also submitted all the documents related to the ship, crew, cargo etc. This entry is signed jointly by both the masters.