How to Check Technical Characteristics of Vessel?
Date of posting: 26.07.2021
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You were offered a contract.
It seems that everything is going as well as possible: managed had promised new vessel, automated, safe and decent wages.
Excited? Now let’s get real. Like that saying: trust but verify.
How to be sure that real vessel characteristics coincide with indicated before?
You should to use website with technical characteristics of vessels (there is a large amount of it) and refer to vessel details. In this article we get a close-up about service which is offered on website https://jobmarineman.com. That is so for several reasons:
1. Service is free and no need to register. Here you can see full vessel description immediately.
2. Having full information about vessel, including remarks about main engine and cargo. That is not often encountered on free services;
3. Also there is available below details:
- Flag, type, year of build;
- Port of registry, call sign, tonnage;
- Length, width, weight, draught;
- Information about present ISM Manager, Ship manager, Registered owner.
4. Information is drawn from private paid resources, inaccessible for free users on the Internet;
5. There is manager contact details, who can advice actual positions on the vessel (in case the vessel is a partner of Marine MAN).
How can you make sense of this?
The easiest way to use year of built of the vessel. It should be taken into account the year of vessel’s constructions. The older the vessel the worse its condition.
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It will be perfect in case the vessel had been built after 2000-s
Proper - after 80-s
Critical & dangerous - before 80-s
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But it doesn’t mean that it you should pay much attention only to new vessels.
A Pretty good criteria is to choose vessels with normal condition of vessel, especially when it’s your 1st contract or you are not sure completely in your skills as high-qualified specialist.
For example, Modern Gas Tankers are equipped by significant automatic control system, which guarantees Safety on board and absence of health problems.
Such Systems of Safety demand careful service from the side of Engineer Officers. It’s the main reason of so high requirements to Engineers & Officers, who must exactly understand All working aspects on board and keep documentation in good order.
Why can’t I find vessel by name?
Pls look at below interesting photo of vessel LAILA QUEEN. If you look carefully and you’ll see that there is note the first vessel name.
That’s why, if you have not found the vessel by name, you can insert IMO number in the search field.
There are list of previous vessel names, which are not used now in 1st part of technical characteristics on website jobmarineman.com. Here you will see the name you were trying to find.
Can vessel change it’s IMO number?
No!
Definitely. If we look at official data, you will see, that International Maritime Organization, IMO adopted Resolution in 1987 А.600 (15), to create an IMO number scheme, aimed to “improve maritime safety and pervert pollution and maritime fraud” by assigning a unique permanent identification number to each vessel.
The IMO number remains to the ship's hull throughout its entire service life, regardless of the change of names, flags or owners.
Is flag = ship owner’s quality?
But the vessel’s flag can be changed. The vessel can be sold or be used under « flags of convenience». Look, which flag is currently used. This information is presented in list of characteristics on jobmarineman.com.
In global understanding of flag = quality and level of ship owner. As vessel flag – is its nationality. The laws of the country under whose flag the boat is registered are in force on board.
| The more developed a country is, the more secure is to work on a ship under its flag. |
Countries with a high standard of living are characterized by increased requirements for equipping the vessel and crew. Both of them – important elements of vessel security. In China, for example, bulkers, which are over 15 years old, are conducted total inspection. Brazil introduced a similar one – but they check vessels which are over 18 years old, to get under scrutiny of PSC (Port State Control). During inspection it is focused on ship bilges and ballast tanks.
- Such flags have proved successful as Germany, France, Norway, Sweden (list can be expanded).
- Such flags considered 'on-the-sidelines': Liberia, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Beliz, Bermuda, Cayman islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Djibouti, Gibraltar, Honduras, Luxemburg, Malta, Marshall Island, Republic of Mauritius, Panama, Singapore etc.
According statistics of 2020 year, more than 60% of all ships in the world use the flags of the most diverse small Third World countries, to avoid tax problems, - so-called «flags of convenience». So Greek companies gravitate towards the Cyprus Flag: : 1/3 of all Greek tonnage is registered under this flag. In fact, the huge fleet of Cyprus is 60% owned by Greece. Japanese companies prefer the Panama flag, American companies prefer the Liberian flag.
Even countries that do not have any access to the sea, such as Bolivia, Mongolia and Belarus, have flag and offer ship owners use their flag.
Of course, Flag State are different too. For example, Panama flag with the largest fleet in the world, more responsibly register vessels under their flag. And still, according to the representative of ITF, "still has deficiencies in supervision and control, accident investigation and crew assistance". But exactly Panama leads as state with « flags of convenience» according to the official UN report (Review of Maritime Transport 2020).
You should not avoid a vessel with more modest characteristics when changing positions.
Getting the promotion, you should know, that it is not always possible to become a master «TI Europa» or «TI Oсeania» (one off the biggest tanker vessel in the world) immediately. Probably, for chief engineer without experience, a smaller vessel with less deadweight can be offered.
From the other side, when it is contract on large vessels, powerful engine, «perfect» year of built, equipped with new mechanisms and automation system, and you’re sure for themselves, – it is possible to agree for lower wage. Firstly, such a vacancy should be treated as a promising groundwork for the future.
And if it seems to you that all the puzzles of successful people add up by themselves from the first contract, here is a small example for you.
Pavel Manchenko - director of the crewing company “Marine MAN”, shares his memories:
«On my first contract, I had to work on ship built in 1960. The training area was from Kherson to Turkey. The ship was sailing hardly, broke all the time, and seems it wouldn’t stop. But every next contract, I joined better vessel. And do not regret, that came all this way and gained experience».
Needless to say, that it will work? Anyway, you can do it. Arm yourself with information, using modern convenient resources, upgrade skills, keep learning. You should pay attention to terms of contract , do not sign contract except at the office, indicated in official resources (company website, lisence).
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