Ship Handling

This is one of the films making the Vessel Resource Management series. It shall be treated as an excellent and very informative update to the Bridge Procedures & Bridge Resource Management series released by the same training provider earlier and proven very effective; subject series include videos dealing with the accident prevention, navigation charts and associated publications, bridge watchkeeping, working with VTS, emergency procedures and voyage planning - all of them are readily available for the familiarization here.

This particular training was prepared to demonstrate how the ship Master and officers should obtain the best assistance from the Pilots and what shall be done by them to ensure due compliance with the obligations mandated by the STCW Convention. It is imperative that the pilots are treated with appropriate respect and professionalism.

The video underlines the importance of having proper and thorough exchange of information and good communication between ship Master and Pilot - this is critically important for the safe operations. Note that we also have two videos of the same series, devoted to the voyage plan, the first film is dealing with the appraisal and planning while the second one addresses its executing, monitoring and correction of charts...

One more film continuing the topic of the voyage plan started within the previous video which dealt with the appraisal and planning matters. The present training video is covering the executing and monitoring of the voyage plan. As it was explained in the content of the first part of the training, duly prepared voyage plan is considered critically important for the safe operation of any ship.

However, having even the best voyage plan is not enough - all efforts shall be made by the crew members of the vessel to make sure that the plan is properly executed and monitored. In addition to the above, this video covers the correction of the charts which is sometimes required. As it was the case with the other films of the Vessel Resource Management series, this one is providing both trainees and professionals with the valuable information.

Being duly familiarized with all aspects of preparing and executing of the voyage plan will definitely contribute in the effectiveness and safety of the voyage and all operations on board their vessel and this is the main reason why all parts of the training series including those making Bridge Resource Management series (navigation charts and associated publications - emergency procedures - working with VTS - voyage planning - bridge watchkeeping - accident prevention) are recommended.

This is another film of those forming the Vessel Resource Management series. This one is devoted to the voyage plan of the ship and particularly appraisal and planning activities. Note that the voyage plan has already been addressed in one of the previous video training release by Videotel. This film is covering the most important aspects of voyage planning and shows what shall be done in order to prepare a correct voyage plan.

Having a duly prepared plan is considered very important for the safe and efficient operation of any vessel that is why this matter shall be pain very close and serious attention. The content of the video is continued within the next one which is dealing with the executing, monitoring and chart corrections. We definitely recommend you to watch all films of this series and also of the Bridge Resource Management series available here.

All of these videos will be equally interesting and practically useful not only to the students and trainees but also to the experienced personnel, taking into account that the content of the films was developed by the expert specialists of one of the best providers of maritime training. Have a close look at each of them and get a complete and clear picture.

The present video training programme is taking a remarkably detailed look at the SIRE Programme. SIRE is standing for the Ship Inspection Report. The content of the video starts with the brief discussion of the origins of this safety programme, considering the role of the persons using the reports and people performing the inspections.

The trainees will first look at the vessels particulars and vessel inspection questionnaires and then the focus will switch to the examination of the inspection process itself starting with what exactly shipboard personnel could do and should do when preparing for the inspection.

The author of the video has detailed every single aspect of the areas that are commonly checked by the inspectors, discussing what the inspectors would most probably want to see and check in the ship's documentation and providing numerous practical tips on what personnel should expect and be prepared to during a SIRE inspection.

He is also dealing with the obligation of the SIRE inspector to record all exceptions and what actions are to be taken by the personnel should they disagree with the findings. At the end, the author discusses the impact that the SIRE safety initiative has on the tanker fleet of today's world. The training is primarily aimed at the officers on the oil tankers.

It's a fine day, good visibility, calm seas, perfect weather for a passage, and yet this tanker is sailing towards danger. It is about to bring together a large explosive atmosphere with sources of ignition; in fact, it is playing with fire. If all goes well, no one will ever know; but if it goes badly, the results could be devastating, and everyone will hear about it...

Tank cleaning is one of the most critical and dangerous stages of any cargo carriage. If not conducted properly, it brings together things that are best to be kept apart - explosive atmospheres, sparks, toxic fumes, and personnel. It is a time consuming and often complex operation, but the benefits are clear. Both sludge build-up and contamination can significantly reduce a vessel's effectiveness, service quality and profitability.

They can also impact health and safety. Every year, many seamen die in accidents. Often, these involve enclosed space entry. It is the vessel's responsibility to arrive at the terminal ready to take cargo. And, the vessel has a duty to care to customers, too. Every year, port tank cleaning procedures lead to substantial costs through delays to loading schedules, port fines and legal damages which have run into many hundreds of thousands of dollars. Tank cleaning is normally undertaken on ballast voyages between loads, when changing cargo types or when changing charterer...

The deck of a tug boat is definitely not the easiest and safest place to work. There are strong winds and waves, harsh weather conditions and hard-to-use heavy equipment combined to make it even more difficult and sometimes even dangerous place. But the work that is done by the people working on deck of the tug is really invaluable.

In today's shipping market, the size of vessels is increasing much faster than the ports can actually accommodate. Harbor operations are becoming increasingly complex. Time pressures and increasing traffic are making ever greater demands on tugs. To meet the challenge, tug crews depend on the professionalism of the vessel's crews. Good teamwork between everyone involved in the towing operations is absolutely essential for the safe and efficient completion of the process...

This training film supplements the training booklet on working on tugs. We highly recommend all workers of the offshore industry engaged in the towing operations on either side, to have better understanding of the operations as well as of the risks and dangers that shall be expected and get duly prepared to complete all of the operations in the safest and most efficient manner.

This short video animation was prepared by Seagull specialists for training purposes. All crew members and people who have once participated in any of the anchoring or mooring operations are well aware of the fact that subject operations are critically important and hazardous by nature - however, they are tasks routinely conducted on vast majority of the vessels sailing today.

The mooring arrangements may differ from one sea port to another and hat is why it is very important to carefully pre-plan all mooring operations well in advance of the vessel calling at the port. The animation demonstrates the main phases of the mooring process.

Of course, taking into account its duration, one cannot expect the video to fully cover the mooring activities in detail. however, this is more than enough for those willing to get a general idea of the process and good for a start.

There are places for gambling, for taking a bit of the chance - it is highly recommended to the people to try and remember that the sea is definitely not one of them. Break the rules here, ignore them, get careless - and the results could be devastating. Don't take chances! One analysis of marine pollution claims showed that 37 % of the pollution were caused by bunker spills.

Those spills resulted in claims with dozens of millions of dollars. Bear in mind as necessary that should you be dealing with oil, you might as well be dealing with a dynamite. This is critically important as all of us have a good understanding of the negative consequences that may be potentially caused by the failure in following the established procedures. Have a close look at the procedures described in this training video and this knowledge will help you in performing the bunkering in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.