The Importance of Ship Crew Management

Did you know that the oldest ship still in service is the USS Constitution? She is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was commissioned in 1797, which makes her over 200 years old!

A lot has changed since this landmark vessel took to the waters in matters of ship crewing. In these modern times, ship crew management is done by companies and manning agencies that oversee the recruitment, planning, and deployment of this essential human capital.

Roles handled by Ship Crew Management Companies.

Most established ship crewing companies handle all aspects of crew management in-house. These roles are varied and specialized, but we can separate them into three broad categories.

Planning

Ship crewing is a complicated discipline as most crews go for months at a time without even docking on dry land. Planning is therefore vital for the seamless operation of the core business of shipping. Any errors in planning could lead to short-staffing or even other costlier mistakes.

• Planning involves anticipating the need for certain personnel before they are required and placing them at the right spots at the right time.
• Maintaining a database of suitable persons who can come in at a moment's notice in case of emergencies or lapsed contracts.
• Maintaining a database of qualifications, certifications, experience, and licenses of suitable candidates and crew already in service.
• Visual planning of crews for individual vessels or even entire fleets
• Keeping tabs on crew's dates of availability and expected vacation days.

Work management

Ship crew management companies are usually tasked with managing their charges once deployed to their respective vessels.

• Assessing work hours and rest hours of crew members under their supervision. Ship crew management companies can do this in conjunction with the vessel's top management, or in some cases, companies place a representative on the vessel to deal with any issues as they arise.
• Set targets or benchmarks for performance for the crew and even schedule periodic appraisals.
• Deploy payroll management solutions to manage the crew effectively.
• Some companies also organize insurance for their crew.

Crew optimization

This includes all other services like safety training and any added features ensuring ship owners get more bang for their buck. It also involves all attempts at compliance with the policies and laws of countries of operation.

Importance of Ship crewing and its benefits

If you are venturing into shipping, recruiting your staff can be overwhelming, it is best to outsource crewing to a ship crewing company. Knowing the workings of the industry, most have a ready database and dependable contacts in the industry. Ship crew management, if done well, leads to a win-win situation for staff deployed and the vessel owners. It also leads to

• Better accountability, responsibility, and transparency in the workplace
• Better vessel maintenance and performance
• Reduced vessel maintenance costs
• Shorter handover time
• Competent and reputable ship crewing companies can attract and retain the best talent.
• Better staff contentment hence retention.

Reduced recruitment, operational, and training costs, improving the bottom line.