A SOUTH African team of men who travel the world looking after the loading and discharge of ships and cargoes is what Jessegaard Marine's crew of five marine captains forming SA's only independent and specialised ship management operation is all about.
It fills a new niche in the maritime industry caused by a tremendous change in ship operation methods in recent years, according to Captain Eric Bismeyer, Jessegaard Marine's managing director.
Vessel operation and cargo management is now a shore side function, he said. But, where the necessary technical expertise is missing in shore companies, they often employ ex-seamen to attend to this aspect.
The area of concern is the land-ship interface - the critical task of loading/discharge management.
It's no simple task of safely loading as much cargo as possible into a confined space, then discharging it all in undamaged condition at the other end.
Planning these functions is an interrelated task - loading order dictated by discharge sequence at the other end. The only proof that a ship is loaded properly, said Bismeyer, is if the cargo can be discharged undamaged and in the right order at its destination.
Ideally, planning should take place as much as 10-days before the ship's ETA (estimated time of arrival) to get all these cargo cards shuffled into order and a proper stowage plan prepared. Quite a jig-saw puzzle, said Bismeyer.
There's also the decisive element of suitable mix-and-match of cargoes. Not all commodities like each other - and the wrong mix could very well lead to disastrous consequences.
There are all sorts of restrictions - technical, legal and otherwise - on just how to load a ship, Bismeyer said.
Hazardous cargoes is one of the obvious examples of the need for planned loading, but other commodities also often don't like to mix, although with possibly less explosive (but equally costly) results.
Cloves and tobacco, for example, is a most uncomplementary match.
It's this sort of maritime lore and experience that sells Jessegaard Marine to its clients. Companies in SA who own or operate ships look to the company for the marine expertise which is necessary to operate their ships cost-efficiently and safely.
Prevention of claims and reduction of turn-round time of ships in port is our main function, Bismeyer told FTW.
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