Precaution Before Joining Ship.....

Before You Board:

  1.  Don’t start work on a ship without having a written contract.

 2.  Never sign a blank contract, or a contract that binds you to any terms and conditions that are not specified or  that you are not familiar with.

 3.  Check if the contract you are signing refers to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). If so, make sure that you are fully aware of the terms of that CBA, and keep a copy of it along with your contract.

 4.  Make sure that the duration of the contract is clearly stated.

 5.  Don’t sign a contract that allows for alterations to be made to the contractual period at the sole discretion of the shipowner. Any change to the agreed duration of the contract should be by mutual consent.

 6.  Always ensure that the contract clearly states the basic wages payable and make sure that the basic working hours are clearly defined (for example 40, 44 or 48 per week). The International Labour Organisation states that basic working hours should be a maximum of 48 pr week (208 per month).

 7.  Make sure that the contract clearly stipulates how overtime will be paid and at what rate. There could be a flat hourly rate payable for all hours worked in excess of the basic. Or there may be a monthly fixed amount for a guaranteed number of overtime hours, in which case the rate for any hours worked beyond the guaranteed overtime should be clearly stated. The ILO states that all overtime hours should be paid at a minimum of 1.25 x the normal hourly rate.

 8.  Make sure that the contract clearly states how many days paid leave per month you will get. The ILO states that paid leave should not be less than 30 days per year (2.5 days per calendar month).

 9.  Make certain that the payments for basic wages, overtime and leave are clearly and separately itemised in the contract.

10.  Don’t sign a contract that allows the shipowner to withhold or retain any portion of your wages during the period of the contract. You should be entitled to full payment of wages earned at the end of each calendar month.

11.  Never sign a contract that contains any clause stating that you are responsible for paying any portion of your joining or repatriation expenses.

12.  Don’t sign a contract that contains any clause that restricts your right to join, contact, consult with or be represented by a trade union of your choice.

13.  Be aware that an individual employment contract will not always include details of additional benefits. Therefore you should try to obtain confirmation (preferably in the form of a written agreement or contractual entitlement) of what compensation will be payable in the event of:

            – Sickness or injury during the contractual period
            – Death (amount payable to the next of kin)
            – Loss of the vessel
            – Loss of personal effects resulting from the loss of the vessel
            – Premature termination of the contract.

14.  Ensure that you are provided with and retain a copy of the contract you have signed.

15.  Remember… whatever the terms and conditions, any contract/agreement that you enter into voluntarily would, in most jurisdictions, be considered legally binding.

Types Of Merchant Ships...

Merchant Ship Categories....

• Roll on/ Roll off ship:

                     Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as automobiles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers and railroad cars that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels. This is in contrast to lo-lo (lift-on/lift-off) vessels which use a crane to load and unload cargo.

                  RORO vessels have built-in ramps which allow the cargo to be efficiently "rolled on" and "rolled off" the vessel when in port. While smaller ferries that operate across rivers and other short distances often have built-in ramps, the term RORO is generally reserved for larger ocean-going vessels. The ramps and doors may be stern-only, or bow and stern for quick loading.

                                       Roll on/ Roll off ship

                 There are various types of ro-ro vessels, such as ferries, cruise ferries, cargo ships, and barges. The ro-ro vessels that are exclusively used for transporting cars and trucks across oceans are known as Pure Car Carriers (PCC) and Pure Truck & Car Carriers (PCTC) respectively. Unlike other cargos that are measured in metric tonnes, the ro-ro cargo is measured in a unit called lanes in meters (LIMs). LIM is calculated by multiplying cargo length in meters by the number of decks and by its width in lanes. The lane width will differ from vessel to vessel and there are a number of industry standards.
 Advantages of a ro-ro ship:

1. For the shipper, the advantage is speed. Since cars and lorries can drive straight on to the ship at one port and then drive off at the other port within a few minutes of the ship docking, it saves a lot of time of the shipper.
2. It can also integrate well with other transport development, such as containers. The use of Customs-sealed units has enabled frontiers to be crossed with the minimum of delay. Therefore, it increases the speed and efficiency for the shipper.
3. The ship has also proved extremely popular with holiday makers and private car owners. It has significantly contributed to the growth of tourism. A person can take his car from one country to another by sea with the help of a ro-ro vessel.

• TUGBOAT (Tugs):

                         A tugboat (tug) is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal, or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, log rafts, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for their size and strongly built, and some are ocean-going. Some tugboats serve as icebreakers or salvage boats. Early tugboats had steam engines, but today most have diesel engines. Many tugboats have firefighting monitors, allowing them to assist in firefighting, especially in harbors.

• Another types:

1. Refrigerated cargo ship: Use to carry fruit, meat and other food product across the sea in fresh & clean manner.

  2.  Livestock carriers: Use to transport live animals from one country to another.