Skip Vaccarello

The “about” clause in Charter Party agreements is a lightning rod among owners and charterers for disputes, claims and confusion. In the article “What ‘About’ Speed and Bunker Allowances”, Jim Sigafoose, AWT’s marine claims expert, offers a common sense approach to this controversial issue.

In our industry we hear much about optimizing a voyage for safety and for fuel and time efficiency. AWT’s Thomas Weber of Germany describes how AWT’s onboard voyage planning system called BonVoyage (BVS) provides a convenient, flexible yet powerful way for Masters to optimize their voyages.

Enjoy reading this month’s articles. We welcome your feedback.

Thank you,
Skip Vaccarello

Jim Sigafoose

What ‘About’ Speed and Bunker Allowances
by Jim Sigafoose

The use of the term “about” in c/p speed and consumption descriptions has become ubiquitous in the dry cargo trade. While the word itself is an indefinite term and has no fixed legal definition, the maritime industry over the years has established that ‘about’ usually means an allowance of 0.5 knot for speed.

In relation to the ‘about’ term for consumption, note the following comment from an arbitration award in early 2007 (LMLN 0710):

Held, that it was arguable that with modern machinery it should be possible for owners to provide a bunker consumption warranty that was more accurate than one with a 5% margin.

Despite this, the award went on to say that 5% was now so commonly used in the industry that this figure should be applied when the parties to the contract used the word “about” to describe a vessel’s consumption.

But does this mean that an upward allowance will apply in all cases? This prompted the following question to a panel of distinguished London arbitrators and maritime legal experts that was assembled at the AWT-hosted workshop on “Shipping Operational Disputes” held in Beijing last year.… read more >

Dr. Thomas Weber

Voyage Optimization Using AWT’s
Onboard Voyage Planning System
by Dr. Thomas Weber

AWT provides a powerful voyage optimization function with its onboard voyage planning system, BonVoyage (BVS). With BVS, the Master can calculate the optimum track to follow from any point to any point along the route, taking into consideration the specific characteristics of the vessel and the forecast conditions ahead. The optimized route can then be compared with any number of alternatives, such as a route based on the Master’s experience.

The calculation behind the route optimization algorithm consists of a convergent combination strategy for determining the optimum route and, if required, speed as well as weighted penalties handle any undesired condition. BVS offers two objective functions, minimum voyage time and minimum fuel consumption. The minimum time function provides the best arrival time based on a constant calm sea speed or RPM while minimum fuel consumption determines the optimum track and the required calm sea speed / RPM for on time arrival. Buffer times to account for unexpected speed losses can also be considered. AWT’s strategy is to provide a powerful optimization function in order to give the Master an objective evaluation of the voyage’s efficiency and safety on board.

Optimization which does not allow the Master to define the vessel operating thresholds is often not sufficient, e.g. certain weather thresholds which should be avoided along the optimized route. For this reason, AWT’s optimization takes into account weather induced constraints such as directional-wise maximum wave heights or wind speeds as well as ‘no go’ areas that are blocked for the purpose of optimization. This gives the Master close control and the ability to adjust the optimized route for the particular requirements of the voyage based on these constraints.… read more >

BonVoyage System

Marine voyage optimization system provides 24/7 on-board weather…
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BonVoyage System & Ship Routing

The combination of BonVoyage System & AWT's ship routing services…more >

Fleet Management

Quickly monitor your fleet & ensure they are operating efficiently & safely…
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Ship Routing – Earliest Arrival

Our weather routing experts recommend the optimum route analyzing… more >

Ship Routing – Fuel Optimization

Improve schedule integrity & minimize fleet's fuel consumption… more >

Tracking/Polling

Tracking & automated satellite position polling service locates vessels…
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Offshore Support

Pre-departure route planning & forecasting en-route… more >

Arbitration Support &
Forensic Studies

AWT has prepared numerous reports for use in arbitration & legal venues…
more >

AWT (www.awtworldwide.com) is the leading provider of fleet optimization services, ship routing services and onboard voyage management software to ship owners, operators and charterers seeking the safest and most efficient routes for their fleets. Unlike companies that provide weather services for multiple industries, or companies which only offer onboard weather software, AWT is staffed by world-renown experts in ship routing, meteorology, IT, maritime science and former mariners who are focused solely on the maritime industry. Using the most sophisticated technology available, AWT routes more ships per month than any other company. Its superior customer service and integrity have made AWT the most trusted fleet optimization provider in the maritime industry. Founded in 1996, AWT is privately held and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with worldwide offices located in the UK, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea, Germany, New York, and New Jersey. More information is available at www.awtworldwide.com or by calling 1-408-731-8600.