Download - Tanker Operator

INDUSTRY - PROFILE
used by ShipNet, Shipping Commercial
Software and Danaos, among others. BP
Shipping has the electronic distance tables on
board the whole of its fleet and several
broking houses have also purchased the
system.
Morris and Hall said that the ideal scenario
would be a system installed on board each
vessel in a fleet and also in the operations
manager’s office so that any dispute regarding
possible demurrage, or despatch could be
quickly dealt with by using accurate distance
tables for voyage estimating/planning and for
post fixture work.
Networked version
To facilitate this, the system can be supplied
as a network version for installing on a shared
network server to ensure that all the users are
accessing common data and simplifying the
deployment of updates to the software and
distance tables.
The Distance Tables are also available as a
web based service on an annual subscription
basis. This service also provides information
on distances steamed within the SECA
(ECA) areas in Northwest Europe and off
California.
Last December it was announced that the
Worldscale Association had again calculated
the routes for the 2010 tanker flat rates using
AtoBviaC’s distance tables. A major change
for the tanker routes this year is, where
applicable, was the calculating of routes using
the Gulf of Aden Transit Corridor.
Worldscale’s published rates covers 320,000
voyage permutations from one or more load
Ras Tanura to LOOP is now routed well to the east of East Africa.
The route from Mongstad to the Mersey goes to the west of the Outer Hebrides.
ports to one or more discharge ports, or
terminals. The Worldscale rates are set in
stone for a year, whereas routes, ports and
terminals regularly change on a more
frequent basis.
AtoBviaC’s BP Shipping Marine Distance
Tables can be downloaded via an internet
connection with a BlackBerry, PDA, Pocket
PC, or depending on its capabilities – a
mobile telephone. A number of different
layouts are available depending on the mobile
device and browser being used.
Once a port, or sub-port has been chosen,
the country, UNCTAD Code, position and
LoadLine zone can be displayed and the
port’s location can be displayed on a map.
Routing can be controlled by selecting a via
point while a speed setting allows a voyage
duration to be calculated together with the
distance involved. The route used is
displayed on map, the size of which can also
be selected.
A ‘continue voyage’ option is available to
calculate distances involving more than one
port, while a calculation history is displayed
to allow overall distances to be evaluated, or
distances via different routing points to be
compared.
Designed to be used in a Microsoft
Windows 2000 application or a later version,
the system is being marketed in two forms -
standard and professional. The main
difference is that with the professional model,
a voyage planner and route warnings are
added and information is displayed as a fully
configurable user interface with dockable
windows and layouts.
The voyage planner allows the user to vary
the vessel’s speed for each voyage leg and to
include port and canal transit times. It can
generate ETAs, calculate bunkers consumed
and quantities to be stemmed.
Although started by a group of ex BP
seagoing tanker personnel, the distance tables
have also been compiled to cater for other
vessel types, such as drycargo, LNG, LPG,
containerships and others. For example, Capt
Hall said that today the LNG trades need
special attention due to new offshore and
onshore receiving terminals and loading
terminals coming on stream.
TO
January/February 2010 TANKEROperator 11