Operations and how-to
Practical guides for vessel operators, ship managers and marine service providers: port guides, ship agency, disbursement accounts, crew change, supplies and the regulations that affect port calls.
31 guides
How to Appoint a Ship Agent: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Operators (2026)
A practical appointment checklist for operators, superintendents and ship managers: what to send in the enquiry, how to read the proforma DA, what the appointment letter must...
26 October 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toProforma vs Final Disbursement Account: How Port Costs Are Calculated and Disputed
Why the final disbursement account rarely matches the proforma, how each port cost line is actually calculated, which items cause most disputes and a fair, practical process...
26 October 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toCrew Change at Sea Ports in 2026: Costs, Visas, Timelines and How Agents Organise It
What a crew change actually costs and why, the visa and border rules that changed in 2025 and 2026 (EU Entry/Exit System, UK ETA), a realistic planning timeline and how a good...
26 October 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toShip Supply Delivery to Anchorage: How Chandlers Quote, Deliver and What Operators Should Check
How shipchandlers price and deliver provisions, stores and spares to ships at anchor: what is in a quote, how launch delivery and customs work, what the crew should check on...
26 October 2026 · 10 min readOperations and how-toNotice of Readiness (NOR) Explained: The Document That Starts the Laytime Clock
The Notice of Readiness is a short document, but tendering it correctly — at the right time, in the right way, once the vessel is genuinely ready — determines when laytime...
23 September 2026 · 12 min readOperations and how-toLetter of Protest Explained: When and How a Master Should Issue One
A Letter of Protest is one of the most commonly misunderstood documents in shipping — not a legal claim, but a formal, contemporaneous record protecting the vessel's position...
23 September 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toDraft Survey vs. Bunker Survey vs. Condition Survey vs. Cargo Survey: What's the Difference?
"Marine surveyor" covers several genuinely distinct specialties, and knowing which one you actually need is the first step to getting the right service. A clear breakdown of...
23 September 2026 · 12 min readOperations and how-toISM Code Explained: What the International Safety Management Code Means at Port
The ISM Code is why every commercially operating vessel has a documented Safety Management System — and it directly shapes what happens during a port state control inspection....
23 September 2026 · 12 min readOperations and how-toP&I Club Explained: What Protection & Indemnity Insurance Means for Port Calls
P&I insurance covers a vessel's third-party liabilities — crew injury, cargo damage, pollution, collision — and it directly shapes how port calls are handled when something...
22 September 2026 · 13 min readOperations and how-toMLC 2006 Crew Welfare Requirements: What Ship Chandlers and Agents Actually Need to Know
The Maritime Labour Convention sets real, inspectable standards for crew food, provisions, and welfare — and ship chandlers and agents play a direct, practical role in a vessel...
20 September 2026 · 13 min readOperations and how-toLaytime and Demurrage Explained: Why Your Ship Agent's Documentation Actually Matters
Laytime and demurrage disputes are decided almost entirely on documentation — specifically, how accurately and promptly your ship agent tenders the Notice of Readiness and...
20 September 2026 · 14 min readOperations and how-toThe Complete Pre-Arrival Information Checklist Every Ship Agent Needs
What does a ship agent actually need from an operator before a vessel arrives? A complete, practical checklist covering vessel particulars, cargo details, crew and formalities...
20 September 2026 · 13 min readOperations and how-toShip Agent vs. Freight Forwarder vs. Ship Broker: What's the Difference?
Three roles that get confused constantly — a ship agent, a freight forwarder, and a ship broker do genuinely different jobs for genuinely different clients. A clear, practical...
20 September 2026 · 12 min readOperations and how-to · Strait of MalaccaShip Agents and Shipchandlers for the Strait of Malacca: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
The Strait of Malacca carries roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne trade through waters that are simultaneously shallow, congested, and subject to ongoing sea robbery risk...
15 September 2026 · 17 min readOperations and how-to · Strait of HormuzShip Agents and Shipchandlers for the Strait of Hormuz: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
No other chokepoint combines the Strait of Hormuz's sheer volume of energy trade with its degree of ongoing geopolitical sensitivity — which makes agent and provider selection...
15 September 2026 · 16 min readOperations and how-to · Strait of GibraltarShip Agents and Shipchandlers at the Strait of Gibraltar: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
The Strait of Gibraltar isn't a transit you book or apply for — it's an open passage flanked by two of the Mediterranean's busiest bunkering and ship services markets,...
15 September 2026 · 15 min readOperations and how-to · Danish StraitsShip Agents and Shipchandlers for the Danish Straits: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
The Great Belt and Øresund are the only maritime gateways into and out of the Baltic Sea — and the Great Belt's draft-limited route in particular makes vessel routing decisions...
15 September 2026 · 15 min readOperations and how-to · Strait of DoverShip Agents and Shipchandlers for the Strait of Dover: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
The Strait of Dover is the busiest shipping lane on earth by vessel count — which makes mandatory reporting, traffic separation compliance, and precise coordination the...
15 September 2026 · 15 min readOperations and how-to · Panama CanalShip Agents and Shipchandlers for Panama Canal Transit: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
Panama Canal transit runs on a booking-and-auction slot system, draft restrictions tied to Gatun Lake water levels, and a lockage process unlike anywhere else on earth — which...
15 September 2026 · 19 min readOperations and how-to · Suez CanalShip Agents and Shipchandlers for Suez Canal Transit: The Complete 2026 Guide for Operators and Providers
Suez Canal transit is unlike a normal port call — convoy scheduling, transit authorization, and a compressed provisioning window mean agent and chandler selection here carries...
15 September 2026 · 18 min readOperations and how-toOne Provider or Several? A Vessel Operator's Guide to Bundling Marine Services in 2026
When does it make sense to source bunker supply, provisions, technical services, and crew change through one coordinating provider instead of separately, and when is...
15 September 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toHow Much Does a Ship Agent Cost? Agency Fees and the Disbursement Account Explained (2026)
A detailed breakdown of ship agent fee structures in 2026 — how the Proforma Disbursement Account works, the difference between agency fees and pass-through port costs, common...
15 September 2026 · 13 min readOperations and how-toHow to Start an Underwater Diving & Hull Inspection Service (2026 Guide)
Underwater hull inspection and diving services sit at the intersection of two growing demands — class-required in-water surveys and the technical hull work operators...
25 August 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toWhat Is Ship Husbandry? The Maritime Service Category Most People Outside Shipping Have Never Heard Of
Ship husbandry covers everything a vessel needs in port that isn't cargo — crew changes, medical assistance, spares, provisions, and more. Here's what it actually means, and...
16 August 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toWhat Does a Marine Surveyor Actually Do? A Guide to the Survey Type You Actually Need
Cargo surveyor, condition surveyor, damage surveyor, P&I surveyor — the term "marine surveyor" covers several genuinely different roles. Here's how to know which one you...
16 August 2026 · 11 min readOperations and how-toHow Vessel Operators Actually Vet and Choose Ship Agents, Shipchandlers, and Marine Service Providers in 2026
Choosing the wrong provider can mean lost deposits, delayed sailings, or worse. Here is exactly what experienced technical superintendents and operations managers check before...
16 August 2026 · 14 min readOperations and how-toWhat Is a Marine Service Provider? Complete Guide to Ship Technical Services in 2026
From engine repair to hull cleaning, ECDIS servicing to underwater diving work — marine service providers cover a wide, often confusing range of specialties. Here is exactly...
16 August 2026 · 15 min readOperations and how-to · SingaporeThe Complete Marine Service Categories Directory 2026: Every Technical Service Vessels Need, in Singapore and at Every Major Port Worldwide
From main engine repair to gas free certification, underwater diving to IMO flag documentation — 34 distinct marine service categories, explained, with direct guidance on...
16 August 2026 · 26 min readOperations and how-toWhat Does a Ship Agent Do? The Complete Guide for Vessel Operators (2026)
Everything you need to know about ship agents — what they actually do during a port call, the difference between ship agent and freight forwarder, agency fees in 2026, how to...
29 May 2026 · 14 min readOperations and how-toWhat Does a Shipchandler Do? The Complete Guide for Vessel Operators (2026)
Everything you need to know about shipchandlers — what they actually supply, the difference between shipchandler and ship agent, IMPA and ISSA standards, types of stores...
29 May 2026 · 15 min readOperations and how-toHow to Choose a Ship Agent: The Complete 2026 Buyer's Guide for Vessel Operators
A practical, criteria-based guide to selecting the right ship agent at any port worldwide — covering FONASBA Quality Standard, the 7 essential selection criteria, red flags to...
29 May 2026 · 14 min read