HE00920 - Communication and Human Element in Shipping Commerce - notes from a shipbroker

Discussion of the effectiveness and efficacy of communication between the ship and the shore office and the effect of the barrage of emails on the already overworked Master and his crew and how these are affecting stress levels.

Modern communication methods allow access to almost unlimited flexibilities and capabilities, be it in the form of voice or data, at negligible cost at any time of the day or night, be it ashore or in the middle of the ocean. This is undoubtedly a great advantage but there are occasions when this advantage is abused by the practitioners rather than used! It is not uncommon to see ship managers who depend on the Master to give them even basic commercial information like the specifications of the ship (hatch or hold dimensions, outreach of cranes, constants of the ship, etc) before finalizing a contract of carriage.