This essay posits to explain the best voyage to use in relation to the factors affecting the planning and deciding on the same. A voyage requires a plan to be able to track it on appropriate scale charts. The voyage plan indicates the true direction of the planned route , the areas prone to danger, existing ships using the route, vessel traffic services, reporting systems, and regions where marine environmental protection considerations apply. Elements to ensure safety of sea life, efficiency and safety of the navigation and marine environment protection during the intended voyage. Safe speeds are a necessity, considering the proximity of hazards of navigation along the intended route for example some regions have limitations due to night passage, tidal restrictions and allowance for the increase in draught due to heel effect when turning.
It is important to take into account the vessel’s turning circle at the planned speed and any expected effects of currents and tidal streams. Consider also minimum clearance requirements in critical areas and locations where machinery change status is required. Use of routing, vessel tracking and reporting services, methods and frequency of position fixing, indication of areas where accuracy of position fixing is crucial and maximum reliability must be obtained. Plan for alternative action to place the ship in deep water or take refuge in a port or anchor incase of danger necessitating droping the plan considering inland based emergency response services, equipment and nature of the cargo and of the emergency (Mellander, 143-67). The voyage plan is clearly marked and recorded appropriately, on charts and in a voyage plan notebook/ computer. Finally the plan is approved by the ship’s master before the commencement of the voyage.
After planning the plan is the executed and during this stage considerations are made on the reliability and condition of the vessel’s navigational equipment, estimated times of arrival at critical points for tide heights, meteorological conditions, daytime/night time passing of danger points, traffic conditions at navigational focal points.
The research settled on the route manila to New York via the Suez Canal. This is because in the business of transporting goods through the ship it is necessary to consider the distance to be covered so that the most shortest and effective distance should be covered. After doing all the necessary research and basing my arguments on some other variables like the security and the technology the new York route had which makes it even more simple to realize that the goods and services in transit reach the expected destination in the safe and maintaining the quality with which they were released from the manufacturing agents.
On the technology aspect of New York it is important to appreciate that technology has made the transporting firms to have a better advantage because a lot of other capabilities and advantages shall be going with it. Some of the advantages which can be realized when one incorporates technology in the transporting system are: the MV Lotus Dawn and the crew could efficiently calculate the most effective distance in this case the manila to new York route was found to be the best distance owing to its shortness. After getting the shortest distance the other advantage obtained from using the technology offered in the New York was that the carriage of the ship was now very easy to be determined. This was realized by the help of software which takes note of the total weight of the given ship and scans it through the expected weight which the ship should actually carry so that smooth sailing of the same is obtained. This reduces the chances of over loading the MV Lotus Dawn. The risks involved by over loading a ship are so adverse such that a lot of care should be taken to make sure that the ship is not overloaded. In addition to overloading there might also be the aspect of overloading of the ship, this is also greatly reduced by making use of the ship given that the software has the capability of determining exactly what should be contained. This makes the maximization of the ship capacity very possible given that the shipping company needs to make the efficient utilization of the most available space in the ship (Mellander, 143-67). The security nature of the manila and New York environments was also another major reason why I settled on the route.
There are very trained and efficient security personnel which keeps vigil at the costs and over the waters along the route. This is because the security threat to ships in transit on major sea routes has always posed a major challenge. The confidence buoyed by the security deployment has meant that various ships now cross the route. The increase in number of other ships can also afford MV Lotus Dawn another offered opportunity given that the chances of the ship plying that route alone at a particular given time might be very minimal. The availability of effective security also reduces the need of MV Lotus Dawn to being armed with effective security personnel. Arming the ship in this case is another added expense and this can lead to the reduction of profit accrued as the main aim of any business is to make profit. After landing on the manila to New York route basing on the benefits found above, there was also the need to consider which canal would offer the most appropriate distance among the Suez, panama and the Cape of Good Hope.