Time for a new approach to drydocking?

摘要

Drydocking is a critical component of a vessel's lifecycle. Expensive, complex and prone to unforeseen complications, planning and execution can take months. Putting a superintendent onboard to ride with the ship, compiling the main work items for submission to the shipyard is standard practice if the job is to be done properly. So it seems surprising that with all that technical work completed, the shipowner would hand over care of the vessel during dry-docking to an agent they may not know and never have worked with before. Current industry practice is that the shipyard nominated to undertake the drydocking will also nominate their preferred agent, giving the owner little room for manoeuvre should problems arise. It is possible that the superintendent may know the shipyard agent and the shipyard might be chosen based on the superintendent's preference. But from the owner's point of view, the choice of agent is arbitrary and far from transparent.