SEABOARD TAKEOVER

TAKING OVER A VESSEL IS ALWAYS AN EXCITING TIME. TAKING OVER SEVERAL VESSELS ALMOST IN A ROW IS EVEN MORE EXCITING, BUT HONESTLY CHALLENGING AS WELL. ESPECIALLY, WHEN A NEW TYPE OF VESSEL IS COMING INTO MANAGEMENT.

By Danylo Myachyn, DPA/CSO

The year 2023 started with a task to take over four container vessels, one of which was a RoRo container. Since a new type of vessel was planned, an additional office audit for the Document of Compliance was successfully completed in December 2022.

Since usually vessels planned for takeover are under a time charter, it is important to perform the change of management within the relatively short time given during the regular stay of the vessel in port with ideally no off-hire time. In order to be able to do so, preparations for the change of man - agement are usually started far in advance and result in the close cooperation of different departments and involve numerous colleagues working closely together.

The very special fact about this takeover is that the crew, who served a really long time on board of this vessels, as well as responsible vessel manager (technical superintendent) who spent a lot of efforts in the past too – remain unchanged.

This is of course a significant benefit for the future and proper management of those ves - sels. The vessels mentioned above are pure liners engaged in a tight rotation schedule. M.V. SEABOARD SUN, for example, is trading purely between Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. A lack of shore cranes on this rotation makes the Ro-Ro vessel really unique and irreplaceable by a conventional container vessel. All of the three remaining vessels also have their own good history.

Upon completion of the change of management audits in the middle of January, WASM warmly welcomed M.V. SEABOARD SUN, SEABOARD ATLANTIC, SEABOARD EXPLORER and SEABOARD PATRIOT.