1. Explain why ships have got larger and why some ships are larger than others?

Shipping appeared many hundred years ago. Ancient Greece and Roman Empire had their own fleet. Eventually not only navy fleet but merchant shipping developed. Then vessels carried tea and spices from East (so-called tea-cleapers). But development of science did not allow to build large vessels. Voyages depended on weather and power of workers, who rowed. Sailing was difficult and dangerous. People used wood to build vessels thats why dimensions of vessels were smaller than now. But of course it is more profitable to have larger vessel, because for little vessel it is necessary to sail twice or more times for carrying such amount of cargo, which big vessel can carry in one voyage. When people had begun to use iron and then steel in shipbuilding it became possible to increase sizes and volume of vessels. Therefore vessels became larger. Here the economy of scale takes place. Owing to large volume of the vessel she can carry huge amount of cargo and expenses per ton become smaller, because part of expenses stays permanent such as port charges, expenses of repairs and others but amount of carrying cargo increases. For example consider tankers. Loading of cargo on board not so large tanker does not take much less time than loading of supertanker because of high speed of supplying oil and high pressure in delivering pipes. But amount of carrying oil increases considerably therefore profit increases too. Bulk carriers also can be examples. Demand of ore, coil, or grain is very high and plants needs large volumes of above mentioned materials and products. So it is more beneficial to operate large vessels which can carry for example sixty thousand or hundred and fifty thousand tons. Such vessels cant sail through Suez Canal but owing to economy of scale they can pay off larger expenses due to extending of the route. Thats why vessels became larger. But in some cases economy of scale does not work. With regard to multipurpose vessels which carry general cargo the large volume is not profitable. It is required a lot of time to load such vessel like a bulk carrier with a general cargo. Therefore the time in port and the port charges disproportionately increases. And increasing of sizes of such vessels is not justified. 2. Discuss the different tactics shipowners can and have adopted to protect themselves against periods of low freight rates. What could be some of problems which may arise when Governments help their merchant fleet excessively. In periods of low freight rates shipowners need to cut down expenses. Thats why they have to resort to one of the following measures. For example, they can

employ cheaper seamen, register the vessels in the countries, which require less taxes, so-called flags of convenience. Also they can operate the vessels using economy speed for saving fuel. For cutting down their expenses they have to calculate thoroughly possible costs. Because it is only one way to save the profit: if you can not increase the revenue, you have to reduce the costs. To protect the national merchant fleet Government supplies all the condition for developing of shipping. It may be lowering of the charges and taxes, simplification of the low and procedure of creation of the shipping company. In consequence of this quality of shipping business may be reduce, many new fraud companies may be established and as a result possibility of accidents, collisions, damages to carrying cargo and problems with shippers, consignees and ports authorities may arise through operating of substandard vessels or inadequacy of seamen or cargo gear the international standards and regulations. 3. Refer to the page from Lloyds Register (Appendix1) and answer the following: (a) There are two ships called Amphion, what type of ship is the faster of the two? (b) Where would you expect the Armo Z to operate, doing what? (c) Where was the Amrado built and by whom? For beginning it is necessary to tell something about Lloyds Register. Lloyds Register is the classification society, which was established in 1760 year as voluntary association of shipowners, insurance companies and shipbuilding firms. It was named after owner of coffee house in which members of society gathered. In 1764 the first register The register of insurers or so-called Green book was published. Then The red book was published. Lloyds Register worked out the system of classification of vessels, regulations of operation, standards of shipbuilding, regulation of life protection at sea, of prevention of marine pollution and others. Lloyds Register contains the name (present and former names) of the vessel, date of building and name of shipyard, name of owners, flag, port of registry, net tonnage, gross tonnage and deadweight, class of the ship including class symbols of Lloyds Register, type of ship, availability and type of cargo facilities, type of machinery and its features. Therefore we can find required data in the extract of the Register. (a) There are two ships called Amphion. One of them is a crude oil tanker and she has a speed of 13,0 knots. Another ship has a speed of 15,0 knots. She is faster than first. This ship is registered in Andros, has deadweight 64 442 tons. The type of vessel is a bulk carrier.

(b) The vessel Amroz has an ice strengthened class. So she can sail in the north areas. Thats why I expect the Amroz to operate in the northern part of Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in the Baltic sea, for example, or near the south of Australia and South America. Because this ship lets to carry the cargo in the regions with ice. The type of this vessel is livestock carrier, so thats why the Amroz can carry sheep, goats and cattle. Also she can carry horses, goats, deer and camels. But such animals are carried more seldom and in a smaller amount. (c) Amrado was built and launched on 9-th of March in 1948 year in Glasgow by Ferguson Bros. Ltd.