Maritime Technology - Navigational, Operational Issues - Coursework Example

Maritime Technology In the recent times, there has been a tremendous effort to improve on the technology that is involved with aquatic life. This has been due to the numerous environmental rights activists that advocate for the preservation of these environments. Governments have been put under pressure to ensure that people abide by the rules that have been put in place to protect these environments (McEwen 1980). Crimes against the aquatic environment have become punishable offences according to the law. Maritime technology can be defined as the entire, important goings on that happen in the water. These goings on include the use of high tech machinery. The use of this machinery could be to find the living organism in the water and whatever else is present. The technology that is used has to be environmentally friendly since the aquatic life that is being researched on is very delicate (Maloney 2003). This requires very highly qualified personnel that are specialised in this field to carry out or head the research. Another focus that can be place on maritime technology is the ship or shipping company. They are known to be the worst enemy when it comes to aquatic life. Most of the ships are used as a form of transportation. Transportation could be of people or goods and/or services. The most dangerous of these shipping vessels are those that contain very dangerous chemicals. Oil spills have been the cause of the death of marine life. They also have been the cause of numerous lawsuits (Cutler 2003). There have been however good things that come with the transportation of goods, items and/or services using the shipping industry or company. These things have come in the form of interaction of people across borders and the exchange of goods (Barr 2007). Merchant ships have been known to use the sea as a means to cut across borders and get their goods to foreign lands. This is a good means of transportation since there is no congestion that restricts the movement of these ships to their destination. This is unlike the other means of transportation for example, road or air. However, over a period of time, there have been calls by a number of shipping companies of these merchant ships to change route. These calls have in the recent past become more from these merchant ships on the northern sea since there has been found a new route that is much shorter. While using this route, the distance between Europe and the Far East has been seen to reduce. The consideration of such adjustments on these companies can have very different effects (Revkin 2008). These effects can range from the operational issues that may affect the decision making process. There can also be technical as well as issues that arise from navigation. These issues are supposed to be reviewed from a critical angle to ensure that if the companies decide to use this route as a way to get to their destinations, the risks involved are to be minimal (Revkin 2008). Navigational Issues It can be defined as the movement of water vessels along a specified route on water. The navigation is controlled by experienced stewards in a ship who understand the methods required to steer a ship in the desired course or direction. With the changing of route by the merchant ship companies, there is no telling what and how the water depth will or might react with introduction of ships on its surface (Armstrong 2005). The other route that has been used over the years has been tested and the amount of weight it can hold. The course is also very clear since it has been mapped. This, therefore, reduces the chances the ships have of steering off course in the event there has been loss of communication. The steering off course could mean a lot for the company. They could lose all their merchandise (Armstrong 2005). The loss of lives can also be a problem. A lot of time may be required to start the research to find out if whether the new route is good enough for big ships. The time this may take to be completed could mean loss of capital for the company involved. The loss could come in the form of the revenue they put up for this research (Horensma 2003). Also, the capital they do not get because of their non-involvement in business. To reduce the risk of money loss, the company has to lose money in an attempt to save money. Also, the new route could have obstacles that are not passable. These obstacles could come in the form of big rock masses that are sometimes found in water masses. The company will have to create some time to find an alternative around these obstacles. If there is no alternative, navigation through such a route would be very tedious for all those involved. This leads to loss of time and resources (Horensma 2003). Time and resources are some of the most important factors to consider when running a company. If these issues are tackled when thinking of the new route in terms of navigation, then the company would have an upper hand in reducing the risks they are bound to encounter. Operational Issues These operational issues that arise in the running of a shipping company are supposed to be minimal. This is because the company follow a certain form of organization. This organization is in the form of division of labour (Schoyen 2011). Assignment of different roles to the different leaders of the fields in the company has helped reduce the workload from having just one leader. In the event the decision to use a new route arises, there are multiple persons who have a say in the decision making process. The deliberation of such an issue could lead to the coming up with a better solution. This is better than when the decision would e made by one person. If the decision is seen as irrational, then the other members of the deliberation would suggest that it is not quite a good idea (Brathen 2011). The risks, therefore, would have been avoided in general. This would prevent the rise of unhappy parties around the company’s way or manner of conducting its business. Operations that surround the continuous business of the company would have to cease. This is because the operations to look into the other route would have been initiated. This slows down the moving forward of the company as a whole and its functions. Eventually, it all comes down to the profits that surround the business. If business is stopped, then, everyone is at a disadvantage (Andrew 2009). Losses are reported and all this may be due to trying to find an easier way out of using a long route. This is by opting for an easier way to reach their destination by looking into the shorter route. As seen earlier, this route could do more harm than good to the company. The time taken to have the route checked out could mean that the company’s priorities have changed. They have to pay attention to matters and issues that were not part of the initial plans (Andrew 2009). All these are risks that the company should not be willing to take just because of a decision to approve the use of a new route to travel and reach their destinations. The route could make them regress from their original intentions. Technical Issues The company could have their technical team to look into the new, shorter route. This could help them know of the risks involved in opting for the new route. If the technical team decide to check the route, there is a possibility they may find something wrong with the route (Chisholm 2007). The reporting of these findings to the top authority could mean that they have the go ahead to use the route. However, this is not after a huge amount of time loss. Time is not the only thing that could get lost. Money, as seen earlier, is also a factor to consider in the quest to find the route good for use. The technical issue that arises is the fact that they may need numerous amounts of technology that may be required to find the viability of the route in question. Modern technology may be required and being only a shipping company, they might want to purchase this technology at a very high cost (Chisholm 2007). Also, the technical team involved in the research may want huge amounts of compensation for their services. Some of the issues that arise with the initiation of the research may have the company on their knees. This could be financially due to the problems they might face while in this quest. Being a merchant shipping company, their reliance on this route may bear a huge burden on them. This is because they are no longer travelling selling the merchandise; rather, they are engrossed in trying to find an easier way to get to their destination (Konovalov 2006). If the company was to sit down and analyse the risks that are involved, then they would have to think critically. They would have to think critically and decide what means would be much easier to get their goods to the Far East, safe and sound. The navigation, operational and technical issues would have to be addressed. This is with the main aim of getting or arriving at the best solution to help the company grow. The initial route that the company might have been long and the company might think they are wasting time at sea (Gene 2011). This, however, should not be a reason for them to look for alternatives that consume more than their time. However, it is not right to only think of negative side of the situation. There could be a positive side to all this. If all the technical, operational and navigation issues are dealt with and combated, there could be good results. This is despite the time and money consumed. The good results could come in the form of approval that the route is safe for use. The risks might be there but they do not pose a strong challenge against the transportation of the merchant ships. This would mean that their hard work paid off (Stepanov 2003). The company could save most of its expenses that would have been depleted in the normal circumstances. The resources in question are things like fuel, food among other things that would have been used in the otherwise long trip while using the northern sea. As the company gets to save on these resources, their profits are bound to increase as the trips to and from the Far East increase. Since the research carried out would make the company know of the risks involved, they would be better prepared to deal with them when and if they arise (Drent 2005). The realization that there exists a route shorter than the usual one, there would be a rush to discover even shorter routes. The government that is also part of this evolution should help those in such situations. This help can be in the form of monetary funds, technical assistance that could greatly encourage the company to move forward with their plans (Claes 2004). It is for these reasons that one can say that the decision to consider using this route is not all in vain. In conclusion, the best way to go about trying to make a decision is by delegation and deliberation (Ragner 2005). These techniques could help in the creation of a very good and lasting solution. This is for all parties involved. That is; the merchants that deal with the goods, the business people involved and all the individuals interested in the products, goods and/or services that are being given by the company (Barnes 2005). It is only through these methods that a company that is involved directly with the aquatic environment can develop strategies that help, improve and build this environment and still be able to make profits. It is with the evolution of this technology that people will get to embrace the aquamarine progress in terms of technology (Pryor 2009). References Andrew, R 2009, Commercial Arctic passage nearing goal, W. W. Norton, New York. Armstrong, T 2005, The northern sea route, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Barnes, R & Parkin D 2005, Ships and the development of maritime technology on the Indian Ocean, Collins Educational, London. Barr, W 2007, A Tsarist attempt at opening the northern sea route: The Arctic Ocean Hydrograph Expedition, Hart Publishing, Oxford. Benford, H 2000, A Half Century of maritime technology, Free Press, New York. Chisholm, H 2007, Navigation, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Claes, LR 2004, The Northern Sea Route, Blackwell Press, Oxford. Cutler, TJ 2003, Dutton's nautical navigation, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis. Drent, J 2005, Commercial shipping on the northern sea route, Cambridge University Press, New York. Gene, K 2011, First Northern Sea Route transit made by Alima, Oxford, Hart Publishing. Horensma, P 2003, The Soviet Arctic, Routledge, London. Konovalov, A 2006, The issues and prospects of an expanded Arctic transportation network, Columbus Dispatch, Columbus. Maloney, ES 2003, Chapman piloting and seamanship, Sage Publishers, London. McEwen, WA 1980, Merchant marine officers' handbook, Cornell Maritime Press, Centreville. Pryor, JH 2009, Geography, technology, and war: studies in the maritime history of the Mediterranean, Chicago, Bantam Books. Ragner, CL 2005, The 21st century-turning point for the north sea route, Clarendon Press, New York. Revkin, A 2008, Experts confirm open water circling Arctic, Routledge, London. Schoyen, H & Brathen, S 2011, The Northern Sea Route versus the Suez Canal: Cases from Bulk Shipping, Springer, New York. Shigeki, T 2006, The Potential of the Northern Sea Route, Butterworth Publishers, New Zealand. Stepanov, V 2003, Legal Implications for the Russian Northern Sea Route, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Read More