Celebrating the MoU between Iran and the U.S., President Donald Trump said it was time to start the engines and let the oil flow.
Yet one of the biggest challenges facing shipowners and crews lies largely out of sight, beneath the waterline.
Even when stationary, a ship remains a continuously living industrial system requiring maintenance, preservation and regulatory oversight,” says Ajithkumar Sukumaran, retired Additional Director General of Shipping.
For vessels that have spent prolonged periods at anchor, restarting operations is not as simple as weighing anchor and proceeding to sea.
Extended waiting periods create a chain of technical, regulatory and human-factor challenges that can take weeks or even months to fully address.
Celebrating the MoU between Iran and the U.S., President Donald Trump said it was time to start the engines and let the oil flow. Yet one of the biggest challenges facing shipowners and crews lies largely out of sight, beneath the waterline. “Ships are not designed to remain indefinitely idle. Even when stationary, a ship remains a continuously living industrial system requiring maintenance, preservation and regulatory oversight,” says Ajithkumar Sukumaran, retired Additional Director General of Shipping.
For vessels that have spent prolonged periods at anchor, restarting operations is not as simple as weighing anchor and proceeding to sea. Extended waiting periods create a chain of technical, regulatory and human-factor challenges that can take weeks or even months to fully address.
