Ship Planner

SHIP PLANNER

Cargo Terminal Facility Coordinator

Cargo terminal facility coordinators are responsible for all the clerical needs within the terminal. Click Here

Civil Engineer

Designing and constructing infrastructure eg. wharfs, canals, roads, railways and dams are all part of the job. Click Here

Stevedore

At a container terminal facility a stevedore is responsible for the loading and unloading of ships. Click Here

Gantry Container Crane Operator

Gantry container crane operators are responsible for efficiently loading and unloading containers at the terminal. Click Here

Marine Engineer

Marine engineers who work on tug boats maintain and operate the tug machinery on board the vessel. Click Here

Truck Driver

A truck driver works to transport freight safely and efficiently between two locations. Click Here

Urban Planner

Working with architects and community groups, urban planners plan how land will be used in the future. Click Here

Transport Supervisor

Transport supervisors work to ensure that customers who need goods transported, receive the most effective service. Click Here

Security Coordinator

A security coordinator at a port protects people, transport, property and assets from unlawful interference. Click Here

Ship Agent

While a ship is in port, a Ship Agent represents the interests of the ship’s owner or operator, or the cargo’s owner. Click Here

Ship Planner

A ship planner plans and coordinates the loading and unloading each container ship in port. Click Here

Yard Leading Hand

A yard leading hand leads a team who ensure the safe and efficient handling of local and imported new vehicles Click Here

Chef

A chef is responsible for the preparation, cooking and presentation of food in a variety of commercial settings. Click Here

Sustainability Officer

Sustainability officers provide expert advice to help organisations conduct their activities in a sustainable manner. Click Here

Environmental Officer

Environmental officers work with organisations, governments and communities and provide expert advice. Click Here

Vehicle Spray Painter

Vehicle spray painters repair damaged paintwork. They need to prepare the surfaces and mix and match colours. Click Here

Contract Administration Officer

Contract administration officers provide support for engineers working on projects developing infrastructure. Click Here

QUICK LINKS

A ship planner designs a ship’s loading and unloading plans so that cargo can be handled without endangering the stability of the vessel. A ship planner must make the best use of the ship’s storage space so that the ship’s operating costs are financially viable.

What does a ship planner do?

Are you a person with excellent organisational and problem-solving skills?

Are you someone who can multi-task in a constantly changing environment while working within tight deadlines?

A ship planner is responsible for planning and coordinating the loading and unloading of each container ship that comes into port. To provide a cost-effective and operationally efficient loading and unloading plan for each ship, the ship planner must not waste any space on board?

To organise the loading and unloading of containers, the ship planner must:

create an unloading and loading plan that will not cause the ship to become unstable
communicate the plan to the ship’s officer who must approve it for safety before unloading and loading begins
make any amendments to the plan as required by the ship’s officer
communicate the plan to the terminal yard manager who organises the handling and storage of containers coming into the terminal and the staff and machinery needed to handle the containers being loaded onto the ship.

To create a plan the ship planner uses the SPARCS computer system. This system uses the container’s unique serial number to:

track information on each container
identify the position of the container in the terminal
identify the position of the container in the ship

SPARCS helps to identify which containers need to be moved and the order in which they will be moved. It also provides a 3D image of each ship, and while the plan is being created, helps the planner to consider:

the weight of each container being handled
which port each container will be unloaded at
if the container is refrigerated, and needs to be plugged in during the voyage
if the container’s contents are hazardous, as these could be potentially explosive if placed next to a refrigerated container
advising Customs of the ship’s arrival and reporting the cargo on board
the order in which the containers will be unloaded and unloaded.

CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS & CHALLENGES

Achievements & highlights

This is a challenging role with a great many variables. When everything goes to plan it is extremely satisfying. To be successful you need to work as a team with the yard planner, the gantry crane operators, the stevedores and the ships’ officers. Within each working day there is a huge sense of camaraderie.

Challenges

Occasionally delays or poor weather can throw plans out and that can mean starting over again.

QUALIFICATION & ADVICE

Job prospects

A ship planner has the opportunity to progress to:

Operations management
Training and development roles.

What to study at school

Business Studies provides a general background.
English provides written and oral skills and the reasoning and comprehension skills needed to understand documents and procedures.
Computer skills are invaluable for the range of technologies you will encounter daily.
Maths A provides you with the numeracy skills to calculate some of the formulas involved in handling cargo.