Seaforce sets up ship agent software
http://www.seaforce.com

photos supposed to be on their way.. 

DECK HEAD
A new company called Seaforce has been established in Bogota, Colombia, creating software for ship agents. 

Seaforce has created a collaborative workflow tool for ship agents to put together a "statement of facts," a list of everything that happened when a vessel was at port. 

Users pay a $1,700 annual licence fee. Several agencies in Colombia, Chile and Peru are already using the service, with about 200 Statements of Facts already issued over the system.

Seaforce was founded by Eduardo de Silva, who was originally manager of Simpson, Spence and Young (SSY)'s office in Colombia when it was opened in 1986. In 1990, the agreement between his office and SSY changed; it became an independent company, acting as an agent for several different shipbrokers, but an agent in for coal chartering for SSY. 


SUBHEAD
What Seaforce does

Seaforce's ambition is to expedite the discussion between shipowner and charterer about how long a vessel was held up in port (demurrage), who was to blame for any additional delay and how much money most consequently change hands.

The current system is that the ship agent puts together a document called the "Statement of Facts," which documents everything that happened to the vessel while it was in port, and if there was a hold up, who was to blame for it. 

The Statement of Facts begins with the "Notice of Readiness," a document from the shipmaster stating that the vessel is ready for discharge.

When the vessel leaves, the Statement of Facts is signed by the shipmaster, the charterer and finally stamped by the ship agent, and used as the basis for the calculation. 

Every stoppage in vessel loading and unloading implies responsibility from one party. Whoever is to blame has to pay for any additional time taken at an agreed rate. 

For example, if the cargo wasn't ready to put onboard the vessel, the charterer is to blame, but if there was a problem with the actual loading equipment, the shipowner is to blame. 

The cost of holding a vessel up in port for just 2 days can be more than the potential profit of a shipowner for the entire voyage, so it is very important that the demurrage claims are cleared up quickly.

"These calculations are boring. It's a pain in the neck and nobody likes to do it," says Mr de Silva. "Owners have someone who runs the laytime calculations; charterers receive the bill; the negotiation can take 5-6 months and the owner cannot get the money."

The system developed by Seaforce allows all of the Statement of Facts to be put together online. The final document can then be viewed on screen or printed out, looking exactly the same as the typed document which is currently used. 

The demurrage calculation can be automatically made, with any disputes solved much more quickly because everyone has the same information immediately to hand. 

Vessel owners can keep in the know about what's happening wherever they are in the world. They can monitor how long all of their vessels are being held up in port. 

Any reports can be supplemented by electronic photographs, for example documenting any damage to cargoes or leaks in the hold, which can be used in any subsequent investigation. 

Any areas of dispute are simplified, down to a discussion about who was to blame for each problem; an owner or charterer can go through this in just a minute, whether they accept blame for a particular hold-up. Having all of the facts readily available should expedite the resolution of any dispute. 

The service is hosted in the US by two hosts (one acting as a mirror), with a backup file stored in Europe.