Marine services are essential for the smooth operation of the maritime industry. They encompass a wide range of activities, including:
- Shipbuilding and repair: This includes the construction and maintenance of ships, boats, and other watercraft.
- Marine transportation: This includes the transport of goods and people by sea.
- Marine logistics: This includes the planning and execution of marine transportation operations.
- Marine engineering: This includes the design, construction, and operation of marine vessels and infrastructure.
- Offshore services: This includes a wide range of activities related to the offshore oil and gas industry, as well as renewable energy and other marine industries.
Here is a more detailed overview of some of the most common types of marine services:
- Maintenance and repairs: This includes a wide range of activities, from routine maintenance to major repairs. Maintenance and repair services can be performed on-water or in drydock.
- Dry or wet docking: Most oceangoing vessels require trips to specialized drydock facilities at regular intervals. Drydocks are basins for shipbuilding or repair activities below a vessel’s waterline. They are flooded so the ship can be floated in and drained so the boat can rest on a dry platform.
- Fuel and lubricants: Bunkering is the process of supplying fuel to be used to power the propulsion system of a ship. Bunkering service is the supply of a requested quality and quantity of lube oils or fuel bunkers to a vessel. Bunkering is among the most critical services provided to vessels.
- Transportation and shipping: Some marine service providers offer offshore freight transportation, vessel manning, and brokering services. Offshore services are fabricators for the oil and gas industry. Using large structural steel components, they build various topsides and oil platforms. Oil and freight transportation services use oil tankers and other cargo vessels to transport crude oil and other petroleum products.
- Ship supplies: Ship provisions supplies, also known as Ship Chandling or Ship Provision services, are one of the essential marine services as it covers the food and beverage requirements of the people on board – ship crew, passengers or anyone else. The supplies include the ship stores, which cover the requirement of housekeeping. Further, the spare parts required for day-to-day maintenance are also covered in the ship stores. There are companies specialized in supplying services, and they can register in the port as a service provider and offer these marine services to the vessels.
- Ship management: Ship management is the activity of managing marine vessels. The vessels under management could be owned by the ship management company or independent vessel owners.
- Vessel operations: There are various marine operations. Maritime brokerage services may specialize in used commercial vessels or international shipping. Vessel operations coordinators schedule and maintain records of vessels’ maintenance. Vessel operators take care of the daily planning and coordination of voyages, load & discharge operations and stowage plans. Checking bunkers requirements, cargo intakes, itineraries and all other matters impact the respective journey.
- Crewing services: Vessel manning services are marine services that provide contract or temporary crew members.
- Other marine services: Other than the discussed primary marine services, there are marine services such as fire fighting, water bunkering, or wastewater discharge facilities. Either port itself provides or facilitates such services, depending on the nature of the marine service.
Marine services are essential for the safe and efficient operation of the maritime industry. They play a vital role in supporting global trade and commerce, as well as the offshore oil and gas industry and other marine industries.
