The term 'Cargo Officer' may be defined as one responsible for the safe and efficient handling and stowage of cargo but this respon­sibility however, does not begin nor end with the actual handling of the cargo. It also entails such aspects as proper preparation beforehand; correct supervision during

Cargo handling is an organizational/administrative matter and thus takes its place among all industrial/business activities to which normal management principles can be applied, being no less accept­able to a ship than to any other transport function. It calls for the accepted features of planning; co-ordinating, controlling and motivating fundamental to activities involving the use of physical and human resources.

Within such a system however, certain differences do apply as distinct from manufacturing or processing industry in that for the most part, the cargo officer's involvement is contained in fairly well defined areas having relevance to situations which are never static but may frequently change, as between different ships, different cargoes and different ports. In the main, however, a cargo officer is required to conform to law and legislation which necessitates the carrying out of specific duties as a minimum performance; he is also invariably subject to operating performance contained in manuals published by the shipping company by which he is employed while, at the same time, widely conditioned by well tried and accepted customs and practices. Beyond this there is also the wide, undefined areas of unpredictability peculiar to the shipping industry and the environment in which it works and which, by its own influence, calls for more than moderate initiative to deal with situations as they arise in countries and localities with differing labour and industrial relation practices and equally varied attitudes to working situations. The cargoes may have similarities but the areas of operation can be very different and the facilities not always without the need for improvisation.

The term 'Routine' therefore becomes prominent in all functions affecting the care of cargo procedures and this can be both of general and specific application. Generally, the former becomes the more influential towards attitudes and behaviour in cargo work duties although certain features of practice must always remain, irrespective of place or circumstance. As such it is pertinent to point out that although the degree of routine and the extent of its applica­tion shall be mainly the responsibility of the Chief Officer or the Senior Cargo Officer, it is desirable that personnel in the more junior positions become familiar with those duties which surely will, at some time, be delegated to them.

In this context, no distinction is as between major and minor cargo handling duties but only that of drawing attention to effective care, handling and carriage of cargoes, irrespective of the grade of personnel being, at any time, concerned with it.
In considering the principles involved it is wise to bear in mind that whereas of recent years considerable change, progress and development has taken place in the manner of cargo handling, none the less much of basic practice remains and is likely to continue so for some considerable time, based as it is, frequently on long established customs. But the extent to which basic practice will apply will depend upon the type and age of 'the ship' involved and the kind of port in which it will, at any time, be working, acknowledging also the influence upon practice arising from the continuing changes in the types of cargoes which the developing patterns of trade condition.

• Deck Crane Lifting Operations - 2009-06-29 - 06:57:11
• Clamps For Cargo Handling - 2009-03-06 - 06:02:42
• Marine Transport Cargo: Causes of Damage and Precautions - 2009-02-17 - 06:04:33
• Cargo Broken Stowage - 2009-02-16 - 03:08:59
• Preparation Of The Cargo Holds And Spaces Of A Vessel - 2009-02-12 - 11:11:25
• Cleaning The Cargo Holds And Spaces Of A Vessel - 2009-02-12 - 10:07:39
• Some Particular Aspects of Cargo Work Routine - 2009-02-12 - 04:59:47
• Marine Cargo Stowage Principles - 2009-02-11 - 11:38:42
• Duties of the Junior Cargo Officer - 2009-02-10 - 11:24:44

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