Master

Definition

The Master, the captain, is the senior officer of the vessel and has overall command of navigation, safety, and cargo. The Master signs the bill of lading on behalf of the owner, issues the Notice of Readiness that triggers laytime, and represents the operator to port officials and pilots. In commercial maritime, the Master’s name and contact are required by port agents for nominations and for crew change planning.

How Vessel Hunter uses Master

Vessel Hunter exposes the ship-side contact, whether that is the Master, the Chief Officer, or the operator’s round-the-clock ops desk, alongside the commercial decision-maker, so port agents have both ends of the line.

For port agents →

Related terms

• ETAEstimated Time of Arrival

  The forecast time at which a vessel is expected to arrive at its next port or waypoint.

• Laytime

  The time agreed in the charter party for cargo loading or discharge. Once exceeded, demurrage starts.

• Notice of ReadinessNoR

  The master’s formal notice that the vessel has arrived and is ready to work cargo, which starts laytime.

• Pilotage

  The guidance of a ship through confined or hazardous waters by a local maritime pilot.

The bigger picture

Master is one piece of the commercial maritime picture Vessel Hunter pulls together for shipyards, suppliers, service providers, and port agents. Every vessel record bundles AIS, ownership, inspections, dry-dock history, casualty record, classification status, and a verified contact for the operator decision-maker behind the ship, so the team that reaches out first wins the work.

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