Noting that as these percentages are upper bounds on the percentages of
cases for which an ATOMOS-10 ship is more competitive than an equivalent cheap-crew ship,
these results tend to support the following general conclusion:
Conclusion No.2: For those ships that are manned by expensive crews, an
ATOMOS-type ship manned by a crew of 10 is likely to be less competitive than an
equivalent conventional ship that flies the same flag has flag nationals only for the
captain and first officer position, and low salary personnel for the rest of the crew.
2) Percentages of ATOMOS-favorable ships by ship major type: Ferries:
64%; Passenger ships: 53%; OBO carriers: 41%; Bulk carriers: 38%; Tankers: 24%;
Containerships: 19%; Other types: 18%; General cargo ships: 16%; Roros: 16%; LNG carriers:
13%.
We feel that no general conclusion from the latter figures can be
drawn. Passengers and ferries are favored again here, but it is precisely for these types
of ships (which still operate in cabotage-restricted trades in many countries) that the
cheap-crew alternative described in Level III is the least likely to be implemented.
4. Discussion
We believe that the overall analysis of this paper supports the general
premise that ATOMOS-type technologies would add to the competitiveness of many merchant
fleets in the world. The "cheap-crew" alternative in Level III was presented
more as an exercise to see how really competitive is an ATOMOS ship, and less as a
proposal for policy implementation.
Our analysis has centered on costs and benefits that could be
quantified with some confidence, with a focus on those that are directly impacted by crew
reduction and the introduction of new technologies. However, more research is needed to
investigate the indirect impact of such technologies, such as on maintenance and repairs,
loading and unloading, and other aspects of a ship's operation. In addition, cost criteria
such as RFR received a prominent focus in our analysis. But competition in shipping is not
always based on cost alone. Service competition is sometimes important too, particularly
in the liner and passenger/ ferry markets (as much as it is not that important in the
charter market which is price competitive). This aspect should be looked at too as a topic
of further research.
