Projects & Docking

Docking expenses typically represent 60 – 70% of the total maintenance cost for a vessel. Hence it is vital to control the docking costs during the entire project period. As an integral part of the STAR Enterprise Asset Management System, Star Project Application (SPA) covers all phases of the project.

The preparations for a docking project typically start as soon as the previous project ends, a long time before the actual docking takes place. There are often “leftover” jobs from the last docking project that should be transferred into the next project. Consequently, a new project is created to enable the previous project to be “cleaned” and closed.

In Star Project Application, you will find several supporting functions to control the costs throughout the project phases.

1. Preparation phase:

• Library of standard docking jobs with best-practice cost estimates.
• Library of unit-priced items with best-practice cost estimates.
• Library of general docking services with best practice cost estimates.
• Library of equipment and materials with historical prices.
• Library of typical internal costs with cost estimates.

Using these libraries makes it easy to make the first estimate for what the upcoming project will cost; consequently, it is easier to budget for future costs and optionally select what to prioritise and exclude. For the additional maintenance work orders assigned to the project, the same functionality applies for cost estimation and includes/excludes.

2. Selection phase:

When shipyard and sub-contractors are to be selected, SPA supports the user in:

• Sending specifications and RFQ to multiple yards and contractors.
• Importing their quotes, verify, and optional edit their quotes after review and confirmation.
• Comparing the quotes across specifications and potential contracts.
• Selecting what activities to include and which to exclude in the project scope.
• Assign contracts, negotiate and adjust to contracted prices.

3. Project execution phase:

As the docking starts, the application automatically recognises any change to the approved project’s scope: removing, changing, and/or adding jobs. These changes must be approved before they are included in the project scope and cost. All changes are then tracked and outlined in the cost overview.
When the actual costs are inserted into the application, the system automatically summarises a detailed cost overview, which includes:

• The initial estimate.
• A forecasted cost.
• The contracted prices.
• The actual cost.
• And the deviations.

This way, you will avoid any surprises at any time.

4. Project closing phase:

Finally, when the project is over, the approved activities that were not done during the docking may be released into the regular maintenance plan, canceled, or transferred into the next project. However, the approved costs remain in the project as they were included in the original budget. The actual costs from the project may then be used as a reference for future projects in the fleet.