Travel management for the Marine industry takes on quite a different set of rules than for other industries. It truly takes a company and consultants that really know the industry inside out.

The Marine industry requires a very specialised form of travel management. One of the biggest challenges in the industry is the transient nature of travel plans. Things often can and do change at a moments notice. Due to the ever changing nature of the sea, ships and crew often end up at alternative destinations or at different times than originally anticipated. All bookings need to be made in advance, however, without warning something like changing weather conditions can change the port, date or even country of destination.

This not only requires consultants who are extremely well versed in the construction of fares in order to be able to easily and quickly change them at the minimal cost, but it also takes consultants who have exceptional geographic knowledge of the maritime environment. Ports are often named very differently to their nearest major city, and this means that consultants need to know which port commuters are arriving at or leaving from and which is the closest and most convenient or accessible airport. Hendrik du Preez, Head of Business Development, Africa and the Middle East for Wings® Corporate Travel says that an excellent geographical knowledge is part and parcel of becoming a marine consultant. “This is an industry that is not guided by the world’s leading airports and their locations, but rather on where ships dock, what visas are necessary and how to move them – usually – very last minute.”

On top of this, ocean going vessels only have limited time windows in which they are available for communication, and any changes to plans or destinations and times, need to be sorted out, confirmed and finalised in these time-windows, so there is no time for time wastage with ineffective procedures or inexperienced consultants.

It takes hands on experience in the Marine industry to provide services to seafarers. Understanding the needs of crew to get home after a long stint at sea or on oil rigs is crucial. A TMC needs to have the knowledge and experience to get a crew back home just as quickly and efficiently as what they get them to their work destination. People are very emotional about when and how they fly home. After months at sea they just want to get home, so they don’t want to sit and wait around for connecting flights, it makes them unhappy and dissatisfied as travellers, and this needs to be taken into account, the human factor and their feelings and perceptions. This is where experience and understanding come into play, knowing how these travellers feel and what they go through is very important. “They don’t want to feel like cattle, getting transported around in the cheapest, most uncomfortable way just to save a few dollars. It’s very important that travellers do not perceive the TMC seeing the shipping company as important but the guys on the rig not.  That’s not what travel management is about, its about keeping everyone happy and safe and at the same time creating a more efficient and cost effective travel programme. Moving marine travellers around the globe is first and foremost about understanding them and the world they work in,” says du Preez. “You must have empathy with the nature of their travel and understand the impact of being at sea for months on end, the need to want to go home – quickly, with the least inconvenience.”

One of the major differences of Marine travel in relation to other industries is the fact that it is for the most part, only one way. Sailors are often dropped off at one port and then picked up at a totally different destination, possibly on the other side of the globe.

Along with the delicate act of juggling last minute plans comes the challenge of finding last minute Marine seats. Historically, seafarers received discounts for their travel, as well as concessions on the luggage they took along as they would often stay at sea for months on end. Marine specialists have also negotiated their own special fares with airlines in their region. Most TMCs have in turn negotiated special fares with carriers for Marine travellers. However there are a limited number of Marine seats available on flights, which are often booked some time in advance. If your Marine plans change, it is often a very difficult endeavour to try and procure new seats at the last minute. Also, you might spend a lot of time and effort finding last minute Marine seats, only to have everything change once more and have to do it all again, with even less time and seats available. “The industry does not allow for planning too far ahead. Often it is about being able to find last minute seats at low fares usually in the peak season, while also taking into account that seafarers have more luggage and must be able to enjoy a greater baggage allowance of at least 40kg,” says du Preez. This takes a consultant with high levels of patience and perseverance to go hand in hand with their specialised knowledge. Consultant’s skills are very important, especially being able to multitask and keep track of many variables at the same time.

Marine travel also involves many constantly changing variables and “unknowns”, some of them uncontrollable like the weather, others like security, visas or custom regulations of different countries and port procedures change often and vary from country to country.
One further complication that occurs with Marine travel is that a crew on board a ship or rig can often be made of many individuals from many different locations and countries. Each one of these people need to constantly be kept track of and moved around within all the restrictive complications mentioned above, whether affected by the laws of a country or acts of nature. “Sailors come from all over and they board ships anywhere and everywhere and a ship leaves when it must leave. If the cook is not on board because they have had a delayed flight – the crew is not eating,” says du Preez. “It is about understanding that everyone on that vessel is important and has a role to play. The knock-on effect of sailors not being on time is very costly and it is therefore important that a consultant is intricately involved with his clients to understand their exact needs and requirements”

In the United States for example, immigration laws call for any person who comes off a ship in a US port, has to be out of the country within 24 hours, and if they’re not, there is a penalty fine imposed on the shipping company or client. They also need to leave the country with as few stops or crossovers as possible within the US. So the problem is that a crew might end up due to weather or other factors in a port that does not have a direct flight out, which means you have to get them to an airport that does. This is where consultant knowledge really comes into play as their geographic knowledge of ports and airports in different cities or countries will make the difference with efficient moving of crew. They need to know which cities are closest to which ports, as it is often not obvious.  Consultants also need to be knowledgeable on changing regulations from country to country and on Maritime law. There are books that have all the regulation info for ports in all countries, but the consultant needs to know how to use this info.

 According to du Preez it is important that a TMC has the global reach to really be able to service the maritime industry.
“With the Far East becoming a stronger player in the maritime industry along with the trend to appoint crew from the East, we are opening an office in Singapore within the next 18 to 24 months in an effort to enhance our service.” du Preez goes on to say that being able to offer expertise regardless of where in the world is the differentiating factor for a TMC. “It is not just about being another travel consultant servicing a specific field,” he says. “But rather, being a travel logistics consultant with in-depth knowledge and expertise in a specialised field where you can meet the every need of your client.” “Good travel management for ship owning companies involves knowledge and resources, typically sailors don’t have much say in how they are moved around the world. But getting them where they have to be on time is the difference between a few dollars and hundreds of thousands of dollars,” concludes du Preez.