Vessel operations coordinator to ship planner
A vessel operations coordinator already meets 23% of what the ship planner role asks for. The move turns on 39 required skills not yet in the profile.
84.4/ 100
1 How much of what a ship planner is expected to do is already part of a vessel operations coordinator’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ship planner role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A ship planner role treats 12 of its required skills as things a vessel operations coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- International Maritime Organisation conventions
- apply regulations on cargo transport operations
- calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel
- consider constraints in maritime shipping
- have computer literacy
- maritime law
What stands in the way is 39 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A ship planner role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a vessel operations coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held consider constraints in maritime shipping management skills
- already held calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel information skills
- already held International Maritime Organisation conventions business, administration and law
- already held match vessels to shipping routes management skills
- already held apply regulations on cargo transport operations assisting and caring
- already held supervise unloading of cargo management skills
All 14 carried skills, including the 12 the ship planner role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 48 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn analyse ship operations required
- still to learn maintain voyage logs required
- still to learn manage shipment risks required
- still to learn measure ship tonnage required
- still to learn prepare documentation for international shipping required
- still to learn read stowage plans required
- still to learn stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology required
- still to learn interpret graphical communication interfaces required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- optional, not held anticipate potential deficiencies optional
- still to learn develop shipping itineraries required
- still to learn compose stowage plans required
- still to learn maximise efficiency of crane operations required
- still to learn plan transport operations required
- still to learn oversee shipment routing required
- still to learn recruit employees required
- optional, not held manage teamwork optional
- still to learn implement cost-effective cargo handling strategies on ships required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn ensure client orientation required
- still to learn implement strategic planning required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held respond to changing navigation circumstances optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- still to learn ensure safe loading of goods according to stowage plan required
- still to learn follow ethical code of conduct in transport services required
- still to learn manage safety standards for inland water transport required
- still to learn apply company policies required
- still to learn comply with legal regulations required
- still to learn operate maritime communication equipment required
- still to learn use equipment for safe stowage required
- still to learn operate radio equipment required
- still to learn operate scientific measuring equipment required
- optional, not held operate marine communication systems optional
- still to learn cargo industry required
- still to learn vessel stability principles required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a ship planner role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop shipping itineraries practise this
- 02 handle customer requests related to cargo practise this
- 03 analyse ship operations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held International Maritime Organisation conventions knowledge
- already held apply regulations on cargo transport operations skill
- already held calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel skill
- already held consider constraints in maritime shipping skill
- already held have computer literacy skill
- already held maritime law knowledge
- already held match vessels to shipping routes skill
- already held principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- already held supervise loading of cargo skill
- already held supervise unloading of cargo skill
- already held types of maritime vessels knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held act reliably skill
- already held use maritime English skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn operate stowage programmes required
- still to learn prepare visual data required
- optional, not held perform data analysis optional
- still to learn handle customer requests related to cargo required
- still to learn monitor the discharge of cargo required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- still to learn maritime telecommunications required
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- still to learn manage ocean-going oil tankers required
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held anticipate potential deficiencies optional
- optional, not held manage teamwork optional
- optional, not held negotiate logistics services optional
- optional, not held respond to changing navigation circumstances optional
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
- optional, not held operate marine communication systems optional
- optional, not held perform data analysis optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
25 held skills the ship planner role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust priorities skill
- not needed by the target role advise on maritime regulations skill
- not needed by the target role advise on tanker operations skill
- not needed by the target role assess vessel capability skill
- not needed by the target role conduct on board safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role consider time zones in execution of work skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate the itineraries of vessels skill
- not needed by the target role develop efficiency plans for maritime shipping skill
- not needed by the target role ensure incident free execution of voyages skill
- not needed by the target role establish draft annual schedules for vessels skill
- not needed by the target role give instructions to staff skill
- not needed by the target role inspect maritime operations skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel inventory skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role manage the lightering operation skill
- not needed by the target role manage vessel deck operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage vessel fleet skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate prices for transport of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role physical parts of the vessel knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan procedures for cargo operations skill
- not needed by the target role types of cargo knowledge
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
- not needed by the target role vessel traffic services knowledge
- not needed by the target role work in a water transport team skill
- not needed by the target role write emergency instructions for handling of dangerous goods skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn cargo industry required
- still to learn maritime telecommunications required
- still to learn vessel stability principles required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- optional, not held electronic communication optional
Other moves recorded from vessel operations coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can a vessel operations coordinator become a ship planner?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A vessel operations coordinator already covers 23% of what a ship planner is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 12 of which the ship planner role treats as required.
What skills does a vessel operations coordinator need to become a ship planner?
39 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is develop shipping itineraries.
How hard is the move from vessel operations coordinator to ship planner?
Its learning distance is 84.4 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.