Precision & Performance: How KYOEI TANKER Mastered Crew Competency and Cost Control

The Challenge:The Immense Complexity of Manning HighSpecification Tankers

For a leader in the energy transportation sector like KYOEI TANKER, crew management is a science. Their clients, the world's largest oil majors, demand not just STCW compliance, but strict adherence to a complex matrix of training, "time-in-rank," and "time-ontype" for every officer

"Managing our competency matrix with spreadsheets was becoming a highrisk activity," says Ms. Akemi Saito, Crewing Director at KYOEI TANKER. "A single mistake—assigning a Chief Officer to a VLCC who was a month short of the required sea time on that vessel type—could lead to a vetting rejection, jeopardizing a multi-milliondollar charter. Furthermore, our longterm planning was difficult, which led to last-minute flight bookings and inefficient crew change schedules."

The key challenges were strategic:

• Vetting Compliance Risk: The difficulty of manually verifying every officer against every client's specific training matrix was a major compliance risk.
• Planning Inefficiency:A lack of a long-term, visual planning tool made it hard to optimize crew rotations, leading to unnecessary travel costs and expensive overlaps.
• Budget Uncertainty:Without a direct link between the crewing plan and the finance system, accurately forecasting crewrelated OPEX was a major challenge for management.

The Solution: A Strategic Command Center for Crewing Operations

KYOEI TANKER chose PRIME Marine to transform their crewing department into a more strategic, data-driven operation. The implementation focused on three powerful,interconnected features.

The system empowered both sides:

• 1. 
  The Competency & Training Matrix:This was the core of the solution. The system was configured with both STCW rules and KYOEI TANKER's specific, stringent TMSA requirements. Now, before assigning a seafarer, the system automatically checks their profile against the vessel's requirements and provides a clear "Pass" or "Fail," with detailed reasons.
• 2. 
  The Visual Rotation Planner:This feature provided a longterm, fleet-wide Gantt chart view of all crew assignments. It allowed planners to see the big picture, easily schedule rotations far in advance, and identify opportunities to group crew changes in the same region to save on travel costs.
• 3. 
  Integrated Cost Control: Each crew assignment in the planner automatically calculated the associated wage, travel, and training costs. This data flowed directly into the budget module, providing real-time visibility of planned crewing expenses against the vessel's OPEX.

The Results: A New Standard of Compliance and Financial Control

By adopting a more strategic approach to crewing, KYOEI TANKER achieved significant gains in compliance, efficiency, and financial control.

1. Guaranteed Vetting & TMSA ComplianceThe automated Competency Matrix completely eliminated the risk of human error in crew assignments. This ensured 100% compliance with all client requirements, giving them total confidence going into any vetting inspection.

2. Optimized Planning & Cost ReductionThe Visual Rotation Plannerallowed the team to plan crew changes 6-12 months in advance. This proactive approach enabled them to bundle travel arrangements and select more cost-effective flight routes, resulting in a 5% reduction in their annual crew travel budget.

3. Total Financial ControlThe direct link between the crewing plan and financial data was transformative. The company could now forecast its crew-related OPEX with 99% accuracy, a huge benefit for senior management and financial planning.