1.0 Create TC Estimate
To create a TC Voyage Estimate, click Estimates
Click New TC Voyage> Pop-up window TC Details appear
Input the relevant data which will be used for estimation
TC Details
Vessel: Select vessel to run for TC Estimate
Delivery: Port of delivery
Date (L): Date the vessel is to deliver. This date will be reflected on the itinerary as the Departure date of the delivery port. If left blank, using the departure date from the last voyage, VMS estimates the ETA of the delivery port and uses it as a delivery Date/Time.
Days: The duration of hire
Hire: Hire rate per day
Redelivery: Port of delivery. If left blank, VMS will default port of redelivery to same as port of delivery
Save> VMS will bring you to an Estimate screen
Most features within Estimate (TC Voyage) are the same as Estimate (Voyage). Kindly read this article concurrently with Estimate (Voyage). The main differences are as follows:
Instead of seeing Fixture, it shows ‘TC’
There is an in-built synchronization between TC, Leg (Itinerary), and Hire Days (Revenue)
2.0 Leg (Itinerary)
2.1 Start Port
The first port under Leg is considered the start/commencement port. Double-click on the line item, or hover the cursor over the first port and click Edit to view a pop-up window.
The Start port is not considered a delivery port. It is the port where the vessel is sailing from to the delivery port. The delivery port should always be on the second line of the Leg.
If the vessel is delivered at the last port of call from previous voyage, it would mean that the start port will be the same as delivery port. In this case, both first and second line shall be the same port (second port being the delivery).
The usage of Previous Voyage and Bunkers are the same as Esitmate (Voyage).
2.2 TC Days/ Leg (Itinerary)/ Hire Days (Revenue)
As mentioned in this article, the TC Days are synchronized between TC, Leg (Itinerary), and Hire Days (Revenue).
Whenever the ‘days’ is manually amended under the TC, the Leg (Itinerary) and Hire Days (Revenue) will change accordingly and instantly.
Amendment made to the Leg (Itinerary) and Hire Days (Revenue) does not make changes to the TC Days instantly. Whenever VMS senses there was an amendment made to the Leg (Itinerary) and Hire Days (Revenue), it triggers an Alert (Yellow Exclamation Mark Icone) that is shown in the following screenshot.
The moment you click Fix It the days in TC and Hire Days will synchronize with the Leg (Itinerary). Only at this point, the TC Days are synchronized across. TC and Hire Days synchronizes to the Passage Duration.
If you like the Estimate to follow the days stated in the TC, amend the TC to the days you wanted and all will synchronize to the days stated in the TC. This action acts as a "Restart“.
3.0 TC Fixture Details
When you click open the TC, there are 3 tabs available to navigate.
3.1 CP Details
The TC Fixture CP Details user interface is almost the same as the fixture in Estimate (Voyage) less the following items which are not relevant to a TC Contract:
CP Qty
Overage
Dead freight
Grades
Laytime Terms
3.2 Grades
This is not required for a TC estimation. However, if required, you may input for record purposes in Voyage.
3.3 TC Bunkers
3.3.1 Delivery/ Redelivery Port
By default at the very beginning when you input the Delivery and Redelivery port at 1.0 Create TC Estimate VMS allocates automatically the Delivery and Redelivery ports to the above screenshot.
You are not required to ‘Lock’ the Delivery or Redelivery at the Estimate level. Additionally, you are not required to adjust the BOD to match BOR. VMS estimates understand that this estimate is assuming that vessel is to redeliver with quantity same as BOD.
In any case, if the BOR shows a negative figure, you may ignore it. This is to tell you that if the vessel follows the voyage itinerary with no bunker lifted in between, the vessel has insufficient bunker for propulsion to the Redelivery port. This is something which the user needs to take action at the Voyage level, and not at the Estimate level.
3.3.2 Delivery/ Redelivery Bunker Qty & Price
The Bunker BOD quantity is derived from the departure of the delivery port. Do note that VMS uses the FIFO bunker calculation method to derive the bunker price. In some cases where you as the Owner/Operator wish to deliver the ROB at a different price other than the VMS calculated FIFO price, you may overwrite the field with a preferred value.
Please see below for an example: Instead of $100/mt for HSBF Delivery price, Owner/Operator wishes to deliver at $120/mt instead. This would come as a form of adjustment, and this adjustment is recorded under
Left-click on the hyperlink Bunkers PNL marked in the red border to open up a window that shows how the adjustment is calculated.
The same is true for adjusting the price of redelivery BOR.
3.3.3 Changing the Delivery/ Redelivery Port
There are several ways to get the Delivery Port changed. Below is the easiest way to do so.
Below example showing how to change the delivery port from Port Hong Kong to Port Yosu.
Click Add.
Input the delivery port you want to change to, in this case Port Yosu.
At this step, change the Port Type from "I“ to "L“. Though we can maintain it by default Port Type "I“, changing to "L“ allows the use of Wait For Laycan feature. The days to wait for Laycan here is 7.31 days before delivery.
Make sure the Port days at Port Yosu is set to "0“.Using your cursor, Left Click + Hold + Drag to shift Port Yosu line above Port Hong Kong.
Click TC to open the TC Fixture> TC Bunkers. Change the Delivery from Port Hong Kong to Port Yosu. Close the window.
Remove Port Hong Kong
You can observe that VMS has already automatically calculated 7.31 days waiting days before the vessel is to deliver at the Laycan 08th Feb 0000hrs.
Please follow above steps strictly in order to avoid the yellow exclamation prompt below
If the exclamation prompt ever appears, click Fix It (This would automatically adjust the TC Days to the total Itinerary days) and reinput the TC Days again.
The above 6 steps apply the same for changing of Redelivery port.
3.3.4 TC Bunker Summary
a. Duration
b. Gross Bunkers: Cost of Bunker regardless of whose account
c. Net Bunkers: Cost outside of the TC, typically owners account
d. Positioning Bunkers: Cost of consumption from start (open) until delivery
e. Bunkers PNL: When the vessel is delivered to the charterer, the bunkers on board have an inventory value based on FIFO. When this ROB is sold to the charterer on delivery, the price is not necessarily the same as the inventory value. It may be sold at a market value or a C/P value. Bunkers PNL is the resulting difference. Refer to 3.3.2 Delivery/ Redelivery Bunker Qty & Price for more details.
f. Total Delivery Bunkers: Value of bunkers sold to charterer
g. Total Redelivery Bunkers: Value of bunker to purchase back from charterer
h. TC Bunkers: The simple difference between Delivery and Redelivery ignoring any stems
i. TC Stems: The value of Stems purchased by the charterer during the TC. Recorded in Voyage.
j. Net TC Bunkers: The cost during the TC, typically charterers account
4.0 Revenue & Expense
4.1 Adding Ballast Bonus
In VMS, the "Freight“ selection under Revenue is used to input Ballast Bonus. You can rely on the Sensitivity Analysis feature here to easily calculate the Ballast Bonus by indicating your desired TCE. Please see the below screenshot for the steps.
Input a Freight line item under Revenue and leave the rest of its field blank
Click Fixture 1 to open up a Sensitivity Analysis window
Input the desired TCE you like to achieve for this Estimate.
Once a desired TCE is inputted, VMS calculates what is the Ballast Bonus you will need to include to achieve the TCE. In this case, to pump up the TCE from the original 8,703.30 per day to 9,000 per day, VMS suggested including a Ballast Bonus of 23,000 dollars. Click the hyperlink on 23,000.
Once clicked, VMS automatically adds the value to the Freight (Ballast Bonus). At the same time, with consideration of the newly added Freight (Ballast Bonus), VMS adjusted TCE to the desired TCE of about 9,000 per day.
4.2 Other Revenues and Expenses
The inputting for any other Revenue or Expense item is the same as how it is inputted in an Estimate (Voyage).