Ship management has constantly had to evolve to take into account the advancements in technology as well as the demands of the shipping industry. Having internet access and email on board ship has meant that the ship manager has to possess certain sets of skills to function effectively in the post, including computer literacy. The emergence of large multi-national ship management companies has also changed how business is conducted and this is turn means that the ship manager and tiers of management within the organization have had to evolve to cope with the demands of working with a multi-national workforce. Furthermore, since the mid-1980s there has been an ever expanding raft of legislation that is more restrictive for companies to meet, and a shrinking of profit margins has seen a shift in how companies are required to operate to survive.

This book addresses the demands of 21st century ship management with the focus of the book as much about the people who manage ships as about the theory and practice of ship management.