Ship repair

Start with who needs ship repair and dry-dock work and why. Around ship owners and managers calling at the ports drive demand in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates.

• List 10 offers or suppliers in the UAE with price per job in AED and who buys.
• Interview 5 people from ship owners and managers calling at the ports: what do they buy now, how often, what do they pay, what annoys them?
• Learn three terms: Dry dock (a basin emptied so the hull can be worked on); Hot work (welding or cutting that can start a fire); Class survey (an inspection by a classification society).
• Write a one-page brief: user, need, hoped-for price, and the rule that matters most.

Activity. Complete the market table, five interview notes and the brief.

Standard to meet. Price ten offers, interview five users, and state one need in one sentence.

Know the rule before the work. Main hazards here: hot work, confined spaces and falls. Hazard thinking means list each step, ask what could go wrong, and decide the control.

• Ask your local authority or free zone which licence, permit or inspection applies. Write the answer and the date you asked.
• For each step (inspect and quote; dock and prepare; repair and coat; test and hand over) write the hazard and the control.
• Use a hierarchy: remove the hazard, replace it, separate people from it, change the way of work, then protective equipment last.
• Keep a one-page incident rule: who you call, what you stop, what you record.

Activity. Draw the flow and mark hazard and control at each step.

Standard to meet. Name a hazard and a control for every step, and answer the licence question in writing.

The work is a short chain: inspect and quote, dock and prepare, repair and coat, test and hand over. Learn each link, then link them with records.

• Write a checklist for each of the 4 steps: input, action, check, output.
• Time each step three times and note the slowest.
• Record a defect or delay each time it happens: what, where, cause, fix.
• Measure jobs finished on the agreed day; this is your main number.

Activity. Run the chain three times (simulated or real) and fill the log.

Standard to meet. Complete three logs, and give the slowest step a cause and a fix.

What you do not measure you cannot improve. Your main measure is jobs finished on the agreed day.

• Define jobs finished on the agreed day: what counts, what does not, and over what period.
• Draw a simple chart of the last 10 results and mark the average.
• Find the top two causes of loss with a tally sheet, then fix the biggest one first.
• Check measuring tools: are they accurate, clean and in date?

Activity. Collect a tally for one week and make a Pareto chart.

Standard to meet. Complete the tally, name the biggest cause, and plan one fix with a date.

Know the cost of one job before you set the price. Include materials, labour, energy, transport, licence share, waste and a safety margin.

• Cost per job = total cost divided by jobs sold (not made).
• Margin = (price minus cost) divided by price.
• Break-even units = fixed costs divided by gain per unit.
• Test the price with two users and write down the answer.

Activity. Build the cost sheet with AED on every line and have your mentor check it.

Standard to meet. Check that no cost is missing, and calculate the margin twice by different routes.

Customers return when you keep promises. Promise only what your workflow can deliver.

• Write a one-page offer: what is included, what is not, price, time, how you fix mistakes.
• Write a short script for the first call or visit.
• Agree dates in writing; confirm each change.
• Handle a complaint in four steps: listen, apologise for the impact, fix, record what changed.

Activity. Present the offer to two users and note changes.

Standard to meet. Write an offer with scope, price, time and a fix rule, and collect comments from two users.

Small, real and recorded. Change one thing at a time and learn quickly.

• Keep a daily log: date, units, cost, delays, defects, safety notes.
• Hold a 15-minute review each week with your mentor.
• Write down every complaint and what you changed.
• Take photos only where allowed and never of people without consent.

Activity. Complete 30 days of the log and four weekly reviews.

Standard to meet. Log 30 days, give each defect a cause, and keep weekly notes.

A decision beats a feeling. Compare plan with result and choose to scale, change or stop.

• Make a before and after table: cost per unit, defects, delays, repeat users.
• Write three lessons.
• Decide scale, change or stop, with the numbers behind it.
• Give two peers one strength and one fix each.

Activity. Present to a review room and collect one written comment from a user.

Standard to meet. Justify the decision with numbers, and give two peer reviews.

A repair job starts with an inspection and a written scope. Unclear scope is the main cause of cost overruns.

• Walk the vessel with the owner's representative and list every defect with a photo and location.
• Split work into items: hull, coating, machinery, piping, electrical. Estimate hours and materials per item.
• Add a contingency, typically a stated percentage, for hidden damage found once opened up.
• Agree a variation rule: extra work needs written approval before it starts.

Activity. Build a quote for five defect items with contingency and a variation rule.

Standard to meet. Price every item, show contingency, and write the variation rule.

Welding and cutting aboard a ship can ignite fuel vapour in nearby tanks. Tanks are tested and certified before entry or hot work.

• A gas-free certificate is valid for a limited time and for one named space.
• Fire watch stays during the work and for a set time after.
• Entry to a tank needs a rescue plan, an attendant outside and communication.
• Docking: the vessel sits on blocks; check supports, drain plugs and weather before pumping out.

Activity. Write a hot-work checklist for a deck repair above a tank.

Standard to meet. List all checks and state the rescue plan.

A vessel on the dock earns nothing, so the owner pays for days. A good plan overlaps jobs that do not clash.

• List tasks with duration and what must finish first.
• Find the longest chain; that sets the minimum days.
• Book materials and subcontractors against dates.
• Track progress daily and re-plan when a surprise appears.

Activity. Draw a dependency chart for six tasks and find the longest chain.

Standard to meet. Compute the chain correctly and the minimum days.

On the slide: L1 Basic · What a ship repair yard does

Notes: Name dry dock, hot work and class survey and the hazards of hot work, confined spaces and falls. Notes: use pictures only; learners stay out of the yard and ask a supervisor before any visit.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Hot work and tank entry rules

Notes: Explain why a tank is tested and certified before hot work or entry and that a gas-free certificate covers one named space for a limited time. Notes: show a deck weld above a fuel tank and ask what is needed; fire watch stays for the shift and one hour after.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Write a hot-work checklist

Notes: Write a hot-work checklist for a deck repair above a tank with a rescue plan. Notes: work only under a competent supervisor; check the certificate, fire watch, attendant outside and a way to communicate.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Quote a repair with a variation rule

Notes: Run a survey and quote five defect items with a contingency and a written variation rule. Notes: 1,800 square metres at AED 38 is AED 68,400, and 10 per cent contingency gives AED 75,240; extra work needs written approval first.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Plan the turnaround and decide

Notes: Analyse six tasks to find the longest chain and decide the minimum days and what to overlap. Notes: blasting 3 days, coating 4 days and a sea trial of 1 day make 8 days with propeller work in parallel; at AED 180,000 price and AED 150,000 cost the margin is 16.7 per cent.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Coach a crew on permits and daily plans

Notes: Lead a repair crew in permit checks and a daily progress and re-plan meeting. Notes: sample five permits a week for a missing signature or expired certificate; target jobs finished on the agreed day.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Design the yard safety and planning system

Notes: Design a quoting, permit, docking and handover system for a yard with an audit and a 12-month plan. Notes: audit certificates and fire watch records; present one risk, one saving and a contingency rule based on past hidden damage.