1Purpose
This standard sets one expectation for everyone on the operation: think ahead, take responsibility for your part, and do it together. The work we handle is largely repetitive and predictable — across RoRo, break bulk, project cargo and dry bulk, the same gear changes, equipment moves, lashing tasks and cargo handovers recur on almost every vessel.
What matters is that the work each cargo type needs is predictable — so the resources it requires can and must be prepared in advance, not arranged at the moment they are needed. A supervisor is paid to be one step ahead of the operation, not to follow it.
If you can see it coming, it should already be there.
2Thinking Ahead — Anticipate · Stage · Confirm
Being proactive is not a feeling — it is three concrete steps, on every shift, on every vessel, whatever the cargo.
1
Anticipate
Read the stowage plan, cargo sequence, ramp/lashing plan and crane progress. Ask one question constantly: what will be needed in the next hour?
2
Stage
Bring the gear, equipment, documents or qualified people to the point of use before they are required — so there is zero waiting when the moment comes.
3
Confirm
Check what you staged is correct, complete and serviceable — right slings, right SWL, certified, inspected, fuelled — and the right qualified people ready — before it is called for.
3Why It Pays — and What It Costs If You Don't
The reason we plan and work ahead is simple: standing time is the most expensive thing on the quay. A crane that stops still costs full berth, gang and equipment money — for nothing produced. The small effort of preparing ahead is far cheaper than the wait it prevents.
IF YOU DON'T — the cost
A rushed, reactive operation is less safe — and it feels unprofessional.
The crane stops and the whole gang stands idle — paid time, zero output.
It drags down the mood and the enjoyment of the work for the whole gang.
Productivity (moves/hour) drops and the vessel takes longer at the berth.
Segregation and document errors surface only after cargo is mixed.
Problems land on the next shift, and on the SV above you.
IF YOU DO — the benefit
Most important — a safer and more professional workspace: mistakes are caught before they happen.
The crane and ramp keep moving — every prepared minute is a produced minute.
A better place to work — the gang enjoys a calm, in-control operation.
Higher moves/hour, shorter berth stay, more vessels handled.
The client sees a professional, in-control terminal — that wins the next call.
4Responsibility — Who Owns What
Proactivity is only real when everyone owns their part — at every level, not only at the top. This standard is not a list of who-does-what to fall back on, but a way of working: whoever can see something coming, prepares for it. That initiative is expected and supported — it is never held against you. We do it together.
GSVBird's-eye
The overall view — reports to the Operational Manager. Oversight of the operation; sets direction and supports. Does not do the preparing that the levels below can already see coming.
▼ prepares & owns within its span
SV4The terminal
Owns the whole terminal — all berth positions. The commanding, overall view: looks across every vessel and berth, coordinates and directs resources between them, and makes sure no berth is left short. Thinks a shift ahead for the terminal, not just one ship.
▼ prepares & owns within its span
SV3 & SV2A specific vessel
Own their vessel from berthing to sailing. Read the stowage & cargo plan, sequence the holds/cranes/decks, and stage gear, equipment, documents and crew ahead of every change on that ship. They don't wait for SV4 to arrange what they can see coming.
▼ prepares & owns within its span
SV1Hatch foreman
Owns the hatch & crane in front of him. The front line of anticipation: sees the parcel finishing, the hold clearing, the gear about to change — and has the next thing rigged and ready before it is called. Nothing foreseeable stops his crane. He is also responsible that no one walks or stands under or between the lifts — safety first, always.
Operational Manager ⇅ GSV ⇅ SV4 ⇅ SV3 & SV2 ⇅ SV1
Accountability runs up the line — each level answers to the one above. But information, support and coordination flow both ways: you keep the levels above and below you informed. That is the "together".
Everyone anticipates, stages and confirms within their span. The higher level sets direction and supports; it does not do the preparing that a lower level can already see coming. That is what "together" means.
5Keeping the Standard — Plan · Do · Check · Act
Proactive supervision is not a one-off; it is a habit we keep sharp with a simple improvement loop — PDCA. Run it on every shift and every vessel.
PLANBefore the shift, read the operation and plan the next hours: what gear, equipment, documents and crew each stage will need, and when.
DOStage it ahead of time and run the operation — every level preparing its own span so the crane and ramp never wait.
CHECKWatch what actually happened: did anything cause standing time? Was a foreseeable need not prepared? Confirm gear was correct and serviceable.
ACTFix it and lock it in: brief the next shift, agree the lesson together as a standard, and adjust so it doesn't happen again. Then plan the next round.
Plan → Do → Check → Act → and round again. Every avoidable stop we catch once becomes a stop we never have again.
6Own Your Span
Whatever level you sit at, you own the terminal, vessel, hatch or task assigned to you for the whole shift. Owning it means:
It doesn't stop on your watch
Nothing foreseeable and preparable should ever stall your crane, ramp or gang.
You account for what's missing
"I was waiting for it" is not an answer for a predictable need in your span.
You act first
Read the operation and move — don't wait to be told by the controller, chief or the SV above you.
A reactive supervisor manages problems after they appear. An owner prevents them — at every level. We expect owners, and we own it together.
7Application
- Before this standard is issued to all supervisors, it is first shared with the GSVs and the Operational Manager for alignment.
- This standard is then read and acknowledged by every supervisor and foreman, GSV to SV1.
- Thinking ahead and preparing are part of every supervisor's performance review — measured against their own span.
- Standing time caused by a foreseeable, unprepared need is reviewed with the level that owned it — and the lesson is agreed together so it does not recur (Check → Act).
- The concrete "what to prepare, and when" for each cargo type we work out together as a team — this standard sets the principle; the team keeps the practice.
- Proactivity never overrides a safe method or a required sign-off — everyone owns safety.
Think ahead. Take responsibility. Do it together — and be the supervisor who is already there.
Acknowledged by (name & grade)
Signature
Date