Chartering strategies for shipping companies
This paper describes a model which may be used in the evaluation of the relative effectiveness of policies used in the areas of ship chartering and the switching of combined carriers between the dry cargo market and the tanker market. The policies for chartering and market switching are expressed in the form of 'desired proportions' of the fleet operating in a particular charter-mode or a particular market. Graphical illustration of this form of expression of policies can be easily understood, so that alternative policies can be designed with relative ease. The effectiveness of a particular form of policy under various freight market conditions can be determined from the model, the use of which is illustrated by its application to the deployment of the fleet of an hypothetical shipping company. It is assumed that the feedback connection between the company's actions and the marketplace is negligible.
Chartering Strategies for Oil Companies
This paper discusses the general chartering strategy trends for oil companies and provides a systematic approach for strategic tanker chartering decisions focusing mainly on the shipping contract mix problem. To analyze trends in chartering strategies, this thesis categorizes oil companies from an oil supply chain perspective into four main categories; integrated oil companies, oil producers, oil consumers, and oil traders in order to identify different levels of involvement in crude oil transport and composition of shipping contracts. In terms of contract mix analysis, Modern Portfolio Theory and a non-linear model are introduced as the main methodology to analyze the optimal shipping contract mix. A contract mix case from an Asian based oil company is then provided utilizing introduced theories and models to find the optimal shipping contract mix.
Prevalence of lice on dairy cattle in England and the bordering counties of Wales
A postal questionnaire was used to collect information on the prevalence of lice on cattle on a random sample of dairy farms in England and the bordering counties of Wales. Replies were received from 1040 (52.8 per cent) of the 1970 farms which were mailed. Fifty per cent of farmers reported having ever seen or suspected lice in their herds and 29 per cent reported possible infestations in the winter of 1996/97. Visits were made to 24 farms in the south west of England during February 1998. Twelve of the farmers said that they had seen or suspected lice in their herd since October 1997, and that lice were more frequently observed on the adult cattle. However, examination revealed lice on 18 of the 24 farms, and adult cattle were the least likely group to be infested.