Operations Manager – Dry Cargo Fleet

Supreme Maritime Services Pte. Ltd.; Singapore; Presencial; SGD 180.000 - 240.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Supreme Maritime Services Pte. Ltd.

is seeking an Operations Manager in Singapore to oversee day-to-day commercial and technical interface for a fleet of dry cargo ships, including woodchip carriers and general cargo vessels. You will own voyage execution end-to-end, ensuring safety, efficiency and profitability across cargo types while coordinating with chartering, technical management, port agents and cargo interests.

Formación

• Seafaring background; deck officer experience preferred.
• Minimum 5–8 years in ship operations, shore-based or both.
• CCO Deck Officer Class 1/2 cert is required.

Responsabilidades

• Plan and supervise voyages, laytime, and cargo loading.
• Coordinate with charterers, port agents, and technical teams.
• Lead Singapore-based operations team and develop operators and port captains.
• Ensure safety, compliance, and voyage performance.

Conocimientos

Commercial acumen

Clear communication

Attention to detail

People management

Cargo & vessel knowledge

Educación

Degree/Diploma in Nautical Science, Maritime Business or Marine Engineering

Certificate of Competency (Deck Officer, Class 1/2)

Herramientas

MS Excel

Voyage estimation tools

Descripción del empleo

About the role

The Operations Manager is responsible for the day-to-day commercial and technical-interface operation of a fleet of dry cargo ships, including but not limited to woodchip carriers and general cargo vessels. Reporting to the Head of Shipping, the role owns voyage execution end-to-end — from post-fixture handover through to final redelivery/discharge — ensuring vessels are operated safely, efficiently, and profitably across cargo types with materially different loading, stowage, and port-handling characteristics.

The successful candidate will act as the operational bridge between chartering/commercial, technical management, port agents, and cargo interests, and will personally coordinate, supervise, and plan the loading of different cargoes across the fleet, bringing hands-on judgement on cargo compatibility, stowage, and vessel-deployment trade-offs rather than executing a single, uniform operating pattern. The role also leads the Singapore-based operations team, providing direct supervision, guidance, and development to operators and port captains.

Key responsibilities

Team Leadership

• Lead, supervise, and develop the operations team — including operators and port captains — setting clear priorities, allocating vessels/voyages across the team, and ensuring adequate coverage across the fleet at all times.

• Set individual and team performance expectations, conduct regular reviews, and provide day-to-day coaching on cargo planning, voyage execution, and commercial judgement.

• Build team capability through structured onboarding, on-the-job training, and knowledge-sharing on cargo-specific handling requirements across the fleet.

• Foster a strong safety-first, accountable team culture, and act as the escalation point for operational decisions requiring managerial judgement.

• Support recruitment, workload planning, and succession planning for the operations team as the fleet grows.

Voyage & Fleet Operations

• Plan, monitor, and execute voyages across the fleet, coordinating laycan, port rotation, and cargo readiness with charterers, agents, and terminals.

• Coordinate, supervise, and plan the loading of different cargoes across the fleet — assessing cargo compatibility, sequencing, and stowage requirements for each vessel and voyage, and ensuring the right vessel is matched to the right cargo.

• Issue and manage voyage instructions, ensuring masters and crew have clear, timely guidance on loading sequence, stowage, dunnage requirements, and port formalities specific to each cargo/vessel combination.

• Monitor vessel positions, ETAs, and port performance in real time; proactively manage delays, weather routing, and berth congestion to protect laycan and minimise off-hire/demurrage exposure.

• Oversee cargo-specific handling requirements across the fleet — including woodchip volumetric stowage and moisture/self-heating considerations, general cargo lashing/securing and stowage planning, and bulk cargo trimming and draft optimisation where applicable.

• Coordinate bunkering plans in line with voyage economics and charter party terms, working with the commercial team on optimal bunkering ports and quantities.

Commercial & Financial Performance

• Monitor voyage P&L against budget/estimate for each fixture, flagging variances in hire, bunkers, port costs, and demurrage/despatch, and driving corrective action.

• Support chartering with operational input on vessel suitability, cargo compatibility, and realistic port/cargo-handling timelines when appraising new fixtures across the fleet.

• Manage and settle laytime, demurrage, and despatch claims; maintain accurate, defensible SOF and voyage documentation.

• Contribute operational data and lessons-learned to voyage economics comparisons (e.g. dedicated tonnage vs. standard bulker deployment decisions) to support fleet-mix and chartering strategy.

Port, Agency & Stakeholder Coordination

• Appoint and manage port agents, stevedores, and surveyors; ensure competitive, accountable local support at each port of call.

• Liaise directly with charterers, shippers, receivers, and terminal operators to resolve operational issues and keep all parties aligned on schedule and cargo status.

• Coordinate with the technical/ship management team on vessel readiness, class/statutory matters, and any operational constraints (e.g. gear certification, hold cleanliness and preparation for the next cargo).

Safety, Compliance & Risk

• Ensure all voyages are conducted in compliance with SOLAS, MARPOL, IMSBC Code (for bulk cargoes), and relevant flag/port state requirements.

• Oversee cargo-specific risk controls — including woodchip self-heating/off-gassing monitoring, bulk cargo liquefaction risk (TML/moisture content) assessment, and general cargo securing arrangement approval.

• Support incident investigation and corrective action for any operational, cargo, or safety non-conformance; maintain a strong safety-first operating culture across the fleet.

• Ensure KYC, sanctions, and compliance screening is completed for counterparties, ports, and cargo interests ahead of fixture execution.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Produce regular voyage performance, fleet utilisation, and KPI reporting for senior management.

• Identify and implement process improvements in voyage planning, port turnaround, and cross-vessel-type operating procedures.

• Support budgeting and forecasting for the operated fleet, and contribute to fleet deployment/newbuilding or chartering-in decisions.

Qualifications & Experience

• Seafaring background required — prior sea-going experience as a deck officer (Master/Chief Officer level preferred) on dry cargo vessels, giving direct, first-hand knowledge of cargo loading, stowage, and vessel handling.

• Minimum 5–8 years' overall experience in ship operations, spanning both sea-going service and shore-based operations in a shipowning, ship management, or chartering environment, ideally with exposure to woodchip carriers and/or general cargo vessels.

• Prior experience leading or supervising a team is preferred (e.g. as a senior/chief operator, Chief Officer/Master, or team lead).

• Demonstrated experience managing laytime, demurrage, and voyage P&L.

• Working knowledge of the IMSBC Code, cargo securing manuals, and stowage/lashing principles relevant to woodchip, general, and bulk dry cargo.

• Degree or diploma in Nautical Science, Maritime Business, Marine Engineering, or a related discipline; Certificate of Competency (Deck Officer, Class 1/2) required.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial acumen — able to connect day-to-day operational decisions to voyage profitability and fleet-mix strategy.

• Confident, clear communicator able to manage multiple counterparties (owners, charterers, agents, terminals) simultaneously and under time pressure.

• High attention to detail in documentation, laytime calculation, and cargo-handling instructions, where errors carry direct financial and safety consequences.

• Comfortable operating across distinct cargo/vessel profiles concurrently — not a single-trade specialist — and able to prioritise across a mixed, live fleet.

• Resilient and decisive under operational pressure (weather delays, berth congestion, cargo disputes, off-hire events).

• Proven people-management ability — capable of leading, motivating, and developing a small operations team, and of making clear decisions on workload allocation and escalation.

• Proficient in voyage estimating/reporting tools, MS Excel, and standard shipping operations/AIS tracking platforms.