Ship Observations Team

PMO Best Practices — a practical field guide

The purpose of this "Best Practice Guide" is to help newly appointed PMOs become familiar with their functions; to reacquaint experienced PMOs with standard procedures; and to promote the resources available to fulfil these functions.

This guide is presented in point form and should be used in conjunction with theVOS Program Manager Best Practice Guide, as the separation of responsibilities and tasks expressed here might not be representative of all countries. The two guides when combined should cover the basic requirements of operating and maintaining a national VOS network. Many of the functions of the PMO described in this guide are summarised in the VOS Work Flow Diagram.

Monitoring Ship Movements Recruitment Preliminaries Recruitment Visit Post-Recruitment Monitoring Routine Fleet Monitoring Routine Inspection Visits Encouragement & Recognition De-recruitment Communication & Liaison International Support Supporting Related Networks

Monitor Ship Movements

Identify new ships that are arriving in port, i.e. as a potential VOS recruitment.
Identify ships in the national VOS fleet that are arriving in port.
Identify ships in a foreign VOS fleet that are arriving in port.
Prioritise and plan ship visits accordingly.
Obtain the necessary port and ship security passes in advance of a planned visit in accordance with prescribed local arrangements or specific port/ship requirements.
Monitor the movement of ships in the national VOS fleet and, if necessary, make arrangements for individual ships to be inspected or visited by an international PMO

→ SOT recruitment presentations →

Recruitment Preliminaries

Identify potential ships for recruitment into the national VOS fleet. Depending on your location, some recruitment factors to consider might include:

The trading pattern or route of the ship to target particularly data-sparse areas;
The percentage of the time sailing in desired areas;
Length of charter on the route;
Ability to regularly inspect and service the ship;
The availability of certified NMS instruments for installation on the ship;
The suitability of the ship to carry and care for the loaned NMS instruments;
The availability of a suitable communication system on the ship to send the observations; and
The availability of a computer on the Bridge on which to install electronic logbook software.

Check the latest list of VOS vessels at OceanOPS to ensure that a ship under consideration for recruitment is not already a member of another national VOS fleet.
If the ship is already recruited by another national VOS fleet, consider whether a change to the recruiting country would result in an overall improvement to the global network (i.e. provision of calibrated instruments, increased opportunities for PMO visits, etc...). Requests for changes must be discussed and confirmed with the current country of recruitment before any further action takes place.
Confirm the participation of the ship in the national VOS fleet with the Master and the Shipping Company.
Register the ship immediately in the OceanOPS Metadata database using the 'Planned' status function, to avoid accidental duplicate recruitments during the recruitment period.
Please Note: Duplicate recruitments reflect poorly on the global network. By following these guidelines and engaging in proper communication with other NMSs, we ensure that the image of the VOS remains one of a professional and unified global observing network.

The Recruitment Visit

The recruitment visit is the PMO's first formal engagement with a new VOS ship. How well it is conducted will directly influence the quality of observations throughout the ship's participation.

Determine, in consultation with the Master, the most appropriate meteorological reporting class (NMS Operated, NMS Cooperative or Independent) of the vessel.
If appropriate, install calibrated NMS instruments ensuring the best possible exposure.
Install electronic logbook software (Turbowin) and configure.
Provide nationally prescribed marine observing stationery and reference material as appropriate, e.g. marine meteorological handbooks, sea-state and cloud charts/booklets, coding card/book.
Provide initial training in:

General observing requirements, i.e. observing and reporting times, recording and coding of observations;
Observing/estimating visual elements;
Reading, use and care of meteorological instruments;
Use of electronic logbook software, e.g. Turbowin;

Advise on the preferred method of transmitting the observation (email) and, where appropriate, the use of Special Access Code 41 (SAC41) for Inmarsat transmissions through a LES that accepts BBXX.
Document the required recruitment details and metadata, including photographs, using a nationally prescribed recruitment form (if applicable). Alternatively, the VOS Metadata Collection Form can be used to collect a range of metadata for national and WMO purposes.
Recruitment forms should be sent to the VOS program manager in a timely manner, to allow population of the national VOS database and/or the OceanOPS Metadata database.

The recruitment process, including the both recruitment preliminaries and recruitment visit described above, are summarised in the VOS Recruitment Flow Diagram.

Post-Recruitment Monitoring

After the ship leaves, check the GTS for BBXX messages received during the first 7 days.
If BBXX were received, contact the ship to:

Provide feedback on the quantity, quality, frequency and timeliness of the observations;
Provide feedback on any coding problems or observational issues; and
Thank the Master and Observing Officers for their efforts.

If BBXX have not been received, contact the ship and ascertain if the observing program has started.

Yes the observing program has started:

Enquire about the method (e.g. SAC41) used to send the BBXX; and
If using SAC41, to which LES the BBXX were sent to.

No the observing program has not started:

Enquire when the program will start; and
Provide the Observing Officers with additional instructions, training and encouragement as necessary.

Routine VOS Fleet Monitoring

Use the VOS Monitoring Tools to regularly review the quantity, quality and timeliness of data provided by ships in the national VOS fleet.
Investigate ships in the national VOS fleet that, based on these international VOS monitoring tools, are suspected of producing erroneous data.
Follow up on any ship showing a persistent bias for a particular parameter compared with model outputs.
Follow up on any ship showing consistent coding errors.
Follow up on any ship if their observations cease, to:

Determine the reason for the lack of BBXX on the GTS; and
Restart the observing program if considered appropriate to do so.

If a vessel displays on-going performance issues due to infrequent visits to country of recruitment, consider transferring the vessel to another national VOS fleet if there is potential to improve overall performance through more frequent PMO visits.

Routine Inspection Visits

Schedule inspection visits at the intervals or frequency recommended by the NMS.
Check the calibration, performance and accuracy of the meteorological instruments, including AWS sensors, and adjust, repair or replace as necessary.
Provide feedback on the quantity, quality, frequency and timeliness of observations sent on the GTS.
Download log files and delayed-mode observation data from electronic logbooks (e.g. TurboWin).
Download delayed-mode observation data from an AWS in accordance with NMS instructions.
Check and update as necessary, all previously collected metadata.
Confirm that agent/owner/manager details have not changed.
Check if any there are expected changes in the trading pattern of the ship.
Document the ship visit:

National VOS: use a nationally prescribed VOS Inspection Form (if applicable); or
Foreign VOS: use the Foreign VOS inspection form and email the completed form to the national VOS Focal Point of the ship's country of recruitment.

Collect feedback from ship's officers about the quality of marine forecasts and warnings, and reception quality of meteorological charts received via radio-facsimile or other means. Relay the feedback, both negative and positive, through the VOS Program Manager to the responsible person in the NMS.
Return all faulty instruments to the NMS for repair and re-calibration.

Encouragement & Recognition

Ships participate voluntarily. Acknowledging their contribution builds goodwill and sustains long-term engagement.

Present ships with a SOT Certificate of Appreciation. The Guidelines and Issuing Criteria are included in the downloaded ZIP file.
Take digital photographs at certificate presentations and submit to your national VOS Program Manager.
If a national award scheme for the VOS exists, confer awards on suitably qualified ships in accordance with national directives.
Distribute relevant national newsletters or publications to ships in the national VOS fleet.
Distribute international newsletters or publications to ships in the national VOS.
In accordance with national customs or practices and on behalf of the NMS:

Send a welcome letter or email to each newly recruited ship;
Send a thank you letter or email to each good reporting ship upon leaving the national VOS fleet; and
Distribute items of goodwill in recognition of the voluntary work undertaken by the crew to provide weather observations, e.g. Christmas cards, calendars, caps, etc.

De-recruitment

Ships leave the VOS fleet for many reasons. Handling de-recruitment carefully protects database integrity and the NMS's relationship with the vessel.

The PMO should use discretion in deciding whether to de-recruit a ship from their national VOS fleet. Possible reasons for de-recruitment include:

Intended scrapping of the vessel;
The period of the ship's charter is about to end;
Change in the ship's trading pattern making future inspection visits difficult;
The Shipping Company has become insolvent and trading has or will soon cease;
Unsatisfactory reporting performance; and
The VOS program has lapsed and there is no interest by the ship's personnel in restarting the program.

Procedure:

Formally advise the Master, and if necessary the owners/managers, the ship is being withdrawn from the national VOS fleet and that any loaned instruments will be recovered.
Collect the NMS instruments, final logbook or data disks, handbooks and other stationery. Where this is not possible make arrangements for the instruments to be returned by post or landed with ships agents for subsequent return. Also refer to International Support.
If the de-recruitment is the result of a change in the ship's trading pattern, with the consent of the Master contact the PMO in the region where the ship will trade and suggest that the recruitment be transferred into their national VOS fleet.

Communication & Liaison

Maintain regular contact with the VOS Program Manager or the national VOS Office.
Maintain regular contact with other national PMOs if applicable, e.g. to ensure that inspection visits will not be duplicated.
Maintain contact with international PMOs as necessary.
Maintain contact with local maritime colleges, harbour authorities, yacht clubs, etc; provide training and assistance where needed; promote the VOS Scheme to potential new participants.

International Support

In response to a request from an international PMO or a National VOS Focal Point from the recruiting country of a ship:

Give assistance as requested by that country; or
Recover equipment from a designated ship in accordance with detailed instructions provided by the recruiting country:

These instructions should include specific details about each item to be recovered, e.g. description, quantity, serial number, etc; and
Arrange for the return of all recovered items to the recruiting country at the earliest opportunity. Liaise with the recruiting country to establish the preferred port for the delivery of the items and the relevant addressee's contact details.

The recovery of equipment might occur if a ship has been re-routed and the recruiting country considers it unlikely that the ship will return to its port of recruitment to enable the retrieval of the equipment. Alternatively, a ship might land its meteorological or oceanographic equipment at a foreign port and request its return to the recruiting country when it learns it has been re-routed.

PMO Best Practices — a field guide for Port Meteorological Officers