A WORTHINESS STUDY IN USAGE RIVERINE TRANSPORTATION VESSEL : A CASE STUDY OF NAVAL TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate and analyze the cost factors to identify the factors influencing the cost in order to improve the efficiency of the usage of the riverine transportation vessels of the Naval Transportation Department (NTD). It focuses on the use case of ferry service operating daily for naval personnel. This quantitative approach research applies mathematical formulations to compute the statistical data from various parameters into the useful numerical data. The output is then performed in the analytical processes. An unbiased indicator, based on fact, is set to justify the worthiness of each individual sample. Finally, based on results achieved, the solution is proposed. Our investigation reveals that the ferry service has three main types of costs: (1) Capital Cost such as depreciation (2) Operating Expenses such as diesel, lubrication, crew allowance, maintenance, troubleshooting and spares. (3) Administration Expense such as mooring fee. The survey was conducted from active 23 vessels which are classified into five categories: Small Wooden Boat (SWB), Medium Wooden Boat (MWB), Large Wooden Boat (LWB), Steel Boat (SB) and Catamaran (CAT). Each class has different limits, capabilities, and operating costs. Average costs are calculated based on statistical data: boat operating time, crew operating time, fuel consumption, boat maintenance, facility and pier maintenance. To achieve a high confident level, a total of 10,114 journeys in the fiscal year A.D. 2016-2017 or B.E. 2559-2560 (1 October A.D.2015 or B.E.2558 - 30 September A.D.2017 or B.E.2560) is used to calculate the average operating expenses. Their costs are compared to the commercial fare of Chao Phraya Express Boat (CPEB) of the Chao Phraya Express Boat Company Limited and commercial boat for rent. This result is implementable to improve the efficiency of routine cruise scheduling for the ferry service. According to the current ferry service of the NTD, there are seven vessels sailing in five riverine routes. There is a considerable gap on the passenger capacity to handle some fluctuations. On the other hand, the other boat’s classes should be used for other tasks that yield the higher ratio of the number of passengers and the full capacity of the boat. In addition, they should be assigned to the long navigation due to their high capacity, high machine power, high endurance. What’s more, they can also be used for the recreational service with predictable number of passengers or the coastal passenger boat.