Car-Carrier Fire-Risk Recovery Authority

The mandate

The cargo safety director resigned after a deck fire and preliminary review found that booking declarations, used-vehicle condition, battery state, terminal acceptance and stow segregation could not be reconstructed consistently. Different trades apply different rules, damaged vehicles enter through agents and crews receive late manifests. Equipment upgrades are proposed, but the present cargo decision chain remains weak. A temporary executive must contain risk without prejudging the casualty investigation.

The containment authority must be occupied inside two weeks and lasts eight months, with independent investigation and permanent recruitment deliberately separated from it. Evidence protection, restriction of unsupported vehicle categories and enforceable acceptance-and-isolation rules are due within 21 days. Source declarations and terminal compliance then face two major loading cycles. During the remaining period, incident-independent actions close, the fleet runs a full vessel exercise and the successor takes live cargo and fleet decisions under observation.

Ending temporary command requires evidence, acceptance, segregation and abnormal-condition rules for every vehicle category; effective control of unverified used and damaged units; manifests reaching ships within threshold; and an approved readiness review across all 31 vessels. The successor signs for restricted cargo, terminal performance, equipment limitations, investigation-independent actions, insurer positions and the next exercise-and-retrofit decision calendar before assuming the seat.

The interim may restrict cargo acceptance, require inspection evidence, set internal segregation, direct fleet and terminal assurance, and approve emergency safety spend up to JPY 500 million. Permanent cargo bans, contract changes, vessel withdrawal beyond one voyage, major retrofit and settlements require board approval. Masters retain stow and shipboard safety, terminals retain local authority and the interim cannot determine fire cause or certify equipment.

Casualty liability, legal claims, final retrofit design, newbuilding specification and long-term trade strategy are outside scope. The executive will preserve evidence and define operating requirements but will not become investigator, insurer expert or equipment advocate. The assignment ends with credible cargo acceptance and exercised response, not a claim that all vehicle-fire uncertainty has been removed.

Why this seat is open

A sudden resignation followed a high-profile casualty while vessels continued accepting mixed vehicle cargo. Existing commercial and technical owners cannot independently rebuild a process their decisions shaped. The board has delegated temporary cargo-safety authority so immediate practice changes without contaminating the formal investigation.

What you will own

• Reconstruct booking, source, terminal, battery, condition, manifest, stow and incident evidence by vehicle category.
• Restrict unsupported cargo and decide internal acceptance conditions within contract, master and terminal boundaries.
• Establish rules for used, damaged, recalled, modified and electrically powered vehicles with clear evidence and escalation.
• Align source inspection, terminal handover, deck segregation, detection and emergency information before sailing.
• Conduct eight vessel, terminal or source reviews and close repeat declaration and manifest failures.
• Run a full-vessel exercise testing detection, location, isolation, boundary cooling, accountability and shore interface.
• Induct the successor through restricted cargo, equipment limits, open actions and the retrofit decision calendar.

Candidate qualifications

• Held cargo-safety or fleet authority across pure car and truck carriers or comparable ro-ro vessels.
• Has restricted vehicle cargo after declaration, condition or battery evidence proved inadequate.
• Understands booking, terminal custody, vehicle state, deck stow, detection and emergency response together.
• Can act on incident-independent safety evidence without determining cause, liability or equipment certification.
• Challenged automotive customers and commercial teams while preserving master and terminal authority.
• Completed a permanent handover with live cargo restrictions and casualty actions transparently recorded for ships still trading across regions.

Non-negotiables

• Available in Tokyo within two weeks and able to complete eight vessel, terminal and source reviews.
• Brings direct vehicle-carrier cargo authority; fire engineering or claims work alone is insufficient.
• Accepts master, terminal, investigation, insurer, contract and board boundaries.
• Will disclose carrier, OEM, terminal, equipment, insurer and investigator relationships before appointment.

1. 49 words maximum. Describe vehicle cargo you refused because its condition or battery evidence was unreliable.
2. 49 words maximum. Confirm your Tokyo start date and the car-carrier fleet under your authority.
3. 49 words maximum. Which cargo controls can change immediately without prejudging a fire investigation?