What do steaming hours refer to?

Steaming hours refer specifically to the duration during which the boilers on a vessel are actively generating steam to power the engines, enabling the ship to move through the water. This is a critical measure of the operational time a vessel spends actually underway, propelled by its engines. It indicates the periods when the ship is engaged in its primary function of navigation at sea, as opposed to being docked, under maintenance, or conducting training operations. Understanding steaming hours is important for assessing fuel consumption, wear and tear on equipment, and overall operational efficiency of the vessel.