Ah... This game brings back such memories. My friend hated this game so much I had to threaten him with physical violence to get him to play it - I loved it! This game taught me everything I know about 3-point turns and parallel parking. After bringing a 20,000 Ton cargo ship into port without tugs, parking a 4-door never scared me.
Some hints:
Don't be tempted at the start to set your home port up somewhere exotic. San Francisco is the best port and you always tend to end up there sooner or later, so you might as well start there.
Stay away from the really discount ship. Go for at least pre-owned. They sink less often
A really profitable run is electronics out on San Francisco to Cape Town, and then hang around in South Africa until somebody needs some arms shipped somewhere (hopefully back to America), you can make buckets of money doing this. (This is not a game for people with ethical dilemmas).
Don't bother getting your ship out of harbor yourself, it doesn't increase your status and costs so little that you might as well get the tugs to do it for you.
Don't feel bad when you accidentally ram the guys in the lifeboat when you are trying to pick them up. Hey. It's just the law of the sea. They weren't meant to make it. What the heck were they doing out in the middle of the ocean anyway?!! Seriously, it is almost impossible to pick them up, you need to be going almost in the same direction as them and just a little bit faster.
Guiding your ship through a reef is easier than getting it into Rio de Janeiro habour.
Check your office once a week like clockwork. Just pop in and out. This stops your accountant trying to pull one over you.
Probably most importantly. Never sail anywhere at full speed unless you have to because you’re on a time-limited contract. Slow your boats down to at least two thirds of full speed and you will save lots of fuel.
When fuel is cheap – fill up!
If you do take on a fixed term contract, remember to allow at about 10 extra days over what it takes to actually sail from port to port. The contract includes the time it takes you to load and unload the cargo (a day or two either side) and you often get held up for a few days outside a harbor waiting to get in. This can get expensive.
Happy boating
Cheers!