Transas CEO, Frank Coles, has delivered the company’s standpoint on the future of maritime operations in typically forthright fashion at the SMM fair in Hamburg.
“Our industry today is awash with innovation, big data, unmanned ships, decision support tools, fuel saving applications and stress-reducing voyage planning and many other save the day applications,” he said, before cautioning: “However, it is has manifested as a picture of uncoordinated fragmented promises that lacks a structure and platform. Shipping needs a solution not an application. Shipping operations is the complete picture not just the smart phone.”
Coles concluded by saying that whatever the business model of the shipping industry might be in the future, the economies of scale offered by a structured platform for operations and monitoring will provide the eco system to survive.
Splash is reporting daily from SMM all week.
Yes! YES! YES!!!!
I’m very happy that Mr. Coles had the temerity to say this out loud. I truly hope others were listening. (Thank goodness your publication wrote it and put it out there for all to see!)
I see the “..uncoordinated fragmented promises that lacks a structure and platform…” everyday. I just had the pleasure (again) of riding aboard a carship from one port to another. That 10 hour ride gives me time to observe and learn what ships officers and crews go through on their daily routine. This is a routine part of my job as a pilot.
It is crystal clear to me today, that for all the technological innovation being developed in the world right now in our industry, that the ships themselves and their crews are still saddled with ‘old school’ approach of accomplishing tasks demanded by regulators. I hear this complaint from Masters aboard all ships everyday of my life now.
I’m of the belief that terminals ashore must be feeling the same??
Much of the time the Chief Officer had, after catching up on some legally mandated rest, was spent transcribing hand written entries from the ship’s deck log, into a computer in an effort to meet his companies safety program. This digitized version of his entries were then sent to the owners class society. Similarly, the Master, Chief Engineer and 1st Assistant were all doing the same.
Onboard any/every ship afloat in the world today, the ever decreasing size of crews of all nationalities, are being forced to spend their time addressing the lists of regulatory requirements that mainly involve the exchange of information of events that occur onboard that then have to be documented and then transmitted ashore.
If there ever was a stellar example of what Mr. Cole is referring to it is this. Everyone ashore wants to know what the crew are doing!! The crew are spending most of their day and night telling everyone ashore, “I’m communicating to you what I’m doing!” Meanwhile, little is actually getting done. THIS is your big data problem.
Much of this is motivated by an overwhelming safety culture…after the fact…from historical problems/accidents in the past. Many vessel officers will tell you, “documenting” an inspection of a safety item does not necessarily effect a better safety program or ensure that a better “safety culture” exists onboard. Too few people, doing too much required and regulated work, with too little time revolving around mandated shipboard work for cargo, maintenance, and navigation, is simply overwhelming the few well trained and educated people left in our industry today.
Do you wonder why CREW RETENTION is such a problem today??
Mr. Cole is employed with a business that provides a service to navigation officers, to ensure they perform their job better, more efficiently, and timely, and that does in fact lead to a more safely navigated vessel. Would you like to learn a dirty little secret? Since the vessel can now navigate itself more efficiently (thanks to Transas), the deck officers now spend there (little available) time filling out logbooks, attending to required paperwork, catching up on a plethora of documentation all demanded by regulators or the home office…..all while they are standing their bridge watch!?!?!?!
The point of inventing the computer a generation ago, was to DECREASE the work load on humans. Onboard a ship, this would allow the officers to perform their job better, their FIRST job, ensuring the vessel is navigated (bridge) and operating (engine room) safely. The reality s that the computer, the platforms, the structure that Mr. Cole refers to, is that humans onboard a ship, the few that are left, simply cannot do all that is asked without putting something else at risk. Their lives onboard are one of choosing one task in lieu of another.
The fact that the USCG and IMO are FORCED to make laws about how and when you must get some sleep, should be a red flag to everyone in the maritime industry. Yet, nobody gets it……..still. Let us hope Mr. Coles comments are heard by others out there.