How Mobile Data Informs Safety and Efficiency Onboard and Ashore

Shipmanagers can collect data and make decisions on the move with access to information that supports optimised operations, writes Brandi Whitehurst, Customer Success Director, ABS Wavesight

 The maritime industry is moving at speed into digital transformation, driving demand for access to vessel and operational data anywhere, at any time. 

This can extend from crew members recording actions at the actual point of work to  managers preparing for audit inspections or preparing for the complexities of a dry dock. 

In all cases, secure access to mobile data has become an essential part of efficient operations. To meet this need ABS Wavesight™ provides a mobile version – NS Mobile –  of its Nautical Systems (NS) fleet management software.

The biggest headaches faced by ship managers are not necessarily new, but the need for effective compliance and efficient operations means they have grown in importance in digital operations. 

For example, NS Mobile enables users to log events such as damage to equipment or a structure in situ and report it with images directly via the app so it can be quickly shared with the office.

Among the best known pain points are managing crew on and off the ship, while also managing retention, a task that requires tools that are simple for users and managers alike. The ability to confirm the crew is boarding with the proper requirements in place and then maintaining their work rest hours is critical to safe operations. 

The need to access paperwork for regulatory compliance, audits, inspections and other requirements to sail is not declining, and, in fact, the burden increases every year. To support these highly detailed processes, the suite of NS Mobile apps enable users to develop a simplified checklist focussing on vessel components and location, making recordings as inspectors move through the audit around the vessel.

NS Mobile is designed to digitalise the paperwork required for these and other tasks, enabling vessel operators to prepare for audit inspections and get ahead of any issues that can be resolved before a corrective action is required. 

Achieving efficiency and creating cost savings requires not just the accurate recording of data but the ability to easily analyse it for trends and identify areas for improvement. 

The most recent NS Mobile release features a drydock application to help the dry dock/major maintenance manager track all the work during the execution of the dry dock, reducing the hours required to complete the paperwork by enabling them to work on and offline while in the yard.

The next planned enhancements will be to extend the functionality available through common web browsers that will help the shore and onboard users accomplish their day-to-day tasks, including management of change.

To learn more about Nautical Systems: Mobile from ABS Wavesight, visit: https://abswavesight.info/NSMobile-GC 

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