Sign up for our newsletter and never miss out on the
Dear Readers,
Welcome aboard the July edition of Nautical Digital Online, where we set sail into the heart of innovation and sustainability in the maritime industry. This issue is dedicated to showcasing the visionary leaders and transformative initiatives that are shaping the future of our seas.
Alex Barron Managing Director
EDITOR
Christopher O’Connor
WRITERS
Colin Chinery
Roland Douglas
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Martyn Oakley
DESIGN SUPPORT
Tony Peek
Join us as we delve into exclusive interviews with industry leaders who are driving change. Rick Ackermann, Head of Procurement at BW LPG, shares insights on procurement efficiency and sustainability strategies, while Steven Clapperton and Grace Rawnsley from the Port of London Authority discuss groundbreaking projects and sustainability initiatives along the Thames.
Discover how Ebury’s David Lord navigates financial complexities in maritime finance, and explore Oceanco’s Arie Van Andel’s innovative strides in eco-friendly yacht design. Dive into Crestron Marine’s cutting-edge technologies with Daniel Kerkhof, and explore Ambrey’s Joshua Hutchinson’s approach to maritime security challenges.
Learn how Christoph Witte is spearheading sustainable ferries at Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH, and uncover Exportadora São Francisco’s Gustavo Heleno’s insights into ship chandelling excellence. Join us in celebrating High Seas Marine’s comprehensive maritime services and GSR Services’ commitment to IHM compliance and sustainable ship recycling.
Lastly, discover how Shark Seating revolutionises marine safety with Paul Zwaan, and explore The Workboat Association’s Kerrie Forster’s leadership journey in advancing maritime safety and standards.
Each interview and feature in this edition underscores our commitment to showcasing resilience, innovation, and sustainable practices driving the maritime industry forward. Welcome aboard Nautical Digital Online, your compass to the future of maritime excellence.
PROJECT DIRECTORS
Fabian Stasiak
Vincent Kielty
Cisco Loevendie
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Ewa Piwoni
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Martin Reynolds
No.159, Field Maple Barns, Weston Green Road, Weston Longville, Norwich, Norfolk, NR9 5LA
ACCOUNTS
Emilio Vences
Joseph Heaton
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Alex Barron
If you would like more information about ways in which Nautical Digital Online can promote your business please email | info@ nauticaldigital.com
Nautical Digital does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. The points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.
Procurement Excellence in the Maritime Industry: Insights from Rick Ackermann at BW LPG
Rick Ackermann, Head of Procurement at BW LPG, brings a wealth of experience and strategic vision to the table, steering the procurement department of one of the leading LPG shipping companies. In this exclusive interview, Rick shares his approach to enhancing procurement efficiency, integrating sustainability, and navigating the complexities of the global market. Discover his insights on building supplier relationships, leveraging technology, and the future trends poised to reshape the procurement landscape in the maritime industry. Join us as Rick delves into the principles that guide his leadership and the innovative initiatives driving BW LPG’s procurement success.
Role Overview:
Could you describe your role as the Head of Procurement at BW LPG and the primary responsibilities it entails?
At BW LPG, the Head of Procurement is responsible for all procurement of goods and services, as well as being involved in all dry dockings. We have a team of four buyers and a Logistics Coordinator in Manila, and two buyers in Oslo. The Head of Procurement is stationed in Singapore. The main goal is to be a solid business partner for the business, which entails working closely with the Technical and Operations teams. Key activities include contract management, inventory management, innovation, ESG, and maintaining best-in-class procurement practices to provide the highest added value for BW LPG
Strategic Procurement Initiatives:
What are the key strategic initiatives you have implemented in BW LPG’s procurement practices since assuming your role?
Value chain. From day one, I have moved the role of Procurement higher up the value chain. The traditional view of Procurement has changed from a Purchasing department into a strategic business partner.
Transparency. In the past, it wasn’t always clear what Procurement did and what people could expect from our department. I have changed our procedures and setup in such a way that it is very transparent on every level. I also changed the perception that Procurement is a group of people taking care of things. We are all part of the Procurement process.
Contract management. We purchased a very intuitive contract management system (Scanmarket), which is easily accessible and currently contains over 170 contracts that we have in place
ESG. I have invested a lot of effort into ESG in our supply chain. This varies from introducing the Supplier Code of Ethics in all of our agreements and purchase orders to plastics reduction programs on board our vessels.
Group Procurement. I started a collaboration team with the Heads of Procurement of the other BW entities. Procurement has transformed from a central procurement department in Oslo to a decentralised setup around the world. By collaborating on volumes, best practices, and innovation, we have migrated into a hybrid solution.
Clean Shipping Commitment
HULL PERFORMANCE
Committed to the green shipping movement
Impacting fuel efficiency
The need to improve sustainability in the shipping industry is accelerating. The global industry must cut carbon emissions, protect marine biodiversity and leverage the use of data for smarter decision-making.
Biofouling can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40 %, adding to the already high CO₂ emissions. Regular monitoring of fuel consumption, fouling and speed loss, can help you keep track of the vessel’s condition and means of cost reduction. The proven performance of Jotun’s Hull Performance Solutions can reduce fuel cost by as much as 14.7 %.
Biofouling can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40%, adding to the already high C02 emissions. Regular monitoring of fuel consumption, fouling and speed loss, can help you keep track of the vessel’s condition and means of cost reduction.
Clean shipping commitment
With nearly 100 years of experience of charting through unknown waters, Jotun is committed to continuously innovate and develop advanced products and solutions designed to protect biodiversity and cut carbon emissions to support global sustainability ambitions and achieve cleaner operations for all industry players. A clean hull ensures cleaner operations.
Reducing carbon emissions together with
Jotun established Hull Performance Solutions (HPS) in 2011 to make it easy for operators to maximise hull performance and thereby reduce both fuel costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The solution consists of Jotun’s advanced antifouling products, combined with a transparent method for measuring the impact of antifouling on vessel energy efficiency.
HPS consist of four key elements which work together to optimise performance:
• High performance antifoulings
• High-end technical service
• Performance analysis
• Performance guarantee
Challenges in Procurement:
What are the most significant challenges you face in procurement for an LPG shipping company, and how do you address them?
From a procurement perspective, we would like to be as efficient as possible. Planning of transports is very challenging in our industry, as the port of delivery for our goods and services is sometimes changing on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this means that we have to airfreight a lot of our spare parts, which has a negative impact on our carbon footprint.
Another challenge everybody faces in shipping, which makes it more fun at the same time, is that this is a very conservative industry. As a standard, the credo is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” This means that driving innovation is upstream, and solutions found in other industries still have to be introduced in shipping. The fun part is convincing people and the fact that there is still room for improvement.
Supplier Relationships:
How do you cultivate effective supplier relationships to ensure seamless operations and business continuity at BW LPG?
In order to do that, I still rely on the Kraljic matrix. It is a well-known tool to classify the importance of suppliers products and services, and is very effective when it comes to supplier positioning, criticality analysis, and quadrant strategy. As a basis, you should figure out what kind of relationship you have or need to have with a supplier or partner. You then make sure that you assign the right buyer to the right quadrant and thus supplier. Not doing this correctly could potentially damage the relationship and therefore our position. Setting this up in the right way tremendously influences our position and leverage. Above all, whatever you do and in whatever position you are in with regards to the supplier, respect is always the keyword.
Technology in Procurement:
Can you discuss the role of technology in enhancing procurement efficiency and transparency at BW LPG?
Especially with regards to the operational part of the procurement process, there are some quick wins when it comes to the role of technology. As we digitise the purchasing role, we can introduce innovations and efficiency improvements. We are, for example, introducing Amazon-type platforms with certain suppliers for technical stores and PPE, such as Source 2 Sea, which makes it easier for the crew on board our vessels to simply click on the picture of the parts or equipment they need. Also benchmarking and forecasting through Closelink for Lube Oil is a new development which we embraced. The role of Procurement is to facilitate this - we can help organise the financial back office,monitor deviations, and take on the more mundane tasks so that our colleagues at sea can focus on the strategic issues and flawless operations. Another major step we are currently investigating is the introduction of new technology regarding inventory management. Together with one of our partners in freight forwarding, Marinetrans, we are developing an inventory management platform, eSeastore, that will give us the tools to plan based on stock levels and have sophisticated tools on board to maintain stock on the vessel. This is a very exciting project.
Sustainability Practices:
How does BW LPG integrate sustainability into its procurement processes, especially considering the environmental impact of shipping?
As mentioned before, we have the Supplier Code of Ethics as an integral part of everything we do. In addition to this, we are increasingly choosing green solutions for parts and services in different regions of the world. Regarding Scope 3, we are still analysing and investigating potential consultants to work with. We are cautious and wary of anything that remotely looks like greenwashing, so there is still a long way to go.
Impact of Global Markets:
How do global economic conditions and market fluctuations impact your procurement strategies?
Obviously, they do, and they disrupt anything that we plan or forecast. I mean, who was counting on COVID-19? Or the political uncertainties in many parts of the world? The blockage of the Suez Canal? Drought at the Panama Canal, etc. The good thing is that we know we are very creative when it comes to problem-solving. Yes, we like to plan as much as possible, but we are agile and switch gears when necessary and required.
Future Procurement Trends:
What emerging trends do you see in procurement that could significantly impact the LPG shipping industry in the coming years?
From a leverage point of view, unfortunately, increasingly I see large companies buying out the smaller ones, which impacts our ability to leverage in certain parts of the supply chain. This is not a good development.
The two biggest trends, however, are undoubtedly in ESG and AI.
I strongly believe and hope that in a few years’ we will have surpassed the awareness phase of ESG and that there will be more regulation and certification, making it a lot easier for all companies to determine, on the basis of a standard, who to work with. ISO did the same thing for business processes in the 1980s.
Artificial Intelligence is an absolute game changer in any business. A lot of our repetitive activities will be taken over by AI, but also market analytics, supplier dashboards, forecasting, and reporting will be a lot easier and faster. Is this a threat to our procurement existence? Not at all, it simply means that we have more time for actual procurement activities instead of creating tools to help us do just that.
surveys in lieu of Class footage. Inspections bearing etc, damage protection, pre-purchase, pre/ equipment globally. They o er optimize speed and perlocal restructions.
WORLDWIDE SAFETY SERVICES
of Class Inspections damage pre-purchase, pre/ They o er and perrestructions.
EPSCO (CYPRUS) LTD OFFICE +357-25733091
1ST FLOOR, NO. 12 C KOLONAKIOU STREET LINOPETRA 4103 AYIOS ATHANASIOS LIMASSOL, CYPRUS
62 UBI ROAD 1, OXLEY BIZHUB 2 #10-07, S(408734) SINGAPORE
1ST FLOOR, NO. 12 C KOLONAKIOU STREET LINOPETRA
4103 AYIOS ATHANASIOS LIMASSOL, CYPRUS
EPSCO (DEUTSCHLAND) GMBH OFFICE + 49 40 25330540
SUEDERSTRASSE 159 A 20537 HAMBURG GERMANY
EPSCO (ASIA PACIFIC) PTE LTD OFFICE +65 6265 9477
62 UBI ROAD 1, OXLEY BIZHUB 2 #10-07, S(408734) SINGAPORE
EPSCO is renowned for its first-class safety services in the shipping industry. We service around 4,000 vessels annually and maintain fixed-fee Fleet Agreements for over 900 vessels worldwide, supported by teams in Cyprus, Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Singapore,along with our own FFE servicing facilities in Rotterdam.
What makes EPSCO different to other service providers’ fleet agreements?
Cooperation with customers combines all safety services into as few port calls as possible, saving time and money on overtime, transport, and scheduling.
As a result, all safety equipment certificates are harmonized allowing services to be planned more efficiently each year and again avoiding the time and cost of ad hoc attendances.
Full responsibility is taken for notifying of upcoming services, arranging services, following up, and managing all certifications to ensure they stay valid.
All certificates are securely stored on servers. Customers can access, view, and download certificates, as well as check service schedules and completed services.
A fixed annual fee is charged, divided into four quarters, instead of billing for each service. Consolidating services into fewer port calls includes transport and overtime in the fees, eliminating surprises and helping customers plan their vessel’s annual budget. (Launches and barges not included.)
There is no penalty fee for withdrawal of vessels from the agreement. If a vessel is sold or leaves management before all services are completed, the contract invoices will be credited and reinvoiced only for work done.
For more than three decades, Marinetrans has been a leading fourth-party logistics provider. We specialize in customized supply chain solutions and efficient ship spare delivery.
Our door-to-deck services support over 8,000 vessels across more than 2,000 ports. We prioritize proactive client support through expediting services and vendor management. Our tailored services are designed to deliver cost savings, transparency, and a single point of contact.
Strategically located hubs allow us to receive and consolidate cargo from marine parts suppliers. This ensures seamless logistics and timely deliveries. With 13 global offices, including locations in Greece, Singapore, Norway, the USA, Japan, Korea, and the Benelux, we are well-equipped to meet your logistics needs worldwide.
At Marinetrans, we strive to exceed client expectations. Our unique consolidation system and comprehensive services, including warehousing, freight forwarding, and customs clearance, are designed with excellence in mind. Every aspect of the supply chain is managed with precision and care.
To discover more about how Marinetrans can address your marine logistics needs, please visit our website at http://www.marinetrans.com.
Leadership Philosophy:
What leadership principles guide you in managing BW LPG’s procurement department?
A few principles are essential for any management position. First off, you should develop and train your individual team members in such a way that they can leave the company tomorrow but at the same time make them feel so proud and responsible that they don’t want to leave.
They need to understand how important they are to the team and enjoy every day that they are with you. Secondly, you should always be very clear regarding expectations and manage on the big lines. Never micromanage your team.
Be a real person and make people want to go the extra mile for you. Lastly, you should know what your own shortcomings as a leader are and find someone in the team who can take care of that part for you, simply because he or she is better at it. There is no shame in that; it’s just a matter of effective and situational leadership.
Career Advice:
Based on your extensive experience, what advice would you give to professionals aspiring to pursue a career in procurement within the shipping industry?
I always advise young professionals or those deciding on a career direction to consider Procurement. This amazing profession has everything you could possibly want in a career. You work with people, negotiate, create contracts, manage a team, be creative, manage change—the list goes on!
And then there’s the Shipping industry. As mentioned before, there is a lot of room for improvement and innovation. The industry can benefit tremendously from new and young talents with a different mindset. If you are resilient, flexible yet strong-minded, and willing to listen to those who understand life on board a vessel, there is no better career!
MCTC is a global maritime catering management and training business with a primary vision to revolutionize the quality of meals served onboard vessels.
We are committed to delivering exceptional culinary experiences and promoting nutritious food choices for the well-being of seafarers.
MCTC is a global leader in maritime catering management and training, renowned for supply chain optimization and culinary excellence. The company offers comprehensive services, addressing all aspects of vessel catering needs from supply ordering to recipe planning, to health and nutrition, as well as various training programs.
The company’s catering competency development program adopts a holistic approach, emphasizing training, motivation, support, sustainability, and nutrition services. Through conferences, webinars, and specialized training, MCTC elevates galley standards, motivates crews, and promotes nutritious meal options with the help of their experienced consultants who conduct regular vessel visits, ensuring high standards of training both onboard and ashore.
MCTC combines advanced culinary practices, efficient supply chain solutions, and tailored training programs to meet the unique needs of each vessel. Their commitment to sustainability is evident in their eco-friendly practices, focusing on reducing food waste and sourcing sustainable ingredients.
By focusing on professional development and continuous learning, MCTC ensures highquality dining experiences on vessels worldwide. Their approach not only enhances the skills of onboard catering crews but also addresses procedural issues, contributing to the overall success of their clients.
Rick Ackermann Head of Procurement
STEERING TOWARDS INNOVATION
Insights from Steven Clapperton on Marine Operations and Sustainability at the Port of London
Join us as we engage in an insightful conversation with Steven Clapperton, Director of Marine Operations at the Port of London Authority (PLA). With an extensive background in marine operations, Steven shares his vision for the future of the UK’s largest port by tonnage, exploring key initiatives like the Marine Centre Transformation Programme and workforce development strategies. Additionally, Grace Rawnsley, Director of Sustainability, provides her perspective on the PLA’s robust approach to sustainability, highlighting their efforts to decarbonise operations and promote environmental stewardship within the maritime community. Discover how the PLA is navigating the complex waters of modern maritime challenges and driving forward a sustainable future for the Thames.
Role and Experience:
With your extensive background in marine operations, how do you see your experience shaping the future direction of the Port of London?
As the largest port (by tonnage) in the UK, the Port of London Authority (PLA) has a strong vision for the future, neatly summed up in our strategy Thames Vision 2050, which we launched in 2022. Being the busiest inland waterway, with both growing trade and sporting activity on the river, we are a stakeholder-led organisation and work to keep the commercial and leisure users safe, to protect and enhance the environment, and to promote the use of the river for trade and travel.
Coming from a sea-going background (with experience in marine consultancy, pilotage, VTS, and managing operations, both directly in the shipping sector and in the oil and gas sector), there is a direct link to what I’ve done previously to our future ambitions at the PLA.
One of the fantastic things about the PLA is that it’s an organisation with employee development and lifelong learning at its heart. I’m now in a position where I can influence employee development at the PLA and start to create opportunities for the next generation of port employees, whatever they look like. For example, for those who would like a career afloat, we’ve got a very clear career path, from entry right through to Master on workboats, and this has been well-received by Trade Union representatives as well as colleagues.
Marine Centre Transformation Programme:
With your extensive background in marine operations, how do you see your experience shaping the future direction of the Port of London?
We’ve got an incredibly strong growth path at the PLA and by 2050, we anticipate our cargo movements growing from 55 million tonnes to approximately 75-80 million tonnes. Passengers on the Thames and light freight activities will also double. Yet the size of the waterway will remain static. So, it’s a constrained waterway, with competing demands, and it is only going to get busier.
Therefore, a recent and ongoing upgrade of our Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system is very much focused on the safety of navigation; we’re looking to the future of VTS to how we manage increasing constraints and competing demands on the waterways.
We did an extensive procurement process; one of the key inputs into our decision-making was to select a VTS system provider that had a strong technology roadmap, which was aligned with our long-term vision for VTS and vessel operations. We know that remote vessel operations and greater use of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), are coming, and we knew if we couldn’t be future-proofed right now, we needed to work with a provider with a similar long-term vision to ours.
Our £10 million Marine Centre Transformation Programme is the largest investment in our safety of navigation services in over a decade. Our approach to the programme has been with safety of navigation as the forefront focus. We recognised our VTS needed replacing, that our Port Control Centre building was nearing the end of its life, and the operating model, although perfectly acceptable in the ‘here and now,’ wasn’t going to be suitable to support the future growth plans that our customers have. That’s what led to the development.
The outcomes that we are looking for are focused on one port, one river. With a continued emphasis on safety in navigation, we want to build a model that can respond to continued growth of trade on the river, aligned with our Thames Vision, as well as cope with the increased passenger and cargo vessel requirements in this constrained waterway.
Challenges and Workforce Development:
What are the biggest challenges currently facing marine operations at PLA, and how are you addressing them, particularly in terms of workforce development and team leadership?
One of the biggest challenges is in adopting alternative fuels. In 2023, we transitioned our extensive vessel fleet from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO). We’re conscious that HVO is very much a transition fuel, and the supply chain will come under increasing amounts of pressure and so the cost will rise. We’re happy to absorb that cost in the short term because we recognise the importance of decarbonising our own operations. However, to maintain our fleet into the 2030s and 2040s, we are going to have to transition to something completely different.
We’ve always taken the position that we don’t plan to offset carbon emissions, so we effectively need zero-carbon propulsion fuel systems: perhaps hydrogen-based or some mix of alternative fuels. In preparation for this, between 2025 and 2028, we will operate the first Zero Emissions, hydrogenpowered, remotely operated surveying vessel, and we expect to learn a lot from that.
Another challenge is the skills and workforce we need for the future. Historically, our marine employees came from marine backgrounds, and from the communities they served. However, the world has changed quite significantly in the last 20 years, and so the marine and port sector is no longer as consistently as an attractive place as we’d like it to be. That together with the changing place of technology means that we are not entirely sure what the employees of the future will look like, or the skills that they are expected to have.
However, we are putting mechanisms in place just now to identify those individuals and create partnerships to develop skills, promoting the port sector as a great place to work. We have a graduate scheme (marine engineering, civil engineering, harbour master and hydro), and we have long had an apprenticeship scheme. This year, we’re going to be adding to our roll of apprentices.
Collaborations and Partnerships:
Can you discuss any significant collaborations or partnerships PLA is currently involved in or exploring?
We have a strong and very well-established academic partnership with University College London, which works very well for both parties. Businesses partnering with academia gives rigour, strength, and, for us, we get access to some incredible people, who can then trial academic work on real-world conditions. Our latest project is a four-year PhD to develop a Port of London digital twin.
Advice for Maritime Professionals:
What advice would you offer to professionals looking to advance in the maritime industry based on your experience?
I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic senior leaders throughout my career, and one piece of advice that someone gave me early on was never to turn down a development opportunity, regardless of how relevant it seems to where you are now. I’m a great advocate of lifelong learning and have taken every piece of training and development opportunity that has been offered to me, and I’d encourage everyone to do the same.
Sustainability Initiatives:
As a finalist/winner for the maritime UK’s Clean Maritime Operator award, how do you describe the PLA’s approach to sustainability?
Answered by Director of Sustainability, Grace Rawnsley
We approach it in three ways. Firstly, we consider it in terms of our own internal operations, making those as sustainable as they can be. That covers everything from being impeccable on our carbon footprint, to measuring all our emissions, and having a robust plan to reduce those emissions (including Scope 1, 2, and 3), to ensuring our operations don’t create negative impacts within the river. It is an internal focus in the first instance as it is an important value for our organisation: it keeps us current, future-proofed, and demonstrates that we lead by example.
The second way we approach sustainability is by looking at our wider reach; the community that is the Port of London. There are 70 different terminal operators across our 95-mile stretch of the tidal Thames, and hundreds of individual vessel operators as well. As the port authority for this community, we look at how we effectively use our influence, our relationships, and convening power to progress sustainability and drive forward positive change. We do that across a range of subject areas, including decarbonisation, biodiversity, conservation, water quality, and air quality. It is a really positive element of what we do.
The community understands that sustainability is here to stay, and they are making impactful strides on sustainability. For example, Cory has a Carbon Capture and Storage project, creating the UK’s largest single-site energy-from-waste (EfW) operation, with the potential to create the world’s largest single-site EfW decarbonisation project; London Gateway’s berth 4 is due to be operational by the end of the year and will be its first zero emissions berth; some vessel operators already have electricpowered vessels; and we’re receiving more requests from owners of river walls who are looking at implementing biodiversity projects. We’re seeing it take off, and we’re doing as much as possible with our coalition to make it as real as possible.
”The community understands that sustainability is here to stay”
At the Port of London, we’re looking at how best we can help reduce the obstacles to make the decarbonisation journey faster and easier for those individual companies, such as data gathering exercises, like our Maritime Emissions Portal (MEP portal), lobbying government for changes in regulation, or hard thinking about the solutions that are needed.
Then the third way is how the port supports the sustainability transition on a wider scale for the UK. As the largest port, we’re able to take a leading role in terms of sustainability, such as how to meet the demand for future fuels, the import routes, and how we manage large-scale biodiversity initiatives. We’re looking at how we can support decarbonisation in general, such as our Hydrogen Highway, leading a new consortium aiming to develop a UK hydrogen highway network which consists of land, sea and ports. Electric Thames is another innovative project that we’re involved in; not only looking at what grid capacity is required to support the electrification of vessels, but also what can vessels do from a battery storage perspective, feeding back into the grid.
As a Trust port, we are determined to hand the tidal Thames on in a better condition to future generations, and we’re focussed on our vision for the Thames (Thames Vision 2050), supporting sustainable development and accelerating decarbonisation.
The Port of London Authority (PLA) manages navigational safety, environmental protection, and commercial activities on the tidal Thames, facilitating trade and transport while ensuring sustainable use of the river.
Steven Clapperton Director of Marine Operations
PLA’s Director of Sustainability Grace Rawnsley (left) presenting to colleagues at Royal Terrace Pier, Gravesend.
Empowering Maritime Finance
David Lord’s Insights on Ebury’s Innovative Solutions
In an industry marked by financial complexities and evolving international regulations, the need for specialised financial services is more crucial than ever. David Lord, Director of Maritime Services at Ebury, leverages over two decades of expertise to guide maritime clients through these intricate waters. In this exclusive interview, David discusses his professional journey, the unique financial challenges of the maritime sector, and how Ebury’s tailored solutions are revolutionising maritime finance. From cutting-edge technology to strategic risk management, discover how Ebury is redefining financial services for the maritime industry.
Albeit in a very different style to its customer base, Ebury has recently also taken to the waters themselves, through its sponsorship of the Ebury Sailing Team
Role and Responsibilities:
As the Director of Maritime Services at Ebury, what are your primary responsibilities and how does that fit into the company’s strategy?
Great question, although it might help to provide some further context first.
Ebury has been supporting the maritime industry as a silent partner for almost the last decade, working with some of the major providers within the port cost management space. Maritime is therefore nothing new to Ebury. Considering the increasing demand for specialist providers that both understand the industry and can support the many unique challenges shipping companies face daily, I was brought in to help Ebury build a dedicated business unit and open our products and services to the entire industry.
Since joining Ebury in January 2024, my primary focus has been on helping to create and implement a go-to-market (GTM) strategy, covering commercial, marketing, product development, and industry-specific enhancements based on client-led insight. Additionally, I have contributed to the internal framework we use for compliance, client onboarding, and operational purposes.
I have also had the pleasure of bringing in new resources to help complement our existing team of maritime professionals, ensuring we can continue to provide world-class service to our clients. Moving forward, I will continue to work with both new and existing clients to continually develop our products and services, ensuring that Ebury stays ahead of our competition in this niche and exclusive industry.
Maritime Services Introduction:
Ebury has a broad range of financial services. Could you explain how maritime services fit into Ebury’s overall offerings and what specific services you provide to maritime clients?
This is another great question and is also what spurred Ebury into creating a dedicated business unit.
The maritime industry is unique and thus has a fairly unique set of requirements, which many traditional banks and other financial service providers have struggled to support due to a lack of general industry understanding. Additionally, much of the industry is perceived as high risk, meaning there are even fewer providers willing to support, let alone offer value-added services to their clients. Those that can often increase their pricing to manage this “perceived risk,” leaving the industry somewhat underserved, or at the very least, overpriced.
Almost all of Ebury’s core services are a natural fit for the industry, as we are able to facilitate international trade by removing potential barriers, or should I say borders, which is as per our branding, “Ebury - What Borders?”. In terms of the specific services we offer, we have three key areas:
Cash Management
Ebury has built an impressive infrastructure, combining the might of over twenty tier-1 banking partners which we offer to our clients. This includes named currency accounts in multiple jurisdictions, allowing for the local collection of funds and eliminating a significant proportion of banking costs for both parties in the transaction. This also provides our clients with access to significant payment capabilities, allowing them to send funds in over 130 currencies to over 160 countries, almost 40 of which can be sent as local transfers.
Treasury Solutions
At the core of our business is our FX risk management solution. As one of Bloomberg’s top-rated forecasters globally, and being able to offer everything from spot trading to forward contracts, Ebury is incredibly well positioned to support maritime clients globally. We also have a strong emerging markets proposition, with access to many emerging market currencies, which help reduce our clients’ costs significantly.
Unsecured Lending
Ebury has seen significant growth in this area, mainly driven by client demand. To date, we have provided almost £1 billion in unsecured lending, covering almost 30,000 invoices and supporting thousands of Ebury clients with an easier, simpler, and more cost-effective way of accessing the working capital they need to grow their businesses.
By understanding and addressing the unique financial needs of the maritime industry, Ebury ensures that our clients receive the tailored support they require to thrive in a challenging environment.
Maritime Financial Challenges:
What are some of the unique financial challenges faced by the maritime industry today, and how does Ebury help address these?
As already mentioned, the maritime industry is unique and therefore has a distinctive set of financial challenges. Aside from the aforementioned compliance hurdles that many of our clients faced before joining Ebury, there are also challenges caused by a general lack of industry understanding, which creates further confusion.
To add to this, almost all maritime payments are considered urgent, whether it’s a payment to a port agent or a salary payment to a crew member. Therefore, being able to process time-sensitive payments on time, every time, is a significant strength of Ebury’s and a distinct advantage to our clients.
Ebury specialises in facilitating international trade, so if you are a client with restricted cash flow and want to benefit from our trade finance solutions, or you have a global customer base and want to be able to issue invoices locally, Ebury is able to support.
From the feedback we’ve had from our clients, the main value that Ebury delivers to its maritime clients is its comprehensive range of services provided by a team of experts, not just specifically one or two parts of our collective offering.
Technological Advancements:
How is technology transforming financial services within the maritime sector, and what innovations has Ebury implemented?
The maritime industry is unique, with some companies being at the forefront of digital innovation and others still preferring to use “pen and paper.” This is also one of Ebury’s strengths, being able to support companies of all types, whether they are already on their digital transformation journey and therefore utilise our API capabilities to support with process automation, or whether they prefer a more traditional approach and choose to transact through our platform, on email, or over the phone.
From a client perspective, Ebury has invested in making constant enhancements to our client-facing products, ensuring maximum uptime, minimal disruption, and easy connectivity with systems like Oracle Netsuite and Xero. We’ve also developed our own mobile application for our UK clients, which allows them to access their accounts and transact “on the go.”
Global Operations:
Ebury operates in multiple countries. How do you tailor your maritime financial services to meet the diverse needs of international clients?
Being a truly global provider is just part of the value we bring to our clients. Ebury operates across 25+ countries and 38+ offices, meaning we can manage most local requirements too.
For some of our clients, the value could be as simple as having their own dedicated account manager who can communicate in their own language, whereas for others, the value could be in our extended trading hours, which allow clients to trade 24 hours a day, five days a week.
For international clients with multiple offices across the globe, Ebury can provide holistic services from one centralised platform, ensuring standard processes, local independence, and global visibility for all teams involved.
Risk Management:
How does Ebury manage risk in its maritime financial services, and what measures are in place to protect your clients?
It is worth noting that Ebury Partners UK Ltd is not a bank, but an Electronic Money Institution. As such, and in respect of safeguarding client funds, Ebury uses segregated client accounts in accordance with Electronic Money Regulations, which is a safe way to hold balances.
Ebury maintains all client funds in segregated, ring-fenced accounts with tier 1 banks, separate from our operating accounts, and regulated in six markets. This means that our clients’ funds are safeguarded appropriately.
In terms of compliance, and as already mentioned above, Ebury is regulated across six markets, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) in Belgium.
Our approach to compliance is very much proactive, meaning we aim at eliminating potential issues before they occur. When coupled with our extensive maritime experience, our approach to compliance ensures our clients can operate with certainty and security. Compliance is one of the cornerstones of our organisation and as such, is embedded across all of our products and services, ensuring that both our clients and Ebury are protected.
Client Success Stories:
Could you share a success story where Ebury’s maritime services significantly benefited a client?
We recently onboarded a UK client that has two further offices in Europe, as well as a joint venture with a company in Hong Kong.
Our client had seen significant growth in a short space of time, which meant that they had different processes and different banking relationships in each country they operated. This also meant multiple logins to their respective bank systems.
Through Ebury, our client was able to move to a single system to manage all of their global funds, while implementing a standard process across all regions and ensuring full integration with their accounting system. In addition, they were also able to access Ebury’s global infrastructure, allowing them to open named, local currency accounts in each of the jurisdictions they operate in, which helped to significantly reduce their international banking costs. More specifically, they were able to open named currency accounts in the locations of their biggest customers, which meant they could now issue local invoices for local settlement, thereby reducing the fees involved for all parties and speeding up the settlement time to access their funds.
Finally, we were also able to support our client with a comprehensive risk management strategy for their FX exposure, enabling them to budget their international sales and revenue at a secured rate, ensuring they were able to publish their prices for the entire financial year.
Future Trends:
What future trends do you foresee in maritime finance, and how is Ebury preparing to meet these evolving demands?
Having our “finger on the pulse” is paramount to the success of our organisation, so many of the developments we have made and will continue to make are driven by client insight and demand. We see our clients as partners and therefore nurture those relationships to become mutually beneficial, using our clients to sound out our ideas that we believe will benefit the industry, as well as hearing our clients’ suggestions as to how they believe we might be able to help solve their existing challenges.
One of the biggest trends we currently see is digitalisation, which is working its way across almost every corner of the maritime industry. Almost all companies will have different priorities, especially following recent world events and the newly introduced emission caps, but many of our clients have started their digitalisation journey internally by reviewing the manual, labour-intensive, and paperdriven processes throughout their organisation. By introducing technology that supports more optimal processes, companies can achieve significant benefits that help to increase visibility, reduce the risk of mistakes through manual intervention, free up the time of the teams involved, and more often than not, reduce costs.
Integration with third-party systems is therefore crucial for Ebury and for us to be able to play our part in supporting our clients’ digitalisation journeys. To this end, Ebury has invested heavily in API capabilities, meaning we are able to offer full two-way communication with our clients’ ERP software, crewing platforms, vessel management systems, and treasury management systems, allowing for seamless automation and reconciliation.
Another big trend we have seen is the push to reduce or even eliminate the reliance on cash within the industry. Cash is still widely used onboard vessels to pay disembarking crew any balance of their wages (which can be complicated for the company to settle from shore), to pay port and other local expenses where digital payment facilities may not be present, as well as for other eventualities that are sometimes difficult to predict. While this generally makes life more convenient for the crew of the ship, it also carries several inherent risks and costs, as well as exposing both the shipping company and their crew unnecessarily. With the introduction of digital payment solutions, the maritime industry can now free itself from its reliance on cash, which helps free up cash flow, reduce the costs associated with delivering and safekeeping cash, as well as reduce all of the aforementioned risks.
Closing Statement:
Ebury’s Commitment to the Future of Maritime Finance
With Ebury’s significant global presence and capabilities, our deep experience in supporting the global maritime industry, our constant innovation in technology, and through the incredible partnerships with fellow market leaders, Ebury is privileged to be able to support our clients in their digital finance transformation journeys.
Pioneering Sustainable Yachting: Insights from Arie Van Andel, CTO
of Oceanco
Join us for an exclusive interview with Arie Van Andel, Chief Technology Officer at Oceanco, as he delves into the innovative strides the company is making in the realm of yacht design and technology. With a commitment to sustainability and cutting-edge advancements, Oceanco is at the forefront of creating ecofriendly and advanced superyachts. In this conversation, Arie shares his vision for the future, the integration of emerging technologies, and how Oceanco is navigating the challenges and opportunities within the maritime industry. Discover how Oceanco is shaping the future of yachting with groundbreaking designs and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.
Role and Vision:
QAs the CTO of Oceanco, could you share how your role shapes the company’s vision and technological advancements in yacht design?
I don’t believe one person shapes the company’s vision and technological advancements, per se; but rather this stems from the company’s DNA, which we have articulated in our vision and mission statement.
Our company’s vision is “to be the most exclusive builder of the world’s coolest yachts,” and our mission is “to create, deliver, and support innovative and uniquely designed, high-quality large yachts that are perfect for their visionary owners”.
Owners usually have a vision or dream of how they want their yacht to look and the experience they want it to deliver. It is up to us to interpret their wishes and to realise them in the physical form of a yacht that, once delivered, surpasses all expectations. This can only be achieved when our approach to design and technical systems – a core part of our DNA – is fundamentally innovative.
Since the earliest days of Oceanco, we have been privileged to collaborate with nonconformist owners and equally ambitious partners to push boundaries with our yachts. This has resulted in arguably the most impressive portfolio of innovation in the yachting industry. Projects like Black Pearl are a typical example where an owner’s distinct vision, Oceanco’s innovative essence, and the strong partnership with our Co-maker network converged with spectacularly innovative results. These achievements show the power of partnership, and we are thankful for everyone who has joined us on this journey.
Technology Integration:
QWhat are the latest technological innovations Oceanco has integrated into its yacht designs and how have they enhanced performance and luxury?
AI and machine learning are starting to play a beneficial role in how we engineer, build, and operate yachts. Interestingly, we are making the first steps towards predictive maintenance of yachts, which should allow us to reduce downtime—a significant benefit for owners and crew.
This new technological capability brings the potential to evaluate vast amounts of information more quickly, meaning we can gain better insight into the carbon footprint of our yachts throughout the building process and eventual lifecycle. With this data in place, we can narrow the gap between where we are today and where we want to be in a more efficient reality—bringing us ever closer to conscious construction.
We have been executing this on a current project, and the client has been extremely pleased to gain such a deep understanding of his yacht’s impact across both the build and subsequent life cycle.
“With the data in place, we can narrow the gap between where we are today and where we want to be in a more efficient reality – bringing us ever-closer to conscious construction.”
Sustainability Focus:
QOceanco has a commitment to sustainability. Can you discuss the technologies and practices you’ve implemented to make yachting more eco-friendly? and how have they enhanced performance and luxury?
Sustainability in yachting has been a major focus for Oceanco for around a decade now; I would argue long before it entered the mainstream for our industry. We have advanced so much in the last decade that what was once considered more ‘out there’ is now the norm, and we are looking to even more exciting ways to futureproof our yachts for the duration of their lifecycle.
The introduction of hybrid propulsion systems has been the biggest game-changer. The addition of batteries to our superyachts’ technical systems allows for peak shaving, enabling more efficient energy usage. Electromotors have reduced unpleasant noise and vibration onboard, which is a high priority for most owners.
Here is a brief summary of some major projects we have delivered or developed over the last decade, relating specifically to sustainability in yachting:
BLACK PEARL
Our first flagship ‘sustainable’ project was the 106m sailing yacht Black Pearl, whose visionary owner wanted to build the most eco-conscious yacht possible. Probably her most interesting innovation is the ability to regenerate power through her sails. Her hybrid propulsion installation has two shaft lines, each with a controllable pitch propeller. In normal sailing mode, the propellers are set to minimise drag and prevent the shafts from turning. But to harvest some of that kinetic energy to be stored and used onboard, the pitch of the propellers is altered to create a lifting force as the water passes over them. This rotates the shafts, which are connected to a permanent magnet electric propulsion motor, effectively converting the wind energy that is moving Black Pearl through the water into electrical energy.
With the system reaching its full potential, Black Pearl is able to achieve a zero-emission transatlantic crossing where both propulsion and hotel services are powered by the wind alone. We are able to turn back the clock to a time when oceanic travel was emission-free, except now with all the comfort and luxury provided onboard a modern yacht.
LIFE DESIGN
Then came our LIFE Design approach – standing for Lengthened, Innovative layout, Fuel efficient, and Eco-conscious – successfully tackled with engineering partner Lateral. It was first used on the 109m (357ft) Bravo Eugenia, which we delivered in 2018. The team focused on hydrodynamics: The resistance performance of a yacht is significantly influenced by its length at the waterline and its weight. In naval architecture, we call this the ‘length displacement ratio.’ If you have two vessels of the same weight, the longer one will have a reduced overall demand for propulsion power, and consequently a reduced size of engine and related equipment is needed. It is a simple principle, but it is the fundamental foundation of LIFE Design. And in adopting a refined version of the hybrid propulsion system used for Black Pearl on Bravo Eugenia, even greater power advantages were conveyed to her over a conventional diesel-only system.
Thanks to LIFE Design, Bravo Eugenia’s technical space was reduced while the guest space was boosted to over 100sqm at the desirable waterline level. She exhibits best-in-class hydrodynamic efficiency and 30% less fuel usage compared to a conventional motoryacht of the same size. She also features a waste heat recovery system and integrated battery system to allow for optimal operation at all times.
Even though she can achieve speeds of up to 19 knots, Bravo Eugenia offers a relaxing setting for those onboard, thanks to reduced noise and vibration from the smaller propulsion-related equipment; and when entering ports, she goes into ‘whisper mode’ for ultimate guest comfort.
ENERGY TRANSITION PLATFORM
Of course, in yachting today, you can’t avoid the focus on the energy transition that’s happening –aka the move away from fossil fuels towards more eco-conscious alternatives. Future-proofing a yacht is the process of designing it to navigate this transition by anticipating the future to enable informed choices of layout, configuration, technology, and specification that will avoid obsolescence within the intended lifespan of the yacht.
Recently, we worked with long-term partners Lateral as well as MTU and ABB to develop a futureproofed system called the Energy Transition Platform (ETP), to ensure multiple technical pathways can be pursued as technologies mature during the energy transition timeline.
The ETP made its debut on Aeolus, a 131m Oceanco Tomorrow’s Design. Through its multi-stage adaptable approach, we have effectively future-proofed a path to zero emissions to minimise risk to our clients while also safeguarding the environment as best we can with the technology that will emerge as time goes on.
Since the ETP’s initial launch, the system has been adjusted and approved in principle by the ABS classification society for yachts with an LOA from 70m. This makes the ETP accessible for yachts of a considerably lower volume than other available methanol concepts and projects, allowing it to be adopted by a wide portion of the market, including Oceanco’s full range of offerings.
EFFICIENCY
And beyond looking to transition to these more sustainable kinds of fuels, efficiency has a vital part to play in reducing the industry’s impact, too. It’s something we’ve been considering at Oceanco for many years now. It doesn’t just mean the efficiency of the propulsion and naval architecture – it’s also the hotel load of our yachts, aka the power used by all the other systems onboard.
Efficiency is not just about reducing consumption but also minimising waste, like waste heat recovery, for example. This feeds back to my comment about AI and machine learning giving us a vastly increased capacity to analyse and improve what we are implementing on our yachts in a faster and more efficient way.
Challenges in Innovation:
QWhat are the biggest challenges you face when integrating new technologies into custom yacht builds, and how do you overcome them?ore eco-friendly? and how have they enhanced performance and luxury?
None of us can solve today’s challenges – such as sustainability and circularity – on our own. We need to collaborate within our networks and across industries, sharing knowledge to reduce risk and avoid reinventing the wheel.
At Oceanco, we have a vision for creating a more sustainable future through various designs and concepts that have already been revealed; but there remain some challenges in technology readiness, maturity, and the scale of commercial availability required for integration into a project. To overcome this, we have worked with partners to create the Energy Transition Platform (ETP), as outlined above, where we equip today’s yachts with matured, advanced, and readily available technology while allowing for future upgrades when new technology has matured.
In addition, whereas in the past, innovation was often made possible by improving one technical area at a time, today we can make even more impactful advances through integrated technological systems that draw from all kinds of disciplines. As a yacht builder, this makes it even more important for us to have a clear vision for innovation and to manage the process well.
Collaborations:
Q
Could you highlight any significant partnerships with tech firms or designers that have influenced Oceanco’s technological advancements?
Collaboration and partnership have always been major drivers of our innovation at Oceanco. The achievements of Black Pearl and Bravo Eugenia would never have been possible without our close work with partners such as naval architects, electrical integrators, and key equipment suppliers to develop integrated solutions. Through the development of the Energy Transition Platform (ETP), we were able to go one step further by bringing together disciplines that don’t usually meet on a project, let alone share knowledge and ideas.
Client Customisation Process:
Q
How does technology enable Oceanco to meet the unique demands and visions of your clients during the customisation process?
Undoubtedly, our clients continue to challenge us in areas that are simply not possible with current applications of technology, which drives us toward innovation.
New technologies are allowing us to better visualise what the owner’s yacht will be like, which certainly helps in achieving their goals and visions.
“Collaboration and partnership have always been major drivers of our innovation at Oceanco.”
Future Technology Trends:
Q
Which emerging technology trends do you believe will significantly impact the super yacht industry in the next decade?
With pressure from all directions to switch to a more sustainable way of operating yachts, the energy transition will undoubtedly have a major impact. We are only just beginning to see the benefits that AI might have on how we build and operate our yachts, as referred to above. It’s a dynamic and exciting time to be involved in the technological side of yachting, for sure.
Career Insights: Q
With your extensive experience in the industry, what advice would you give to young engineers aspiring to work in yacht design and technology?
Since the onset of the industrial revolution, there has never been a period of time where the contribution of engineers has been so needed – in resolving global community challenges and contributing to corporate responsibility. Now comes the ultimate moment for engineers to stand up and develop the solutions that are vital for our future. Our world, our very existence, lies in the hands of our engineers. This is even more true for yachting, which should be pioneering the change to more sustainable and circular solutions.
Impact of Digital Tools:
How have digital tools and simulations changed the way Oceanco designs and tests new yacht concepts?
Our newly developed tool for carbon footprint analysis of our yachts is a prime example, helping us assess both the build process and the life cycles after delivery.
Furthermore, digital tools have significantly improved the efficiency of our engineering and production processes. As skilled labour, knowledge, and craftsmanship become increasingly scarce, we rely more on digital tools, automation, and robotics to fill these gaps and ensure precision and quality in our work.
Vision for Oceanco’s Future:
QLooking ahead, what are your strategic goals for Oceanco’s technological development, and what should clients and industry watchers expect next?
Oceanco will remain an industry pioneer and strongly push to develop sustainable yachting, based upon the principle of design for transition. This commitment goes beyond the sustainability and circularity of the yachts themselves – it extends to our own practices. We will continue to focus on bringing down the footprint of our building process by reducing waste, upcycling materials, making our facilities more energy efficient, and reducing the use of sensitive materials. Our ultimate aim is to reduce the environmental footprint of both our products and our business. You can find out more about our dedicated sustainability action plan: https://www.oceancoyacht.com/sustainability/
Oceanco builds custom superyachts, blending innovative design, advanced engineering, and superior craftsmanship to deliver one-of-a-kind, high-performance vessels tailored to individual client specifications.
Arie Van Andel CTO
Navigating the Future of Superyacht Technology with Daniel Kerkhof of Crestron Marine
Crestron Marine: A name synonymous with seamless integration and intuitive control in the world of superyachts. But what truly sets them apart in this competitive market? In this insightful interview, we speak with Daniel Kerkhof, Director of Marine at Crestron, to explore the innovative strategies and cuttingedge technologies that define Crestron Marine. Join us as we uncover their unique approach and unwavering dedication to delivering an unparalleled experience for discerning owners and guests, setting a new standard for luxury and performance on the high seas.
Origins of Crestron Marine:
QHow did the idea for Crestron Marine come about, and how does it align with Crestron Electronics’ broader mission?
Our presence in the marine market wasn’t a calculated move, but rather an organic evolution. Crestron technology, designed for seamless customisation, found a natural home in the bespoke world of superyachts. Today, our mission is clear: to empower owners and guests with the latest technologies, delivering an extremely luxurious experience on the high seas.
Aligning with Crestron’s Broader Mission
Crestron’s core mission is to enrich how people work, live, and learn around the globe. By bringing our expertise to the marine market, we aim to elevate the superyacht experience, offering solutions that seamlessly integrate into the elegant and connected lifestyle that discerning owners demand. This means providing access to the latest technologies without compromise and ensuring unparalleled ease of use for both owners and guests. After all, a seven-star hotel experience is an expectation onboard, and Crestron is dedicated to delivering just that.
Organic Growth in the Marine Market
The first superyachts were built 40 years ago, while Crestron has existed for over fifty years. This longevity and commitment to innovation have positioned Crestron as a natural fit for the marine market. One of the key strengths of Crestron technology is its adaptability and ease of integration into custom-designed systems, a crucial requirement for every marine project. Skilled Crestron integrators can utilise the same Crestron hardware and software developed for the likes of NASA, governments, leading corporations, and luxury homes for marine projects. This allows them to flawlessly create spectacular experiences on board a superyacht. This unique approach ensures that superyachts benefit from the best-in-class technology and close working relationships that are hallmarks of Crestron, while delivering solutions that cater to the elegant and connected lifestyle of discerning owners.
Adapting to the Global Landscape
As Crestron’s presence in the marine market grew, we realised the need to adapt to the unique challenges and opportunities it presented. Marine projects often transcend geographical boundaries, with stakeholders located around the world. To address this, we established a dedicated marine division, providing a centralised point of contact and ensuring seamless communication throughout the project lifecycle, regardless of location. This global reach, coupled with our commitment to dedicated support, further enhances the Crestron Marine experience.
Integration of Systems:
QCrestron Marine offers a seamless integration of various onboard systems, from audio and video to lighting and climate. How do you ensure that these integrations are both user-friendly and technologically advanced?
We take a holistic approach to onboard system integration. We design, manufacture, and support the full spectrum of systems, from audio and video to lighting and climate. This allows us to ensure seamless integration and user-friendly control while staying at the forefront of technological advancements.
User-Friendly Design and Control
User experience is paramount in everything we do. Our rigorous testing process includes fieldtesting control interfaces to ensure the most intuitive operation possible for both guests and crew. We also make sure our products are compatible with different standards, such as DALI, KNX, and AES67, to facilitate easy, reliable, and secure integration of third-party products. Additionally, we offer APIs for developers to create custom control interfaces based on HTML5 and industry-standard UX development suites.
Technological Advancement and Innovation
We are constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation. Our commitment to research and development ensures that our solutions are always at the cutting edge of technology. For example, our DM NVX product family offers unparalleled flexibility and scalability for AV distribution onboard superyachts. These solutions provide high-performance video and audio over IP, eliminating the need for bulky and complex cabling, while offering advanced, cutting-edge features for a truly immersive, seamless entertainment experience onboard.
Commitment to Training and Education
We understand that the success of our solutions relies heavily on the knowledge and skills of the crew. That’s why we offer specialised marine training courses in collaboration with the Superyacht Electronics Academy. These courses equip crew members with the necessary expertise to manage the Crestron onboard technologies effectively. Additionally, our award-winning training program provides ongoing education for crew members and recruitment agencies, ensuring they stay up to date with the latest advancements in Crestron technology.
The Ultimate Movie Platform
Enjoy movies wherever you are with our marine movie store and white glove service.
Hear the Difference
Lossless audio with bitrate 10x higher than typical streamer rates.
See the Difference
4K HDR with video bitrate 10x higher than typical streamer rates.
Experience the Difference
Built-in automation to dim lights and close shades when you press play.
Image
THE ULTIMATE MOVIE PLATFORM
Kaleidescape has been designing, manufacturing, and selling state-of-the-art movie players and servers for over 20 years. The only digital provider of movies with lossless audio and full reference video quality, Kaleidescape dramatically elevates every component of your theater for the ultimate cinematic experience.
Designed for the custom installation industry, Kaleidescape movies are stored and played onboard for immediate and reliable enjoyment. With Kaleidescape, you will hear, see, and experience the difference with audio and video bitrates 10x that of typical streamer rates and built-in automation cues to dim lights and close shades when you press play.
Kaleidescape systems using the marine movie service provide benefits for yacht owners that go beyond incredible audio and video quality. Since the adoption of ultra-high throughput satellite services, engineers have gained valuable insights from installing Kaleidescape systems on superyachts, particularly in optimizing bandwidth usage and reducing connectivity costs.
1. Local Storage is Key: Kaleidescape systems, with their large storage capacities, can hold thousands of movies and TV shows locally on the yacht. This minimizes the need for continuous internet access, which is crucial for conserving bandwidth.
2. Seamless Integration Enhances Experience: We’ve found that Kaleidescape integrates smoothly with existing yacht entertainment systems, providing an immersive audio and video experience across multiple zones without any buffering or quality loss.
3. Offline Viewing is a Game Changer: Guests can enjoy uninterrupted entertainment by accessing stored content offline. This is especially valuable when cruising in remote areas where internet access is limited or unavailable.
4. Significant Bandwidth Savings: By leveraging local storage, Kaleidescape significantly reduces the reliance on high-bandwidth internet, leading to substantial cost savings on satellite data plans. This also ensures a better connectivity experience for other online activities.
5. Legacy Compatibility: With a legacy Premiere server, the crew can access a vast range of content using existing onboard equipment, enhancing their entertainment options without needing new infrastructure.
“Our recent observations have highlighted that yachts using Starlink for streaming TV shows are often hit with substantial overage fees. By adopting Kaleidescape’s onboard media servers, we not only enhance the entertainment experience but also significantly reduce these expensive Satellite internet charges, positioning it as the ideal solution for luxury yachting,” comments Scott Galloway, Managing Director of TSM – Superyacht Technology.
Kaleidescape’s product lineup for marine includes our latest Terra Prime Solid-State movie servers, with the capability to play up to 25 concurrent playbacks to Strato C movie players.
Visit the Kaleidescape website to learn more.
www.kaleidescape.com
Unique Challenges in Marine Environments:
QWhat are some of the unique challenges of implementing technology solutions in marine environments, and how does Crestron Marine address them?
Marine environments present unique challenges for technology implementation. Electronics must withstand harsh conditions, including moisture, salt, and constant motion. Additionally, space is often limited, making installation and cooling of equipment racks a challenge.
We address these challenges by adhering to stringent marine product guidelines. Our keypads and speakers are designed to withstand the harshest environments, ensuring their durability and reliability. Additionally, our AV-over-IP technology minimises cabling, saving space and offering maximum flexibility for media distribution throughout the yacht.
Overcoming Geographical Constraints
Remote locations and limited access pose another challenge. We address this through a threepronged approach. First, our products undergo rigorous testing to ensure maximum reliability and durability. Second, our systems offer remote access for technicians to diagnose and troubleshoot issues from land. Finally, we provide comprehensive training for crew members, empowering them to handle basic troubleshooting and client requests.
Meeting High-End Expectations
Superyacht owners and guests expect a seven-star hotel experience. To meet these expectations, we provide flexible systems that can adapt to diverse requirements. Our IP-connected and controlled components offer unparalleled flexibility for installation, use, and maintenance. Additionally, we recognise the importance of a robust network infrastructure, ensuring seamless connectivity and reliable performance.
Collaboration and Partnerships
We believe in fostering strong relationships with industry partners. We collaborate with leading manufacturers and system integrators to ensure seamless integration of our technology with other onboard systems. This collaborative approach ensures that our solutions meet the specific needs of each superyacht, delivering a truly customised and integrated experience.
Future Innovations
We are constantly exploring new technologies and innovations to enhance the superyacht experience. We are particularly excited about the potential of artificial intelligence and machine learning to personalise and automate onboard systems, further elevating the level of comfort and convenience for owners and guests.
Importance of User Experience:
QHow does Crestron Marine ensure a consistent and intuitive user experience across all its offerings, given the diverse range of systems and controls?
Intuitive control is quite literally at the core of what we do at Crestron Marine. It’s the guiding principle behind our diverse range of systems and controls, ensuring a consistent and effortless user experience across the board.
Our journey began 50 years ago, and control systems have always been the backbone of our company. We’ve constantly refined and improved these systems, with user-friendliness at the forefront of our minds. The evolution never stops, and we’re always developing new UI solutions based on the latest technology or experiences clients see, want, or need, offering diverse customised functionality, all while maintaining ease of use.
Here’s how we ensure a consistent and intuitive user experience across our marine offerings:
User-friendly interfaces: Our control systems are designed to be intuitive and easy to use, even for those unfamiliar with the technology. They’re also customisable to match the specific needs of each vessel and user preference.
Consistent design across devices: The user experience remains consistent regardless of the device used to control the systems, whether it’s a touchpad, keypad, or remote. This ensures a seamless and familiar experience for users, regardless of their location on the vessel.
Integration with existing systems: Crestron Marine solutions integrate seamlessly with existing systems on board, whether Crestron or third-party such as lighting, climate control, and navigation systems. This allows users to control all aspects of their environment from a single interface.
Comprehensive training and support: We provide comprehensive training and support to ensure users can get the most out of their systems. This includes on-site training, online resources, and dedicated customer support.
Continuous innovation and improvement: We’re constantly innovating and improving our user interfaces and control systems. This ensures that users always have access to the latest and most advanced technology.
Whether owners and their guests are using a touchpad, keypad, or remote, we want them to feel instantly comfortable and in control of the experience onboard. For our superyacht clientele, this is even more important, as many have a Crestron system in their home as well. We understand the importance of replicating their home experience, even when they’re on the water. As we explained in a recent blog post, the ability to mimic the client’s home experience, even when they’re on the water, is a crucial aspect of our approach.
Finally, we take pride in supporting our hardware products long after their typical lifespan, and when we design new products, backward compatibility is a top priority. This ensures a seamless and familiar experience for our users, regardless of the technology they’re interacting with. By focusing on user experience, we provide our clients with a seamless and intuitive way to control their vessels, enhancing their overall enjoyment and comfort. We believe that a positive user experience is essential for creating a truly luxurious and enjoyable experience on board.
Elevate Your Service Experience with CST Call Buttons
In the realm of luxury and service, the difference between ordinary and extraordinary often lies in the details. Call Systems Technology (CST) presents an exquisite range of steward call buttons designed to seamlessly blend traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, ensuring an unparalleled service experience. Our Iris collection, named after the Greek goddess who served as a divine messenger, embodies this ethos of communication and elegance.
Tailored to Perfection
Understanding the unique needs of our clients, CST offers extensive customisation options. From bespoke leather finishes to intricate metal engravings, our call buttons can be tailored to match the most discerning tastes and decor styles. This flexibility ensures our call buttons complement any elegant setting.
Seamless Integration with Modern Solutions
Our range includes the Empris (Wi-Fi) and Empra (RF Radio Frequency) collections, designed to meet varying technical requirements. The Empris represents a leap in wireless communication, allowing staff to receive and acknowledge requests discreetly and efficiently. The Empra, our original button solution, is perfect for environments where Wi-Fi might be unreliable, ensuring consistent performance through radio frequency.
In addition to our call buttons, CST also offers two-way radios that integrate seamlessly with our systems. These radios provide an additional layer of communication, ensuring that staff stay connected and responsive at all times. The integration of these two-way radios is particularly valuable in large or complex settings, where maintaining clear and immediate communication is crucial for delivering top-notch service. With CST’s solutions, you can trust that your team will have the tools necessary to provide timely and efficient responses to any guest request.
Endorsements from Industry Leaders
Our commitment to excellence has garnered praise from industry leaders. A Chief Stewardess of a 68m Explorer Yacht notes, “We are very happy with the call button system we have had installed on board; we are able to offer a luxurious, discreet & efficient service to all our guests.” This underscores the reliability and sophistication of our systems, making them a preferred choice for luxury yachts, hotels, and private residences.
Crafted for Elegance and Efficiency
CST’s steward call buttons are more than communication tools—they are symbols of sophistication and exceptional service. Designed and handcrafted in the United Kingdom, each button blends premium quality leather, precision-engineered metal, and traditional craftsmanship. The harmonious combination of premium quality leather set against a hand-polished metal, precision engineering and traditional mastery, results in a unique piece of the finest quality.
Choose CST Luxury call buttons to elevate your service experience, ensuring that every request is met with utmost efficiency and elegance. Discover the art of seamless communication with CST.
Global Presence and Support:
QWith 90 fully staffed offices worldwide, how does Crestron Marine ensure consistent quality and support for its clients across different regions?
With 90 fully staffed offices worldwide, Crestron Marine is uniquely positioned to provide consistent quality and support for its clients across different regions. That global footprint allows us to be there for our clients, no matter where they are in the world.
But it’s not just about physical presence. Beyond that, we ensure that support is available 24/7. Our marine specialists are highly dedicated to providing the same level of service that superyacht customers expect from their crew, regardless of their location. That’s exactly why we started the marine department: so our customers get the same level of service from someone who knows their project, no matter where they are.
As for consistent quality, it’s deeply ingrained in Crestron’s culture. Although we ship our products globally, the testing process that takes place at our U.S. headquarters is incredibly demanding. From hardware to firmware to software, we have a team dedicated to trying to break (or hack) what we make before a solution ever ships.
By combining its global presence with its commitment to quality and support, Crestron Marine ensures that its clients receive the same exceptional experience, no matter where they are in the world. We understand that superyacht owners and their guests demand the best, and we are committed to delivering on that promise.
The Perfect Partnership Savage Lighting and Crestron
Together, we offer a complete lighting and window treatment solution for superyachts in a way that is unique to this market. With just two suppliers, you have an end-to-end solution with all the features and customization options you would need.
Utlising the Crestron Home OS:
The New range of fixtures can Personalise lighting for spaces or art, allowing user access to configuration for simple changes depending on time of year, guests or location, the inbuilt technology, can Set-up Circadian lighting solutions for health and wellness. Set up scenes for lighting, shades and more direct from the Crestron home app, using less cable and complexity, does not require a network or IP addressing, easy programming and configuration!
The resulting possibilities are limitless. Savage Marine Lighting has developed standard fixed and directional spots using the DMX-C, and each is available in a choice of finishes and optics to enhance the surroundings. We also offer a bespoke service using the DMX-C. We can integrate this into many different luminaires, so we can ensure the look of the fixture blends perfectly into the design specifications and any other requirements. That work extends beyond Marine to high end residential and hotels.
Savage Marine Ltd, established over 23 years ago, are based in Leicestershire in the United Kingdom and specialise in designing and manufacturing high quality lighting products for the Superyacht industry. With in-house precision engineering facilities and dedicated electrical engineers, we are at the forefront of LED product innovation and lighting design solutions.
Future Innovations:
QAs an innovator in the marine technology space, what are some upcoming advancements or features that Crestron Marine is excited about?
As an innovator in the marine technology space, we’re always excited about upcoming advancements and features. However, we’re also cautious about revealing too much about our roadmap. Pioneering at the forefront of technology means that it’s sometimes difficult to predict how long it will take before an innovation is ready to be launched.
Despite this, there are some insights into what’s on the horizon for Crestron Marine:
The impact of increased internet speeds on yachts: The increasing availability of high-speed internet on yachts is creating a change in the behaviour of our end customers on board. Up until recently, you could only listen to or watch content or media that were already available on board. The use of streaming services was nearly impossible due to a lack of speed (and any solution we could offer was extremely expensive). The increasing availability of internet on board, through Starlink and other providers, results in a different media consuming pattern. That’s something we consider when developing our solutions.
Of course, the increased availability of internet on board didn’t come as a surprise to us. This means we already have the products and solutions available that answer those changing needs. One such example includes our digital signal processor (the DM-NAX-XSP) that brings eARC into the mix via HDMI connectivity. It’s such a small black box, but this addition shows just how far Crestron is ahead when looking at its product roadmap.
The Crestron DM-NAX-XSP is a digital signal processor that pairs seamlessly with any Crestron DM NAX amp or preamp. Among its numerous features, one that really stands out is the processor’s ability to bring eARC via HDMI® connectivity into the mix. The relevance of eARC for marine environments is significant: Thanks to the constantly improving availability of high-speed internet connections at sea, and TVs and sources like the Apple TV digital media extender and Roku® players becoming ‘smarter’ through the use of apps for streaming services, we see increased demand for a reliable way to route back audio to our central multi-room amplifiers without latency and quality loss. eARC is the leading method to do so. By leveraging this technology, Crestron is now able to send that audio to your DM NAX amplifier — wherever it is located — so you can play the audio in any room with optimum quality.
The rise of fully colour tunable LED lighting: Another development we’re excited about is fully colour tunable LED lighting. We all know that no effort or cost should be spared when designing the interior of a yacht. With that in mind, it would be a shame to only use dimmable, standard spots for lighting. By integrating fully colour tunable LED lighting control into our solution, it’s easier than ever to create the perfect ambiance for any occasion. Imagine setting the mood for a romantic dinner with warm, dim lighting, or energising the space with bright, cool tones for a morning workout.
We partnered with Savage Lighting here to create a highly customisable, easy-to-install and maintain lighting control solution for superyachts, Savage is the most prestigious marine lighting firms in the world.
Seamless user experience across home and yacht: As we hinted in a previous answer, the technology is such that we can now provide a consistent user experience for customers that carries from the residence onto the yacht. That’s only improving over time, and the fact that a client can walk into a stateroom and find the technology experience indistinguishable from that in their luxury bedroom suite on land is extraordinary.
Training and Skill Development:
QCan you elaborate on the specialised marine training courses offered by Crestron and their importance in ensuring optimal system performance and client satisfaction?
At Crestron Marine, we’re committed to helping create the perfect onboard experience. This includes ensuring that crew members have the knowledge and skills they need to operate and troubleshoot our systems effectively.
In collaboration with the Superyacht Electronics Academy, we organise AV training that covers both the basic theory and practical side of AV onboard superyachts. After completing this curriculum, crew members will feel comfortable with AV systems onboard.
We accommodate the need for ongoing education via our own award-winning training program and through superyacht-specific training organised with partners. People who complete AV training receive certification, which helps recruitment agencies select the best applicants for the job.
By investing in training and skill development, Crestron Marine ensures that its clients have access to a skilled workforce capable of delivering the best possible onboard experience. This commitment to excellence is evident in the company’s comprehensive training program and its focus on providing practical, hands-on training that meets the specific needs of the marine industry.
Strategic Collaborations:
QAre there any notable partnerships or collaborations that have been particularly impactful for Crestron Marine, and how do they enhance the offerings for clients?
At Crestron Marine, we believe that strategic partnerships are essential for delivering the best possible onboard experience for our clients. These partnerships allow us to leverage the expertise and innovation of other industry leaders, expanding our offerings and providing our clients with access to a wider range of solutions.
Daniel highlights some notable partnerships that have been particularly impactful for Crestron Marine:
Long-Standing Partnerships: We have long-standing partnerships with companies like Kaleidescape, ensuring that our systems always support the latest versions of their products and vice versa. This seamless integration provides our clients with a smooth and enjoyable entertainment experience.
Partnerships for Specialised Functionalities: We also forge partnerships to add functionalities to our systems that are very specific to the yachting market. For example, we partner with Call Systems Technology to offer crew call solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of superyachts. These partnerships make our ecosystem bigger and more complete, allowing us to offer solutions that address all aspects of the onboard experience.
Seamless Integration and Support: Daniel emphasises the benefits of these partnerships: Without any hassle or the need to think about protocols or programming code, our integrators can make these partner products function as part of our ecosystem. This allows our clients to benefit from the advantages of these specialised solutions without any compatibility issues. Our tech support team also has a deep understanding of these partner products, thanks to the official Crestron drivers and other resources we provide. This ensures that our clients receive comprehensive support for their entire system, regardless of which components they choose.
Partnerships enhance the company’s offerings by providing access to specialised functionalities, seamless integration, and comprehensive support. By leveraging the expertise of its partners, Crestron Marine ensures that its clients have access to the best possible onboard experience, tailored to their specific needs and preferences.
Environmental Considerations:
QWith increasing emphasis on sustainability and environmental conservation, how does Crestron Marine incorporate eco-friendly practices or solutions in its offerings?
We’re extremely committed to sustainability and environmental conservation and we incorporate eco-friendly practices and solutions into our offerings in several ways.
Smart Integrations for Energy Conservation:
Our dealers and partners are very knowledgeable when it comes to customising scenes — whether completely automated or delivered with the touch of a single button. This is a huge part of the success of control systems: The end user never really has to think about it. But it’s how these also affect and have an impact on energy consumption that adds even more value. Two of the biggest energy consumers on board a yacht are HVAC and lighting. At Crestron, we’ve been developing control and automation for years now, so we know how to get the best out of the system whilst being incredibly efficient. For example, allowing for the HVAC to turn to eco mode and lights to turn off when rooms are empty are just the basics, ‘low hanging fruit’ for those striving to conserve energy onboard. But we can do so much more.
Leveraging the Control of Power Onboard:
The rise of different power generation and conservation systems — including hydrogen — increases the need to exchange information between different systems. This is another thing that Crestron has a lot of experience in. For example, you can program your yacht so major energy consumers turn on when the battery is full, or to close the blinds when the sun is shining on the windows, so the HVAC doesn’t have to work as hard.
At Crestron, we also take a critical look at the AV system and its consumption and are constantly developing solutions that ensure that some major energy consumers become redundant. Modern AV receivers, for instance, weigh a lot, take up a lot of space, and consume a lot of power, even in standby. They do offer loads of different types of connectors and functionalities in return. However, marine projects often only need one HDMI connector. Our solutions take up less space and consume less energy while offering the same quality experience.
Crestron Marine’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its focus on developing the smartest solutions, leveraging new technologies, and always looking at energy efficiency. By prioritising environmental considerations, Crestron Marine helps its clients reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future for the marine industry.
Personal Insights:
QGiven your experience and insights into the maritime sector, what do you believe sets Crestron Marine apart from other marine technology solutions in the market?
Given my experience and insights into the maritime sector, I believe several factors set Crestron Marine apart from other marine technology solutions in the market. We’re very proud of the depth of our portfolio thanks to our experience in both residential and commercial environments, including military and healthcare deployments. In these demanding environments, reliability and security are paramount, and conditions might be less than optimal. Just think of our DM NVX AV-over-IP solution, control solutions, eARC for audio, user interfaces, and more.
At the same time, our R&D department loves challenges. They are eager to design solutions specifically for the marine sector. We already touched on the benefits of our global presence, including support and training, which is extremely beneficial for the international character of marine projects.
Our scale — and the scale of our network — also gives us early access to important and direct insights into what customers want and what other manufacturers are working on. As a result, we can develop new, cutting-edge products or new applications for existing products that anticipate client demands.
Ultimately, I believe our commitment to innovation, customer satisfaction, and understanding the unique needs of the marine industry set us apart. We’re constantly striving to develop solutions that enhance the onboard experience for our clients, and we’re always open to feedback and collaboration to ensure that we remain at the forefront of marine technology. contribute to a more sustainable future for the marine industry. www.crestron.com
Daniel Kerkhof Director - Marine
Crestron’s Marine Solutions provide advanced automation and control systems specifically designed for luxury yachts and boats, offering seamless integration of audio, video, lighting, and environmental systems for enhanced onboard comfort and convenience.
A World of Evolving Threats
Joshua Hutchinson confirms Ambrey is on a mission to protect every seafarer
In an era marked by unprecedented geopolitical instability and global maritime threats, effective risk management and intelligence are crucial for the maritime industry. Joshua Hutchinson, Managing Director of Intelligence and Risk at Ambrey, brings a wealth of experience and strategic vision to this vital role. With a background that spans from serving as a Royal Marine Commando to leading intelligence operations, Hutchinson provides invaluable insights into the evolving landscape of maritime security. In this interview, he discusses Ambrey’s approach to tackling the most pressing security challenges, the impact of technological advancements, and his personal leadership philosophy that guides the company’s mission to ensure safety and security at sea.
Experience and Background:
Can you describe your journey from a Royal Marine commando to leading intelligence and risk management in the maritime industry?
I have been very fortunate to have a broad experience during my professional career, which started with being pushed to take early leadership positions in the Royal Marines. Following a few arduous operational tours, I was looking for a different challenge and went on a journey from founding companies that developed maritime risk products to owning and operating vessels that functioned in high-risk areas. Now, I am helping clients understand global threats and the best practice measures to mitigate their risks. After a decade of working in the industry, and with a passion for problemsolving, intelligence and risk management is a natural place for me.
Challenges in Maritime Security:
What are the most pressing security challenges facing the maritime sector today, and how is Ambrey addressing these challenges?
In modern times, we have not seen the amount of geopolitical instability and global threats outside of a world war. I cannot answer this question without mentioning the events that have taken place in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean with the newly evolved threat from the Houthis and the return of Somali piracy. The industry finds itself at a turning point. Over the last 10 years, there had been a regional decline in events taking place in the Indian Ocean, and the High-Risk Area was removed at the request of the shipping industry in January 2023. However, in November 2023, the Houthis started their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, and Somali piracy re-emerged around the same time. This has reset the threat landscape for that entire region.
Additionally, we have seen hundreds of vessels stranded in port following the breakout of war in Ukraine, triggering huge losses in the hull market. Commercial vessels have subsequently had to navigate the unilateral Ukrainian grain corridor to keep cargoes moving at significant risk. The need for precise, real-time maritime domain awareness has never been greater; many of the war risk incidents we have seen are avoidable.
Our daily challenge is to raise awareness across the shipping industry and ensure that everyone understands the threats relevant to their crew, their vessel, and their operation each and every day. A huge part of this is also building resilience through our Loss Prevention team. They promote Best Management Practice and conduct quality control and assurance for owners and insurers, encouraging preparedness to breach War Risk areas.
“No day istheeversame.”
Leadership and Role Introduction:
As the Managing Director of Intelligence and Risk, what are your main responsibilities at Ambrey?
I lead the strategic direction and services that we provide through our intelligence and risk business units. This encompasses a broad range of activities, from maintaining an understanding of emerging and current global threats to the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence related to geopolitical, security, and operational maritime threats. Additionally, I support our Loss Prevention team and coordinate potential responses to critical incidents and crises affecting our clients or Ambrey operations.
Impact of Technology:
How has technological advancement shaped the approach to risk assessment and security in maritime operations at Ambrey?
Technology is increasing both in capability and affordability, and the maritime industry is being pushed every day to adapt. Greater connectivity has enabled us to provide more information to crews, allowing them to act dynamically as threats evolve. This has literally changed the game.
The availability and affordability of information about vessels and their operations have improved significantly. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) has been a significant advancement over the last decade, helping us understand vessel locations and operations at the touch of a button. However, AIS is a double-edged sword; while it provides valuable information, it also means that everyone, including potential adversaries, can track vessel locations. This increased visibility has led to information breaches, more vessels adopting “dark” operations, and unfortunately, the misuse of AIS data to target vessels accurately with ballistic weapons and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
UAVs, once considered high-tech equipment, are now low-cost disposable commodities that can be used as weapons. The rapid pace of technological development in this area means that our ability to combat such threats at sea has not yet caught up.
While the future is not here yet, we do hold extremely powerful computers in our hands. I believe we are transitioning into a world where predictive learning and technology will enable us to make safer and more secure decisions each day. Global trade will continue to grow, and we must provide the tools and services to ensure that while the industry continues to evolve, it does so with the seafarer’s welfare at the heart of its development.
Strategic Initiatives:
What strategic initiatives have you implemented at Ambrey to enhance maritime security services?
In an age of information overload, and in an industry that never stands still or sleeps, we believe in getting relevant information to the people who need it, as quickly as possible, to save lives, time, and money. Our vision is to provide the best commercially available real-time maritime domain awareness and intelligence globally.
Our mission is to ensure that our clients, the Company Security Officers, and Masters are given the information, intelligence, and advice they need when they need it to achieve ‘net zero’: zero losses from preventable security incidents. The commercial value this adds to the owner, operator, and insurer is self-evident.
For the seafarer, we aim to be their ever-present and reliable support wherever they may be. We can’t always do this by ourselves, so we believe in the power of partnerships. Working together across the industry ensures that any operation on our oceans is prepared and executed as securely and safely as possible.
Client Relationships:
How does Ambrey build and maintain trust with its clients in the highly sensitive area of maritime security?
We support our clients through some of their most challenging and difficult times. This level of support during an incident or a crisis inevitably builds trust through shared experience. Ultimately, trust is built over many years and can be lost in moments, so we always focus on upholding our key business values of reliability, morality, and teamwork, as well as demonstrating humility in our actions.
We aim to build relationships that last decades, and we have many clients who have been with us for that long. Therefore, we always act with a long-term perspective beyond any immediate commercial or operational issue for a particular voyage.
“We treat our clients as we would hope to be treated.”
Career Highlights:
What are some of the career highlights or most memorable moments you’ve experienced in your role at Ambrey?
In my relatively short time at Ambrey, I have been involved in some amazing operations, from rerouting vessels around missile attacks, to helping a liner remove narcotic incidents during their operations in Latin America, and many more complex, lifesaving, and life-changing operations.
One standout event was how an incredibly passionate and focused team was able to support the evacuation of families in Hawaii from the beaches following the outbreak of fires on the island of Maui. The speed with which everyone worked, from the other side of the world, over several nights alongside the United States Coast Guard, was incredible. Several sleepless nights later, we were sent a photo from one of the families, a group of seven, including women and children. They will never know who we are or what we did, and that doesn’t matter. The sense of achievement and purpose is something you cannot forget.
The most complete source of AIS data
Reliable, real-time vessel tracking data for enhanced situational awareness and smarter decision-making
A trusted partner for your most critical maritime endeavours
Visit spire.com/maritime
Spire Maritime stands as the trusted partner in maritime AIS vessel tracking data, offering unparalleled coverage and precision. With the world’s largest constellation of multipurpose satellites, Spire detects over 600,000 vessels and 250,000 active vessels per day. This capability allows us to deliver both real-time and historical data, with archives dating back to 2010. Such comprehensive data is crucial for a wide range of applications, including but not limited to enhancing situational awareness, optimizing maritime routes, ensuring compliance, supporting environmental monitoring, and detecting vessel spoofing.
Our data solutions are designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of stakeholders in the maritime space, from maritime Application Service Providers, shipping companies and port authorities to logistics providers, environmental agencies, insurance companies, and defense authorities. Our AIS data can also be used for advanced analytics and to feed machine learning models, transforming vessel tracking data into actionable insights. This is particularly valuable for market analytics and commodity intelligence, improving operational efficiency, voyage optimisation and safety at sea, and minimizing the environmental impact of maritime activities.
Integration with our data services is seamless, thanks to our developer-friendly APIs and robust customer support. Our commitment to reliability and accuracy ensures that clients receive the highest quality data, tailored to their specific needs. Whether it’s for real-time tracking, predictive analytics, or historical data analysis, Spire Maritime is equipped to provide solutions that drive success.
We’re here to help! For more details, get in touch with us or visit spire.com/maritime
Future Trends:
What trends do you foresee impacting maritime security in the next five to ten years?
The global tensions we see today aren’t going away any time soon. The forces of geopolitics, poverty, finite natural resources, and the pressures of global trade will continue to influence tensions, terrorism, and civil unrest. Therefore, unfortunately, the pressure on the maritime industry will continue. We will remain in the crosshairs of these tensions and threats across migration, activism, crime, war, and narcotics.
All eyes are on the instability in Latin America, from Ecuador’s struggles to Venezuela’s claims on natural resources across the border. On the other side of the world, the tensions between China and Taiwan are predicted to come to the forefront soon, which will see international sanctions and pressure on industries like never before.
While the industry may sometimes react slowly, we need to remain agile and collaborate to achieve positive outcomes.
Advice for Professionals:
What advice would you give to professionals looking to enter the maritime security field?
The maritime industry is so vast that it doesn’t matter if you are a seafarer or not. From shipbuilding to technology development and equipment that assists the maritime industry; to the insurers, reinsurers, recruiters, cadets, ship managers, and everyone else. The industry is your oyster.
To offer a perspective, one of my friends was involved in building the gas pipe system for an FPSO project that was being built in South Korea. Their work concluded three years before mine, and we were appointed to provide a vessel ship security plan and implement all the security equipment just before it set sail to Africa. I can only imagine the hundreds of thousands of other people involved in the delivery of that one vessel.
Maritime security plays a crucial role in making sure that millions of seafarers and trillions of dollars’ worth of assets and cargo stay safe every single day. It’s extremely rewarding but also very challenging, and not a decision I would expect anyone to take lightly.
Personal Leadership Philosophy:
How has your experience influenced your leadership philosophy at Ambrey?
I have been surrounded by some incredible leaders over my career and some very bad ones as well. As a leader, if you want to keep learning, then surround yourself with people that are smarter and more experienced than you.
Lead by example. Learn from your failures. No one is perfect, but the best people are the ones that turn up each day and aim to be a better person than they were yesterday.
I believe that Ambrey has the vision and ambition to do great things and it’s fantastic to be a part of that.
Joshua Hutchinson Managing Director - Intelligence and Risk
Ambrey provides maritime security, crisis response, and risk management services, specialising in safeguarding global maritime operations and offering comprehensive solutions for the shipping, offshore, and oil and gas industries.
Charting a Greener Course
Christoph Witte’s Vision for Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe
We engage in an insightful conversation with Christoph Witte, Managing Director of Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH, as he shares his innovative approach to transforming ferry operations on Lake Constance. With a strong commitment to environmental stewardship, Christoph discusses the strategic decision-making behind adopting fully electric ferries, the challenges of implementing sustainable energy solutions, and the vision for decarbonising the entire fleet. Discover how Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe is setting a pioneering example in the decarbonisation of German inland navigation, aligning with the broader goals of sustainability and technological advancement.
Strategic Innovation:
Could you explain the decision-making process behind choosing fully electric ferries for short routes, such as the MS ‘Insel Mainau’ operation?
Almost exactly five years ago, the city of Konstanz declared a climate emergency and subsequently decided to become carbon neutral by 2035. As a municipal company, we were naturally among the first to be called upon to implement this initiative, and we were happy to do so.
The first Corona season gave us a lot of time to think about fleet development. Normally, we replace old vessels with new ones of a similar size. However, it was clear at the time that there were no alternative propulsion solutions, especially for the large vessels, that we could invest in sustainably. To avoid losing more time on the path to decarbonisation, we considered where we could use a fully electric ship sustainably, also from an investment point of view. The result is the design of the MS INSEL MAINAU, which sails between Uhldingen, the island of Mainau, and the town of Meersburg.
However, we have never lost sight of the bigger picture - the decarbonisation of the entire fleet - and have continued to refine our concepts in parallel.
True to our motto: Think big, start somewhere!
Operational Efficiency:
How does the operational profile of 15-minute crossings with quick turnaround times enhance the efficiency and attractiveness of your ferry services?
First and foremost, electric drives are significantly more effective, with much lower losses, than combustion engines. The efficiency of a modern all-electric drive system is around three times higher than that of a conventional diesel drive. Additionally, we had the ship’s lines optimised for our application using computational fluid design (CFD) to reduce the ship’s resistance and required propulsion power. The MS INSEL MAINAU can transport up to 300 passengers with just 2x60kW drive power.
As the distance to be travelled is relatively short, we decided to travel more slowly than before. The cruising speed has been reduced from 23 km/h to 15 km/h. This was another major gain in efficiency. Our passengers now have a wonderful little cruise: gliding across Lake Constance in complete peace and quiet, without any emissions. The new passenger compartments are designed to enhance this experience.
Charging Infrastructure:
What were the key factors in setting up the 3MW transformer stations and quick-charging batteries for the e-LODI ferries?
The good results with the MS INSEL MAINAU, and further developments in battery technologies, motivated us to consider the electrification of other lines. The ferry operated by Stadtwerke Konstanz GmbH has a 15-minute crossing time, with an equivalent time for charging. Meanwhile, the fast-charging capability has developed to a point where it is possible to recharge the energy required for the crossing during cargo handling. Together with the required drive power, this necessitates a charging station capable of providing 3MW.
INNOVATIVE SHIP DESIGN AND CONSULTANCY
Sustainable Energy Solutions:
Can you discuss the integration of the E-TABOR for Stadtwerke Konstanz GmbH system with solar power installations at gateways to Constance and how this contributes to the ferries’ energy needs?
The project would become really attractive if we were to cover the entire forecourt, which is already sealed with asphalt, with solar cells. These areas are so large that at peak times, i.e., under optimal conditions, they would cover the energy requirements of the ferries to be loaded. Even in less ideal conditions, a considerable proportion of the energy could still be generated on-site. It would also serve as a great new landmark for the ci ty of Constance, which was the first to declare a climate emergency: The city’s gateway as a k ind of solar tunnel via which I can enter the city by ferry.
We expect to produce 20-30% of the energy we need ourselves. We would still need to draw most of our energy from the grid. But since the entire country wants to become climate-neutral, energy production will also have to move towards renewable alternatives. Within our sphere of influence, we have done everything we can to turn the ferries climate-neutral.
Photo Credit: Die Fähre Konstanz-Meersburg
Environmental Impact:
What impact do you foresee the solar power installations and the battery system having on Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe’s carbon footprint?
For Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe (BSB), self-produced solar power h olds secondary importance. BSB mainly operates on long routes with long harbour times and large ships. Additionally, we have a significant number of traditional ships that need to be preserved, as it is precisely because of them that guests come to the beautiful Lake Constanc e. The energy density of batteries is not sufficient in this context, and we have been investigating solutions involving hydrogen or methanol, which is a hydrogen carrier, for some time. Methanol, in particular, seems very interesting to us, and initial conversion concepts have already been developed. We are, of course, talking about green methanol here.
System Architecture Challenges:
What are the biggest technical or logistical challenges you’ve faced while implementing the SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE E-TABOR for your ferries?
The biggest challenge has been and continues to be the charging infrastructure. We have to transfer 3MW of power in a short time, which cannot be done with a simple plug system. Therefore, we need to develop a special and certifiable solution for this. While the on-board systems are demanding, there are now standards that we can build on, making it somewhat easier to manage these complexities.
Policy and Economic Support:
How critical is economic and political support for transforming Lake Constance into a model region for climate-neutral shipping?
This support is extremely important for us; we need it, it’s as simple as that. No shipping company is in a position to bear these high costs itself. Incentives in the form of support programs must be created. Currently, the funding rate for ship conversions is too low. For the MS INSEL MAINAU, it was just 9% of the total costs, for which we are really grateful, but that will not be enough for the larger projects. The funding rate for electric buses in Germany was once 80%, and the CO2 savings here are significantly lower. If we were to start talking about the costs of decarbonisation, i.e., where to get the CO2 reduced with as little money as possible, then we would very quickly end up with shipping and invest in a greener future here.
Long-Distance Decarbonisation:
Could you elaborate on the methanol concept for decarbonising the entire BSB fleet and the timeline for its implementation?
Yes, methanol is the concept for our large vessels, while the smaller ones will be supplemented with fully electric ships. The goal is to decarbonise the entir e fleet by 2035.
Vision for Future:
What are your long-term goals for BSB in terms of technological advancements and fleet expansion?
We are not currently thinking about expanding the fleet, but are focused on how we can decarbonise the existing fleet and use it more effectively. We are always keeping our eyes open for new technological developments that we could leverage. However, we believe that development will move strongly in the direction of methanol drives, as major global players are already relying on this technology. What is primarily still missing is the necessary infrastructure.
Leadership Philosophy:
What drives your passion for leading environmentally friendly transport solutions at BodenseeSchiffsbetriebe GmbH?
Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH operates shipping in Germany’s largest drinking water reservoir. Large parts of the shore regions are under nature conservation protection. BSB has voluntarily subjected itself to environmental certification for years, and the regulations for shipping have been leading in Germany for many years in terms of environmental protection. We have long been committed to these values, having put the first EUV-certified ship in Germany into operation on Lake Constance, and built a gas ferry that can be operated with BioLNG. Now, we want to play a pioneering role in the decarbonisation of German inland navigation. What could be better suited for this than the Lake Constance region? We want to be a role model and motivator for other shipping companies.
Christoph Witte Managing Director
Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe GmbH (BSB) operates passenger and car ferries on Lake Constance, offering sightseeing cruises, scheduled services, and event charters, enhancing regional mobility and tourism with a modern fleet.
Anchoring Excellence
Gustavo Heleno on Leading Exportadora São Francisco in the Maritime Supply Industry
Explore an engaging discussion with Gustavo Heleno, the Commercial Director of Exportadora São Francisco, as he shares his insights on guiding the company through the evolving maritime supply industry. Since its inception in 1990, Exportadora São Francisco has transformed from a pioneering family business into a key player in the market. Gustavo elaborates on the company’s strategic innovations, sustainability practices, and dedication to customer satisfaction. Learn how Exportadora São Francisco continues to adapt and thrive in the dynamic global shipping supplies market under Gustavo’s leadership.
Company Evolution:
Exportadora São Francisco has been a key player since 1990. How has the company’s approach
Since our inception in 1990, our approach to the maritime supply industry has undergone significant evolution. At the time, my father, Iran Machado Heleno, the company’s founder, was the sole employee and a pioneer in this market in our region. He personally visited the port of São Francisco do Sul and engaged directly with the captains of the vessels to gain a deeper understanding of their immediate needs.
As the market and our company grew, our approach also evolved to adapt to the changes. With the advent of new technologies and market expansion, we are better positioned to anticipate vessel needs. We leverage technology to track vessel arrival schedules and establish strategic partnerships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including captains, fleet managers, shipowners, and catering companies. These partnerships enable us to offer a more comprehensive and efficient service to our clients. Additionally, we have invested in internal systems and processes to improve operational efficiency and ensure that we can meet our customers’ demands in a timely and effective manner.
Product Range Expansion:
With a diverse product range from food items to chemical products, what strategies do you use to maintain quality across such varied offerings?
Due to the diverse range of goods on offer, it is necessary to implement a strategy to ensure that customers receive the goods they have ordered. To this end, we have established a categorisation strategy for buyers according to the type of goods, with each buyer responsible for a specific category. This includes buyers for frozen and chilled products, provisions and their quality, chemicals and spare parts, and other categories.
Furthermore, with a specific buyer for each type of merchandise, we can ensure that the goods arrive as requested and within legal criteria. Additionally, upon arrival at the company, a check and separation of edible from non-edible items are performed to prevent any risk of contamination. Moreover, the quality and inventory departments monitor and record any non-conformities for evaluation and the creation of corrective actions to ensure continuous improvement. We are committed to ensuring that each item of merchandise is delivered as requested and meets customer expectations, while adhering to all legal standards.
Sustainability Initiatives:
Given the wide array of products, including chemicals and gases, what sustainability practices does Exportadora São Francisco implement to minimise environmental impact?
At Exportadora São Francisco, we are committed to adopting sustainable practices to minimise our environmental impact and promote environmental responsibility in our operations. One of the most significant initiatives we have implemented is the installation of solar panels at our warehouse. These solar panels provide a reliable source of renewable and clean energy, reducing our dependence on non-renewable energy sources and contributing to the reduction of our carbon footprint. In addition to our efforts to reduce the use of disposable plastic, we have also committed to the IMPA SAVE initiative.
Through this collaboration, we have pledged to phase out disposable plastic water bottles on global fleets by 2025. This measure aims to reduce plastic waste and promote more sustainable practices in our industry. Additionally, we collaborate with a network of partners specialised in collecting and properly disposing of a variety of materials, from recyclables to electronic waste. This partnership ensures that materials discarded during our operations are managed responsibly and in an environmentally conscious manner. We also encourage all of our staff to implement this initiative in their homes and help us put it into practice.
Supply Chain Management:
How does Exportadora São Francisco ensure efficient supply chain management to meet client demands promptly?
Our current structure allows us to process orders in a clear and efficient manner, ensuring that our customers receive the best possible service. However, maintaining good relationships and effective communication with suppliers from the initial quotation stage to the purchase order is crucial for us to meet our customers’ expectations regarding the delivery of goods. From the moment of the purchase order, we purchase the goods according to each client’s needs to meet each requirement.
Furthermore, within supply chain management, different aspects of the merchandise are evaluated to ensure they arrive in the best possible condition for the customer. This includes factors such as delivery time, packaging, temperature, visual appearance, validity, and storage conditions. Therefore, the inventory and logistics departments work to ensure that goods are checked, packaged, and handled correctly to achieve the ultimate goal. Consequently, we fulfil our company’s mission, which is to “deliver the best quality to our customers, without neglecting ethics, punctuality, and transparency, always seeking the satisfaction of all.
Innovation in Operations:
What innovations have been significant in shaping Exportadora São Francisco’s operational processes?
We have implemented several significant innovations to enhance our operational processes at Exportadora São Francisco. Firstly, we have invested in advanced software systems, such as CRM and ERP, to optimise the efficiency and accuracy of our operations. These tools have allowed us to effectively address bottlenecks in our processes, especially in transitioning information between different departments. Now, with an integrated process management system, we can access and address relevant information in real-time, streamlining our operations.
Furthermore, we recognise the importance of ensuring continuous quality and efficiency in our processes. To this end, we have established a department dedicated to quality assurance and efficiency, responsible for standardising and closely monitoring compliance with established processes. This has not only allowed us to standardise our operational practices but also helped us identify areas for continuous improvement and take proactive measures to further optimise our processes.
In summary, these innovations have been instrumental in enhancing our operational effectiveness and enabling us to effectively meet the evolving demands of our customers while maintaining our agility and adaptability in response to market changes.
Market Adaptation:
How has Exportadora São Francisco adapted its business model to stay competitive in the dynamic global shipping supplies market?
Our company has adopted a proactive approach to remain competitive in the ship supply market. One of the main strategies is the diversification of our product portfolio. We understand that ships have crews from different parts of the world, so to better serve them, we include local products from different cultures in our offerings. These include a variety of masalas, which are widely consumed by Indian crews, and halal meats, often requested by Muslim crews. This approach not only benefits us by allowing us to fulfil the client’s order in full but also helps crew members feel closer to home, even from a distance. We bring not only healthy food but also well-being at work at sea.
Another area where we excel is in customer service. We always seek to understand the needs of each client during the quotation process and offer personalised solutions that not only solve their problems but also add value to their businesses. Finally, it was crucial to expand our port coverage to enhance our flexibility in responding to unexpected changes in vessel schedules and to strengthen our competitiveness in the market.
Customer Relationship Management:
Can you discuss your approach to building and maintaining strong relationships with your diverse customer base?
Our approach is highly personalised and tailored to the specific needs of each client. For clients with whom we already have an established relationship, our approach is based on mutual trust and a deep understanding of their operations, needs, and requirements. Conversely, when engaging with new clients, our approach is more proactive and customer-focused. We invest time in researching and fully understanding the clients’ companies, their needs, and specific challenges before any contact is made. This preparation allows us to offer tailored solutions that meet their needs and add value to their business from the outset.
We believe that negotiation is a two-way street, where it is essential to understand the customer’s needs and expectations and provide solutions that add value and resolve their pain points. Our goal is not only to satisfy but to exceed our clients’ expectations in every interaction. To achieve this, we are committed to providing exceptional services, high-quality products, and personalised support to ensure that our clients feel valued, respected, and satisfied in all aspects of our relationship.
Challenges in the Industry:
What are the current challenges facing the general ship supply industry, and how is Exportadora São Francisco addressing these?
One of the main challenges facing the ship supply industry is the diversity of standards and regulations at different ports and port terminals throughout Brazil. The disparities between the operational requirements of each region can significantly complicate service provision for suppliers, making it difficult to implement standardised and efficient processes. Despite these challenges, at Exportadora São Francisco, we are committed to finding solutions to overcome these complexities, ensuring that our clients receive high-quality service, regardless of their location, whether at sea or anchored.
Furthermore, currency volatility and price inflation in Brazil present another significant challenge to our industry. To mitigate these risks, we have adopted proactive risk management strategies and are always vigilant about market conditions, seeking ways to protect our company and clients against the adverse impacts of these fluctuations.
In summary, although we face significant challenges in our industry, at Exportadora São Francisco, we are committed to overcoming them through a proactive, flexible, and customer-centric approach. We will continue to seek opportunities for improvement and innovation to ensure that we can meet the ever-evolving needs of our clients and remain competitive in a dynamic and challenging business environment.
Future Goals:
What long-term goals does Exportadora São Francisco have, and how do you plan to achieve them?
As with all companies, our objective is to grow our revenue and, in particular, our margin. This is challenging in a competitive market, particularly when we wish to maintain our well-known quality and values. Until the end of the year, our goals include increasing our cold room space (tripling the number of pallets we can store), expanding our fleet of trucks, and obtaining ISO 9001 and HACCP certification. We believe that achieving this will help us maintain our revenue growth year on year.
For our HR department, we have set some goals to improve our organisational atmosphere, including offering more benefits to our employees and implementing new processes to reduce rework and stressful situations in our line of work. We are also looking to minimise turnover.
Leadership Insights:
As Commercial Director, what key insights have you gained about leading in the maritime supply sector, and what advice would you offer to others in the industry?
The opportunity to assume a position of such responsibility has enabled me to gain a deeper understanding of the maritime industry as a whole, while also allowing me to leverage my experience in a meaningful way. I am a curious individual, always seeking new and improved ways of doing things. I am continuously exploring new opportunities to enhance our processes, and we embrace the testing and changing of processes as a means of improving ourselves and maximising our capacity for work.
During my university studies, I was repeatedly informed that networking is one of the most important skills in the job market. I have since come to realise that this is indeed true, as it is the fastest way to learn and understand the ecosystem in which you are inserted. Talking to people with different backgrounds helps me develop new ideas. Therefore, I would like to share my advice with everyone: meet new people and talk with everybody, not just someone that you already have an affinity with. Even someone from a completely different field can provide a fresh perspective on your challenges. I have learned to be a more communicative individual over time, which has been a significant accomplishment in my professional journey.
Exportadora São Francisco specialises in ship supplying services since 1990, ensuring highquality standards and timely deliveries. They are certified by ISSA Quality and are members of ABFN, IMPA, and ISSA, emphasising ethical practices and customer satisfaction.
Gustavo Heleno Commercial Director
Digital Marketing & Sales for the Maritime & Superyacht Industry
Supporting clients across the globe to create brands and digital footprints that support growth and continual development.
Growing Your Online Presence Through Innovative Methods
Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. The digital space changes on a daily basis, meaning we have to be agile and adapt to new ways of working. By partnering with us, you can rest assured that your business is at the forefront, and is driven by experienced individuals who are well connected into the digital landscape globally.
Empire
EVENTS
10-11 SEPTEMBER
Queen
Eugenides
HIGH SEAS
Enhancing Maritime Services Insights from High Seas Marine &
Industrial Services Leadership Team
High Seas Marine & Industrial Services Co Ltd stands at the forefront of the maritime industry in Saudi Arabia, offering a comprehensive range of services including vessel chartering, ship chandelling, technical support, and marine agency services. In this exclusive interview, we engage with key members of the High Seas leadership team: Vladimir Poddubnyy, Managing Director; Ahmed Nagmar, Marine Operations Manager; Rovelyn Camagong, Supply Chain & Chartering Contracts Manager (Vessel Chartering); Mohammed Hussain Mulla, Ship Chandelling Manager; Tamer Younis, TSS Manager (Technical Support Services); and Shaiju Shajahan, Agency Manager. Together, they provide valuable insights into the company’s vision, strategies for growth, sustainability practices, and their commitment to excellence in service delivery. Discover how High Seas Marine is navigating the complexities of the maritime industry and setting new standards for quality and efficiency.
Company Vision and Growth:
Question to Vladimir Poddubnyy, Managing Director
Can you provide an overview of High Seas Marine & Industrial Services and discuss the company’s vision and strategic goals for growth in the next five years?
High Seas Marine & Industrial Services is a leading provider of marine and industrial services since 2010 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. High Seas is aggressively engaged in providing our customer a full service like a “one stop shops” for all marine services like chartering offshore support vessels, Marine agency services, ship chandlery services and Technical Support Services to clients which are carried out at (though not necessarily limited to) Ras Tanura, Dammam Port, Khafji port and Jubail commercial, industrial port, Ras Al Khair, and Aramco Fields.
The vision of High Seas Marine is to become the premier provider of marine and industrial services in the region, known for its excellence in safety and service delivery, innovation, and customer satisfaction. The company aims to achieve this vision by focusing on strategic growth initiatives that will drive expansion and increase market share in the next five years.
One of the key strategic goals for growth at High Seas Marine is diversifying our service offerings to meet the evolving needs of our customers and expand our customer base and entering new markets to drive revenue growth. We’re investing in state-of-the-art equipment and training program to ensure that our team members are equipped with the skills and expertise needed to deliver superior service to clients. By improving operational efficiency and expanding our service offerings, we aim to reduce costs, increase productivity, enhance customer satisfaction and attract new customers and increase revenue streams. With a strong commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction, High Seas Marine is well-positioned for success in the years to come.
Sustainability and Compliance:
Question to Vladimir Poddubnyy, Managing Director
How does High Seas ensure compliance with international standards and what sustainability practices have you implemented to minimise environmental impact?
Sustainability and compliance are crucial aspects of our operations, especially in the marine industry. At High Seas Marine, we prioritise both environmental sustainability and strict adherence to international standards. We understand the delicate balance between maritime operations and environmental well-being.
One of the key ways High Seas ensures compliance with international standards is by adhering to regulations set forth by organisations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We have implemented our Safety Management System and HSM policy, and our commitment is demonstrated by achieving certifications such as Document of Compliance in 2022, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 25001:2018 standards, along with the implementation of OVMS. These certifications ensure that our operations meet the highest standards of safety, environmental protection, and sustainability, while also enhancing our reputation in the industry and opening new opportunities for growth.
High Seas employs eco-friendly technologies and materials in our operations. We use biodegradable materials and environmentally friendly cleaning products to reduce our impact on marine ecosystems. We have implemented strict waste management practices to prevent marine pollution and regularly conduct environmental impact assessments to identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies. By minimising our carbon footprint and contributing to the preservation of marine ecosystems, we aim to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
Vessel Chartering Operations:
Question to Ahmed Nagmar, Marine Operations Manager
Can you elaborate on the vessel chartering services provided by High Seas and how you ensure the reliability and efficiency of these operations?
High Seas offers a wide range of vessel chartering services for various purposes. Our chartering operations include crew vessel chartering services for transporting personnel to and from offshore installations, oil rigs, and other maritime locations. Our crew vessels are equipped with state-of-the-art safety features and amenities to ensure the comfort and well-being of crew members and passengers. We have a team of experienced and skilled crew members who are trained to handle all types of situations and provide excellent service to our clients. We prioritise safety and customer satisfaction in all our passenger vessel operations.
In addition, we offer offshore support vessel chartering services for various offshore operations, including delivering provisions offshore, surveys and diving operations, maintenance, and construction activities. We work closely with our clients to understand their specific requirements and provide customised solutions to meet their needs.
We follow strict quality control measures and safety protocols to ensure the reliability and efficiency of our vessel chartering operations. We conduct regular maintenance checks and inspections on all our vessels to ensure they are in optimal condition for operation. Our crew members undergo rigorous training and certification programs to ensure they are well-prepared to handle any situation that may arise during a chartering operation.
Client Relationship Management:
Question to Rovelyn Camagong, Supply Chain & Chartering Contracts Manager
How do you manage client relationships and ensure satisfaction in both vessel chartering and taxi boat services, especially in a competitive market?
Client relationship management (CRM) is crucial for building strong relationships with our clients, ensuring repeat business, and maintaining a competitive edge in the market. We use personalised service as a tool for relationship management. We take the time to understand the unique needs and preferences of each client, whether they are chartering a vessel for a long-term offshore project or using taxi boat services for transportation and other various offshore operations.
We have a dedicated customer service team available 24/7 to address any concerns or issues our clients may have. We prioritise open communication and transparency in all our operations to ensure our clients are informed and satisfied with our services. By tailoring our services to meet the specific requirements of each client, our commitment to excellence and professionalism sets us apart as a trusted provider of vessel chartering services in the maritime industry.
Quality and Timeliness:
Question to Mohammed Hussain Mulla, Ship Chandelling Manager
How do you ensure the quality and timely delivery of food provisions, machinery, and other materials to vessels, and what challenges do you typically face in this process?
Ensuring top-notch quality is our priority, and we enforce stringent quality control measures at every stage of our operations. Our dedicated team meticulously inspects all incoming materials to verify they meet our rigorous standards before they are dispatched to our clients. Collaborating closely with trusted suppliers allows us to procure the finest products available, and we consistently assess and enhance our processes through ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
Our logistics system is designed to ensure that we meet deadlines consistently and reliably. By working closely with our clients to understand their individual requirements, we are able to customise delivery schedules that align with their timelines. Our team of experienced logistics professionals is dedicated to coordinating shipments, tracking deliveries, and ensuring that goods arrive at their intended destinations on time.While we may encounter unexpected obstacles such as inclement weather that could impact delivery schedules, we are proactive in communicating with clients to explore alternative options and mitigate any potential delays. Our commitment to open communication and proactive problem-solving ensures that we consistently deliver on our promise of timely and reliable service. One of the obstacles we encounter is the intricate web of international shipping regulations and customs procedures. The complexities involved in navigating these regulations can be daunting, but our team is highly knowledgeable in these areas and works tirelessly to ensure that all required documentation is complete and that shipments pass through customs seamlessly. Although these challenges can be demanding, we are dedicated to overcoming them and delivering top-notch service to our clients. Our team’s expertise and commitment to excellence enable us to navigate the complexities of international shipping regulations, ensuring that our clients’ shipments reach their destinations without unnecessary delays or complications.
Comprehensive Chandelling Services:
Question to Mohammed Hussain Mulla, Ship Chandelling Manager
How do you manage client relationships and ensure satisfaction in both vessel chartering and taxi boat services, especially in a competitive market?
High Seas Marine is your go-to provider for all your chandelling needs. We offer a wide range of services to meet the diverse requirements of vessels, ensuring they are well-stocked and equipped for their journeys. Our provisions are of the highest quality, with fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, and dry goods available to keep your crew well-fed and satisfied
Additionally, we provide a variety of materials and supplies, including fresh water, deck store items, safety equipment, and spare parts, tailored to meet the operational needs of different vessels. With High Seas Marine, vessels can rely on personalised service and top-notch products to navigate the seas with confidence.
At High Seas Marine, we understand the individuality of each vessel, recognising that they have their own distinct requirements and preferences. This is why we prioritise close collaboration with our clients to gain a deep understanding of their needs, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that align with their specific demands. Whether a vessel requires provisions, materials, or any other chandelling service, we are dedicated to offering exceptional service and ensuring our clients have all the necessary resources to operate seamlessly and effectively.
With our team of knowledgeable experts and an unwavering commitment to excellence, we are confident in our ability to address the needs of every vessel, no matter the level of uniqueness or complexity. Trust High Seas Marine to deliver personalised and top-tier solutions that support your maritime endeavours.
Scope of Technical Support:
Question to Tamer Younis, TSS Manager (Technical Support Services)
Can you provide details about the technical support services offered by High Seas, including the expertise and qualifications of your technical team?
Our Technical Support Services provide a wide spectrum of afloat repair services to shipowners and operators, both alongside the port and offshore, from our facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We are recognised service providers by various classification societies such as ABS and DNV for inspection, maintenance, and certification of LSA/FFA, SCBA, services of life rafts, inflatable lifejackets, HRU,
Innovations and Safety:
Question to Tamer Younis,
TSS Manager (Technical Support
Services)
How is High Seas integrating new technologies into its technical support services to improve efficiency, and what safety protocols are in place to ensure high standards?
In today’s fast-paced world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to improve efficiency and productivity. High Seas is at the forefront of integrating new technologies to enhance our operations by using advanced technologies and automating routine tasks and processes.
We place a strong emphasis on safety protocols to ensure high standards of safety for our clients. We are implementing rigorous training programs for our technicians, ensuring that they are wellequipped to handle any technical issues that may arise. Furthermore, High Seas adheres to strict safety guidelines and regulations set forth by industry standards, ensuring that all work is carried out
Marine Agency Services Overview:
Question to
Shaiju Shajahan, Agency Manager
Can you explain the range of marine agency services provided by High Seas and how these services benefit your clients?
High Seas offers a comprehensive suite of marine agency services designed to support our clients’ needs effectively and efficiently.
Port Agency Services: We handle all aspects of vessel arrivals and departures, including coordinating pilotage and tug services, managing customs and immigration formalities, and assisting with cargo operations. By managing these critical tasks, we ensure that our clients’ vessels are efficiently processed in port, saving time and reducing costs.
Husbandry Services: Our husbandry services include arranging crew changes, providing medical assistance, and addressing any other requirements that may arise during a vessel’s stay in port. Our team is available 24/7, ensuring continuous support for our clients whenever they need it.
Cargo Agency Services: We coordinate the loading and unloading of cargo, arrange for storage and transportation, and handle all necessary documentation. By managing these operations, we streamline our clients’ processes, ensuring their cargo is handled with utmost care and efficiency.
The range of marine agency services provided by High Seas is designed to deliver substantial benefits to our clients. By entrusting their maritime needs to us, clients can concentrate on their core business activities while we take care of the complexities involved in port operations, crew changes, and cargo handling. Our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to delivering services that meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency. When it comes to marine agency services, High Seas is the partner you can trust.
Coordination and Logistics Management:
Question to Shaiju Shajahan, Agency Manager
How do you manage the coordination and logistics of services such as crew changes, custom clearance, and port access, ensuring smooth and efficient operations for vessels?
At High Seas, we prioritise meticulous planning, effective communication, and the utilisation of advanced technology to ensure smooth and efficient operations for vessels. Here’s how we manage the coordination and logistics of essential services:
Strategic Planning: We develop comprehensive plans for crew changes, customs clearance, and port access, detailing each step and the associated timelines. This proactive approach allows us to make all necessary arrangements well in advance, minimising the risk of last-minute issues that could disrupt operations.
Effective Communication: Maintaining open lines of communication with all stakeholders—including crew members, port authorities, customs officials, and service providers—is crucial. By keeping everyone informed and updated on the status of services, we can prevent misunderstandings or delays that could impact vessel operations.
Leveraging Technology: We utilise digital tools and software to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and provide real-time visibility into the status of services. Our technology solutions help automate tasks, track progress, and identify potential bottlenecks or issues that need prompt attention, ensuring smooth operations.
Skilled Team: We have a dedicated team of professionals with expertise in coordination and logistics management. Our team members possess a deep understanding of the maritime industry, regulations, and best practices, enabling them to navigate complex logistical challenges effectively and ensure that services are delivered seamlessly. By integrating these strategies, we ensure that vessels operate smoothly and efficiently, minimising disruptions and maximising productivity. Our proactive and assertive approach to coordination and logistics management upholds the highest standards of service and safety in the maritime industry.
HIGH SEAS
High Seas Marine & Industrial Services offers comprehensive marine and industrial solutions, specialising in ship repairs, maintenance, and industrial services, ensuring high-quality and reliable support for maritime and industrial operations.
Ensuring ComplianceMaritime Henning Gramann’s Vision for GSR Services
Join us in an insightful conversation with Henning Gramann, Managing Owner of GSR Services, as he discusses the complexities and challenges of IHM compliance in the maritime industry. Henning sheds light on the strategic innovations and technological advancements that GSR Services employs to streamline IHM maintenance, enhance compliance accuracy, and minimise risks for shipowners. He also offers valuable advice for companies navigating IHM compliance and shares his vision for the future of sustainable practices in maritime operations. Discover how GSR Services is leading the way in ensuring safe and environmentally sound ship recycling while promoting industry-wide improvements and collaboration.
IHM Compliance and Challenges:
Given the complexities of IHM compliance, what are the most significant challenges that shipowners and suppliers face today in maintaining compliance?
Generally, the complexities are not well understood. If IHMs would help save fuel or reduce emissions, it would be taken much more seriously and time would be spent digesting the rules and required actions.
Since the end of 2020, a certified and maintained Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) contained in the structure and equipment of ships (IHM Part I) is required for EU-flagged ships above 500GT and all ships regardless of flag when visiting an EU-port. In the summer of 2025, the International Hong Kong Convention on safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships of IMO will enter into force, affecting more ships with mostly similar requirements than already with the EU regulation.
IHM is generally a quite exotic topic in the maritime industry. While getting the IHM developed and initially certified is a single effort, the maintenance of IHM applies for the entire ship’s life. This is often seen as a “necessary evil” without adding value. Various inconsistent practices for development and maintenance of IHMs have developed, also by service suppliers. The maintenance is sometimes even totally forgotten or ignored.
Due to lack of control, such incompliances remain undetected so far! The IHM is also to be recertified at least every five years and as most have been developed in 2019 and 2020, the wave of re-certifications is coming. It will be interesting to see what will happen if an IHM is found not to have been properly maintained.
The core aim of IHMs is to support the planning of safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships by the recycler. If the IHM is faulty, incomplete, or too vague, either due to poor development or maintenance, this goal can’t be achieved and potentially even more risks are created than without any IHM. The IHM is not just a report but a technical file belonging to the ship. That means if it is of poor quality, substantial claims may be initiated against the seller by future owners or recyclers besides hefty fines for detected IHM incompliances during Port State Control Inspections.
In addition, recycling planning is also not part of daily operations as ships have a long lifespan. As such, related activities, including the development of IHM Part 2 (hazardous wastes onboard) and Part 3 (hazardous materials in stores), often happen spontaneously and without a proper strategy at hand. The outcome is either a top-dollar/low-quality approach, using greenwashing solutions, or trying to do it right but risking falling short on considering all relevant aspects and evaluating the options at hand.
Strategies for Efficient IHM Maintenance:
You’ve emphasised the need for efficient IHM maintenance. Can you elaborate on the strategies GSR Services employs to minimise risks and costs for shipowners while ensuring compliance?
Most importantly, we carefully review all order data of a ship to identify the “IHM-relevant order items.” This creates a focus and prevents unnecessary workload for suppliers, shipboard crew, and service suppliers like us.
The challenge is that applicable rules are scattered across various regulations in the Hong Kong Convention, EU Ship Recycling Regulation, and IHM Guidelines of IMO. These regulations describe the general approach to “properly maintain and update the IHM Part I throughout the operational life, reflecting new installations and changes in structure and equipment containing hazardous materials of ships according to requirements for new ships.” This means activities causing a change in hazardous materials onboard need to be documented. Related details, such as hazardous materials contained in a product (i.e. Table A & B of IHM Guidelines for nonEU flagged vessels, Annex 2 substances for EU-Vessels), must be provided by suppliers in the form of a general “Suppliers Declaration of Conformity” (SDoC) and product-specific “Material Declarations.”
In addition to “causing a change,” various exclusions apply, such as loosely fitted items, metal and metal alloys, consumables, identical spare parts and coatings, items falling under the scope of IHM Part 2 or 3 (Table C of IHM Guidelines), and regular consumer products (Table D of IHM Guidelines) like TV sets, light bulbs, and furniture.
Due to these exclusion rules, it must be emphasised that always an order item counts, not an entire order, and the entire process has to reflect this. If an IHM Maintenance report only reflects PO numbers, it is cumbersome, and often nearly impossible, to identify the IHM-relevant order items contained therein. This causes an unacceptable level of intransparency, making recertification much more difficult and creating risks during PSC inspections. Unfortunately, this approach is more common than many think. As the wave of re-certifications is ahead of us, let’s see how this will be handled.
Supplier documents are required for all “IHM-relevant order items,” including non-hazardous products. Even for IHM maintenance, only hazardous material-containing products need to be tracked onboard. Without supplier documents, neither presence nor absence of hazardous materials can be verified. Related Maintenance Reports of the IHM should reflect changes, including locations and quantities, and provide related documents for both “non-hazardous” and “hazardous order items.” Otherwise, there is no transparency, and potential questions about why an item is not reflected due to either the absence of hazardous materials or the lack of documents from the supplier will be more difficult to answer over time.
A proper understanding and application of these rules and exemptions to individual order items are necessary for efficient IHM maintenance. If done properly, less than 5% of all order items are identified as “relevant,” for which only about 1% of Material Declarations state that a hazardous material is contained and the item requires tracking onboard. All this must be reflected in reports, and the crew only needs to track 0.05% of all order items for IHM maintenance. Such performance cannot be achieved with half-hearted approaches or when a purchasing system only has generic rules for categorisation integrated.
What we see is that suppliers are first confronted with many unnecessary requests, making it more difficult to maintain focus. Despite this, the required information is not always at hand and needs to be gathered from their own supply chain. Sub-suppliers might not be focused on the maritime market or even aware that their products are sold to ships. As such, maritime requirements like Material Declarations (MDs) are unknown to them, and they are unprepared or unwilling to spend time and accept liabilities for this specific market. Consequently, related tasks can be as timeconsuming for maritime suppliers as IHM maintenance is for ships.
Besides unnecessary requests creating more efforts and costs for all, they also increase the risk of documentation gaps. Even when artificially created by various shortcomings, they must be documented black on white in the reports, a great source for questions and trouble during recertification and PSC inspections.
GSR puts a lot of effort into careful relevancy checks, smooth processes, and supportive followup activities. Our motto is that “we’re all rowing in one boat,” and it doesn’t make sense to make compliance aspects bigger or more cumbersome than necessary. Smart solutions and the right attitude help all of us, reduce risks, and save costs for everyone.
Role of Technology in IHM Maintenance:
How does GSR Services incorporate technology and digital tools, such as NautilusLog, to streamline IHM maintenance and enhance the accuracy of compliance documentation?
IHMs are to be developed prior to the delivery of a ship by the building yard using supplier documents. After delivery, IHM maintenance is required for the entire operational life. This means tens of thousands of individual files must be collected, managed, kept, and described items tracked (new installations, relocations, removals), with the whole process certified at least every five years. This alone makes it clear that an Excel-based approach will not be sufficient.
On top of that, crucial tasks like evaluating order items, exchange with suppliers, sending reminders, controlling provided documents, keeping them available, following up onboard, updating IHM, and transparent maintenance reporting including item-specific histories make it obvious that only dedicated software can keep this task manageable. Updated IHMs must also be available in case of a PSC inspection. Manually, this task would be nearly impossible or at least extremely timeconsuming and resource-intensive.
At GSR, we started looking into all these aspects in 2006 and developed the necessary processes for efficiently fulfilling the requirements, at that time still in the drafting stage at IMO. The managing owner was directly involved in the related developments at IMO and is familiar not only with the outcomes in writing but also with the discussions and considerations behind the rules. Seven years ago, GSR started collaborating with the startup NautilusLog, and all experiences have been incorporated into their software solution. We continue to learn and implement further improvements in the system to enhance efficiency.
Most order data from clients is automatically uploaded into the tool via API connections; others are manually imported. Each order item is cross-checked with the IMPA catalogue, which we have fully categorised, plus our more than 4,500 word rules carefully developed over the years. Whatever item is not cat egorised automatically is then managed manually by us. The results of categorisations are recorded, and for relevant order items, a request is sent out to the related supplier.GSR Services and Sinwa Singapore also joined hands to develop a freely accessible categorisation tool for order items to ease the process for all involved.
Each supplier gets an individual landing page showing all open requests, where documents can easily be uploaded. Once this is done, a task appears in the system for us at GSR to review the document. If found to be inaccurate, it is not accepted, and the supplier is notified with our individual message explaining the reasons for rejection. If the document is accepted, parameters are set regarding the presence of hazardous materials in the specific product. If absent, the document is archived; if present, the system generates a task for the crew to label and track the item by specifying locations and quantities stored or installed. Then, a new or modified entry in the ship-specific IHM and maintenance report is generated.
An up to date maintenance report can be generated on demand 24/7 with a simple click in the system by any of the registered users. We suggest finishing all tasks and generating a report prior to arrival at a port. As we don’t charge for this, it comes at no extra cost, and ships are always well prepared for inspections and audits.
Bansal Group, a trailblazer in the ship recycling industry, operates two state-of-the-art facilities in Alang: Bansal Ship Breakers Private Limited and Bansal Ship Recyclers LLP. Under the visionary leadership of Chairman Kapoorchand Bansal and his two sons, Rubal Bansal and Bharat Bansal, the group has set new benchmarks for sustainability and responsibility in ship recycling.
Their foresight and dedication to environmental stewardship have positioned Bansal Group as a leader in the industry. They are committed to sustainable practices, ensuring that the ship recycling process minimises environmental impact while maximising resource recovery. By embracing the highest Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) standards, they prioritise the well-being of their workforce and the surrounding community.
They strictly adhere to international standards, including the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships. This commitment ensures that all operations are conducted with the utmost regard for environmental protection and worker safety. Moreover, Bansal Group places a strong emphasis on Social Accountability and the well-being of their workers. They provide comprehensive training programs in Inventory of Hazardous Materials (IHM) management, asbestos abatement, and other critical safety practices. The group boasts an in-house IHM expert to ensure the highest standards of safety and compliance
Recognising the importance of worker welfare, Bansal Group is constructing a labour housing quarter for over 300 workers. This facility will include all essential amenities, addressing the living conditions of migrant workers who come from various parts of India to work in the ship recycling industry. Bansal Group is also renowned for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in the locality of Bhavnagar, contributing to the community’s development and well-being.
Kapoorchand Bansal’s leadership, combined with the innovative approaches of Rubal and Bharat Bansal, has established Bansal Group as a beacon of responsible ship recycling. Their unwavering commitment to sustainability, safety, and social responsibility sets them apart as industry pioneers, leading the way towards a greener and safer future for ship recycling in Alang.
JRD is a ship recycling yard in India certified by Class NK and LR as compliant to both HKC and EU SRR . The yard has always strived to take the lead in creating innovative solutions to the increasingly demanding sustainability requirements of ship recycling in India.
JRD was the first yard to have a100% impermeable floor for all the ship recycling activities taking place in the facility.They were again the first yard to create an App which would record in real time all HSE parameters and could be accessed by the shipowners/managers from their bases itself.
The current photograph showcases another one of a kind initiative taken by JRD. This is a double layered steel structure cladding the entire intertidal zone of the facility(for JRD vessels) thus ensuring all the recycling activity done onboard the vessel is carried out on this impermeable steel structure. This ensures easy capture and thus minimal possibility of any debris, slag or any other material to escape into the intertidal zone or the sea.
Such sustainability initiatives are fuelled by JRD’s unique perspective; they do not consider themselves as ship recyclers selling the recycled materials to make profits but as providers of quality ship recycling services to owners who demand such services.
State of the Art Ship Recycling Yard
The Ship Recycling Industry has moved from buying a ship, recycling at the lowest possible cost, and then selling the materials at a higher cost TO providing world-class Ship Recycling Services to owners and regulators who demand such services.
This is a paradigm shift and we intend to remain in the forefront of this shift.
+91 9831005524
sanjiv@mjrone.org www.jrdindustries.net
Impact of Incorrect Material Declarations (MDs):
What are the potential consequences for shipowners and suppliers when incorrect MDs are submitted, and how does GSR Services work to prevent these errors?
If suppliers do not take proper care when developing and providing MDs to their customers, they can be held liable for false information for as long as the product exists onboard. That is a long time, and liability means that any subsequent damage caused by false documents, for instance, the presence of a heavy metal in a product, must be compensated for. Over time, ship-specific IHMs become more inaccurate if suppliers fail to perform their duties. As mentioned, an IHM is a technical file and may lead to disputes between buyers and sellers of ships when it is not accurate. It is also important to remember that the aim of IHMs is to support the planning of safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships. The risks and potential consequences are most significant in this context.
Considering the risks involved, we strongly warn against using converter tools that transfer POs into separate MDs for each order item contained or signing “nothing contained-MDs” provided as attachments to the requests sent to suppliers. Such approaches only increase the risks of false MDs, even though they might seem like a convenient quick fix. Any supplier who wants to remain in the market should avoid these practices. Instead, and when known well, other regulations and standards can be utilised for evaluating the presence and absence of hazardous materials in products.
GSR Services works diligently to prevent these errors by ensuring suppliers understand their obligations and the importance of accurate MDs. We provide clear guidance and individual support to suppliers, emphasising the critical role that MDs play in maintaining accurate IHMs. Our processes include detailed checks and follow-ups to verify the information provided in MDs. By fostering a thorough and transparent approach, we help minimise the risks of incorrect MDs and ensure that all parties involved can rely on the accuracy of the IHM documentation.
Education and Support for Suppliers:
Given the intricate requirements of IHM maintenance, what support and education does GSR Services provide to suppliers to ensure they understand and meet these obligations?
We achieve a high return ratio of MDs on our requests, often well above 90%. Besides maintaining a clear focus on required documents, we also provide a hands-on manual on the landing pages for suppliers. Frequently, we offer workshops and webinars, including Q&A sessions, to raise awareness and find individual solutions within the legal framework. Additionally, GSR always provides personal support of up to one hour free of charge to all suppliers of its clients via phone, emails, and video calls. We also run a YouTube channel with webinars on demand.
We strive for cooperation and raising awareness, as this helps to lessen related efforts for all and increase compliance throughout the industry. This approach is far more helpful than threatening suppliers with reporting their “uncooperative behaviour” to their customers. As we also support suppliers by taking care of their MD management, we have experienced these challenges firsthand. In cases where we reject MD requests from shipowners or their service suppliers when supporting suppliers for items excluded from IHM maintenance by the rules, we inform the requester with a clear justification.
In instances where service suppliers do not understand the rules properly or interpret them differently, we have been pressurised and accused of bending the rules. This has even led to suppliers being reported as non-compliant to their customers risking damage to their reputation. In such cases, we had to approach the shipowner the service supplier was working for to clarify the situation and elaborate the rules.
Improvements in Industry Practices:
You’ve noted industry practices that complicate IHM maintenance. What improvements would you like to see implemented across the industry to address these issues?
A significant step towards unified processing and understanding are the industry guidelines for shipowners and suppliers on IHM maintenance. These guidelines have been developed by major associations such as ICS, BIMCO, ISSA, and others. Many of the same individuals active in the working group on ship recycling at IMO, which developed the IHM Guidelines and the Hong Kong Convention, also contributed to these industry guidelines.
When the associations discussed and reviewed current performance in regards to IHM maintenance, they jointly decided to develop industry guidance due to the immense demand and confusion. Henning Gramann of GSR Services participated in this development and was asked to share its process description. After a detailed review by the experts involved, including various lawyers from the associations, our process was fully incorporated. As such our understanding and practices have been independently verified and found to be fully compliant.
The most significant improvements can be achieved when all stakeholders - shipowners, their service suppliers, ship suppliers, as well as Porst State Control (PSC) and classification societies - carefully consider the industry guidance and act in compliance with it. This collective adherence will help streamline processes, reduce confusion, and ensure a higher standard of IHM maintenance across the industry.
Compliance Data Management Approach:
Could you explain the concept of ‘Compliance Data Management’ and how it differs from the expertise traditionally found among IHM experts?
First of all, IHM experts are often class-approved specialists who go onboard ships to investigate the presence of hazardous materials. This involves visual checks and sampling. However, this approach is not suitable for newbuildings or IHM maintenance. As such, the related class approvals do not cover IHM maintenance, even though some claim to be approved for this as well.
Compliance data management, on the other hand, involves a transparent and traceable exchange of product data within supply chains, ideally down to raw materials, and the aggregation of such data for finished products. These products can be as complex as cars, electronics, medical equipment, and ships. The goal is to ensure traceability and automatic updates throughout entire supply chains, maintaining transparency and assigning related liabilities for those providing the information.
Everyone involved is responsible only for the information they provide and combine, not for the details from others. This approach ensures that data is managed in a way that supports compliance with regulations and maintains the integrity of the information throughout the supply chain, differing significantly from the traditional methods used by IHM experts.
Partnership and Collaboration in Recycling:
Can you discuss a specific case where GSR Services successfully facilitated compliant ship recycling, and what were the key factors that contributed to this success?
Besides a few projects, there are two ships and their owners worth highlighting. With the owners of a New Zealand Navy Tanker and a Campaign Vessel of Greenpeace, we jointly developed their ship recycling policies and tender requirements. We identified ship-specific hazardous materials and set requirements for the recycling of their assets. Interested ship recyclers were requested to prove their capabilities to comply with international and individual requirements and show willingness to accommodate individual criteria. These facilities were then inspected by GSR experts.
The outcome of the due diligence inspection was a rating that ensured commercial aspects could not compensate for shortcomings in quality. We accompanied contract negotiations, planned the last voyage including certifications, and then supervised the entire process from the arrival of the ships at the ship recycling facilities until the last disposal of wastes. The Navy vessel was recycled in India, marking the first-ever recycling under full compliance with the Basel Convention, while the Greenpeace vessel was recycled in Spain under EU-rules. Both projects ensured full traceability of all materials and were completed without any pollution, accidents, or incidents. It’s also important to mention the many projects we have carried out with ship recyclers since 2013. We were the first to achieve full compliance with the Hong Kong Convention for ship recyclers in India. Such facilities look and operate very differently from what others claim is common “beaching.” Over the years, we have worked with more than 60 ship recyclers in various countries, helping them to substantially upgrade their practices.
Future of IHM Practices:
Looking forward, how do you see IHM practices evolving in the maritime industry, especially with potential new regulations and global standards?
The IHM, including its maintenance, is sometimes interpreted as a means to support material circularity—in other words, to increase the recycling of valuable materials. This interpretation is not entirely accurate as it only covers one aspect of material circularity, or Cradle2Cradle. As such, we challenge this interpretation.
What is true is that the basics, like gathering and tracking material information over the lifecycle of a ship, are helpful, but the scope of IHMs needs to be extensively widened. When properly combining material compliance data exchange and tracking for ships, not only Cradle2Cradle but also sufficient ESG-Reporting and compliance with CSRD can be achieved. Today, we often see only partial reporting, which is far from comprehensive enough to meet the new legal requirements in the EU and UK.
In other words, extended data processing can be utilised for substituting SVHCs (substances of very high concern), ensuring the circulation of materials and resources, preventing downcycling and wastage, increasing the efficiency of using resources, and elevating sustainability. New requirements on sustainability reporting and financing are based to a very great extent on this data, and we are soon to release a complete service to support companies in their sustainability efforts and fulfilling related requirements.
This is a complex topic that could fill many further pages, so let’s keep it short for now.
Advice for navigating IHM Compliance:
For companies struggling with IHM compliance, what practical steps can they take to improve their processes, and how can engaging with a service like from GSR Services benefit them?
As a first step, the Industry Guidance is great for clarifying the required steps, roles, and responsibilities of the different stakeholders, including relevancy checks. Seeking advice from classification societies may not be as helpful, as many are not necessarily better informed.
Various service suppliers offer different approaches, and their methods should be evaluated. For example, check whether they report on an order item-level, provide a converter tool, or pre-filled documents and the percentage of “IHM-relevant order items” is an easy KPI to consider. It’s also enlightening to ask suppliers about their experiences with the various service suppliers in terms of total costs, not just the service fees should be compared but also external costs and efforts generated for the owner and crew is important.
Additionally, we at GSR Services are always happy to share our information and experience through platforms like YouTube, our website, LinkedIn, and in articles like this one. Taking a few minutes to digest this information will help all to make the right decisions. Engaging with a service like from GSR Services can provide practical insights, ensure compliance, and streamline the entire IHM process, ultimately minimising risks and costs for shipowners and their supply chains.
Henning Gramann Managing Owner
Company Genesis and Mission:
Shark Seating began with a focus on ergonomic design in the marine seating industry. Can you share the story behind the inception of Shark Seating and your mission in transforming the industry?
The formation of Shark Seating happened at a time when the NZ Navy faced delays and rising costs from inflexible suppliers dominating a small market. There was a need for agile and cooperative suppliers offering lighter, more adaptable products and services. This challenge appealed to me, having handled over 500 freelance projects with a focus on finding the most elegant solutions and implementing them with the most appropriate and scalable technology.
Design Philosophy:
Your design consultancy started in 1996, leading to Shark Seating’s establishment. How has your background in ergonomic design influenced the development of Shark Seating’s products?
The core principles guiding our work are simplicity, modularity, and versatility. These principles enable us to tackle any ergonomic challenge. It’s a process where all the hard work rests on the designer rather than the user. We work tirelessly to ensure that our solutions are ever more simple, self-adjusting, and intuitive.
Achieving simplicity is like seeking the Holy Grail. Once found, everyone can recognise it but uncovering simplicity is a relentless process of ideation, screening, and refinement. In the words of Michelangelo, ‘The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material.’
Impact on High-Speed Naval Craft:
Shark Seating has been recognised for its suspension seating solutions in high-speed naval boats. How do Shark Seating products enhance the safety and performance of these vessels?
Shark Seating’s suspension seating solutions have garnered recognition for their impact on highspeed naval boats. These products play a pivotal role in enhancing both the safety and performance of such vessels.
In the realm of high-speed craft, the ultimate goal is to achieve maximum performance with minimal inputs. This entails prioritising safety, comfort, and durability while minimising weight, complexity, and cost. At Shark Seating, we achieve this balance through our three design pillars.
Simplicity lies at the core of our approach, ensuring that each component is streamlined to its essential functionality without any unnecessary elements. Modularity further reinforces this principle by ensuring perfect compatibility among components, thereby maximising safety and comfort for occupants. Additionally, our products offer versatility, allowing various modules to be seamlessly combined to meet diverse ergonomic requirements.
Each of our modules is assigned a NATO stock code, enabling navies to configure suspension seats tailored to their specific needs. This bespoke approach not only ensures unprecedented impact protection but also enhances weight efficiency, crucial factors in the demanding environment of high-speed naval operations.
America’s Cup Contribution:
Shark Seating’s involvement in the 36th America’s Cup significantly boosted the brand’s visibility. How did this event impact Shark Seating’s business, and what was it like seeing your products on all the chase boats?
Shark Seating’s participation in the 36th America’s Cup marked a significant milestone in enhancing the brand’s visibility and impact on the maritime industry. Reflecting on this event sheds light on its profound implications for our business and the exhilaration of witnessing our products on every chase boat. https://youtu.be/-94T9u5-UHU
Having followed the America’s Cup fervently since its arrival in our neighborhood in 1987, I never imagined, thirty years later, that our seats would grace the decks of every chase boat and media vessel at the America’s Cup and SailGP events. It was a moment of pride to see our seats accommodating royalty, sailing legends, VIPs, and support crews—a total of 140 seats, a remarkable feat at the time, though now surpassed by our expanding customer base.
An unexpected benefit emerged five years later, during the 2021 America’s Cup in New Zealand, providing an opportunity to assess the wear and tear on 100 seats. Additionally, during the event’s visit to Christchurch in 2023, we conducted the 5-year service on 40 SailGP seats, leading to an extension of our product warranty to three years.
Furthermore, the legacy of our involvement extended beyond the event itself, with a majority of New Zealand Coastguard boats now equipped with Shark Suspension Seats, having adopted 26 retired America’s Cup RHIBs. This integration underscores the enduring impact of our participation in the America’s Cup, solidifying our commitment to innovation and safety in maritime seating solutions.
SEATING and COMFORT are just two of the core supporting pillars of Springfield Marine Company. From luxury upholstered seating down to the hardware that gives them movement–we are your seating solution. Founded in 1952 as an aluminum foundry under the name Springfield Aluminum Company, our founder Garnett Carnahan, quickly found himself in a new emerging marine market. By the late 1970’s, the marine industry was the primary customer base that allowed us to develop as a brand of marine seating hardware and accessories.
We have pioneered the marine seating industry with innovative designs that have allowed numerous patents and design acknowledgments that hold our brand strong, remaining vigilant to supply the growing needs of the marine industry while maintaining durability, safety, stability, and comfort. Today, Springfield Marine boat seats, hardware, and RV/boating acces-
sories are installed in more boats than any other brand in the world. The company is respected for quality and reliable products that are sold across North America, South America, Australia, Europe and even Asia. We ensure quality and customer satisfaction by following multiple testing and quality standards and obtaining certificates of approval from each of the global standards organizations, some of which include International Maritime Organization (IMO), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC). Adhering to these standards is a fundamental commitment Springfield Marine has to its customers and partners. Our goal is to establish long term relationships that help customers/partners grow and increase their market share, while providing top-of-the-line products
FISH PRO HIGH-BACK FOLDING SEAT
CONSOLE HELM FLIP-UP
that offer the comfort and safety boaters and RVers demand and expect.
Springfield Marine has been doing business in China since 1990. Our state-of-the-art facility in Jiangsu offers nearly 77,000 M2 of in-house product engineering and manufacturing, including our own aluminum foundry, CNC, metal fabrication, blow molding, plastic injection molding, foam molding, and cut-and-sew operations.
Our North American headquarters facility is home to not only our corporate offices, but also our design and engineering team and over 100,000 sq. ft. of distribution and manufacturing space including a full CNC shop and on-site fabrication of fixed-height pedestals and ski tow pylons. In addition to our headquarters facility we also maintain a general fabrication facility, located in Springfield, MO, that offers waterjet cutting, laser cutting, press brake, welding, pipe and
tube fabrication, material surface finishing, and more. Quality and cost are key to maintaining our position as the leader in marine seating, seat/table hardware and boat/RV accessories. To this end, Springfield maintains an in-house testing lab that allows us to test our products to meet virtually all internal and industry standards. Further, to retain our position as the low-cost leader, we continue to drive global sourcing and have a lean six sigma team focused on continuous improvement, automation, and cost reductions.
Our wide variety of boating and RV accessories, chairs, and seating hardware present an array of combinations that are second to none. We are your seating solution.
LADDERS
NEW! Stainless steel telescoping and fixed boarding ladders available in polished or black electroplated finishes.
• Securing strap included on telescoping models
• Flat treads for added comfort
• Corrosion resistant
• Meets ABYC H-41 standards
1801230-03 Ladder Dive 4-Step SS
1801275-04 Ladder Telescoping Transom 4-step SS
1800250-04 Ladder Telescoping Drop 4-step SS BK
RETRACTABLE SKI TOW
durable aircraft aluminum with a stainless steel base, welded stainless steel support tube, and passivated deck mount. Designer with the strength to handle most tow sport activities. Available in single pack.
• Brite dip anodized pylon
• Oval base: 3.5” x 6”
• Stows flush with deck
• 1600 lbs static load
1800096-EXSS Retractable Ski Tow Aluminum-SS
PEDESTAL & SLIDE / SWIVEL BLACK ANODIZED
System includes 4” aluminum pedestal with 12” round base, black anodized. Pedestal is sized and pressed into base, then rim welded for stability. Low profile slide with front activated towel bar handle for slide activation mounted to 4” workhorse swivel.
• Rotates 360°
• Multi-location locking
3100656-01B Low Profile Slide/Swivel Black Anodized 1450012-B 4” Elite Fixed Height Pedestal Black Anodized
strategies have you employed to maintain and grow your international client base?
At Shark Seating, our passion is deeply rooted in our mission: to significantly reduce the number of people affected by spinal injuries on boats. Central to our success is a customercentric approach that drives our strategies for maintaining and expanding our international client base.
We recognise that our mission remains critical as long as there are customers who lack adequate protection from wave impacts. This drives our continuous efforts to innovate and improve our products, ensuring they remain accessible to all who need them.
Additionally, we are committed to tripling our investment in the 5 P’s (Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and People) every three years. This bold strategy ha s yielded remarkable results, with sales increasing thirty-fold over the past decade.
Looking ahead, we have a robust plan in place to achieve another thirty-fold increase in sales over the next ten years. Our aim is to make suspension seating a standard in the maritime industry, bringing safety and comfort to the forefront. We invite you to stay tuned as we continue to push the boundaries of innovation and accessibility in maritime seating solutions.
Sustainability Initiatives:
Sustainability and environmental responsibility are key concerns for many businesses today. What steps is Shark Seating taking to reduce its environmental impact?
At Shark Seating, we recognise the importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility in today’s business landscape. To reduce our environmental impact, we have implemented several initiatives, with a focus on innovative materials and carbon sequestration.
One notable achievement is the development of our FLEXANITE material, which is used in all our suspension seats. FLEXANITE is composed of 100% bio-plastic, designed to consume its own weight in carbon dioxide. This not only reduces our reliance on traditional plastics but also contributes to carbon sequestration, even if the material ends up in a landfill. Furthermore, FLEXANITE is recyclable, ensuring a circular lifecycle for our products.
To learn more about our sustainability initiatives and how we’re harnessing carbon from the atmosphere to mitigate environmental impact, we invite you to visit our website: Link to the article.
Innovations in Seating Design:
Shark Seating is known for its innovative approach to marine seating. Can you discuss a recent product innovation that you’re particularly proud of?
Shark Seating’s commitment to innovation in marine seating design is exemplified by our recent breakthrough in addressing the pressing issue of back injuries among tourboat passengers. Six years ago, reports surfaced of tour boat operators facing severe financial repercussions, including bankruptcy, due to the denial of public liability insurance claims stemming from passenger back injuries. This alarming trend prompted us to develop a solution that would benefit both passengers and operators alike.
To meet this challenge, we set out to create a suspension seating system that was compact, lightweight, and cost-effective enough to be installed in large numbers on tourboats. The result of our endeavor was the development of the ULTRA-lite and EVO suspension seats, crafted using injection-molded technology. Weighing in at a mere 7kg each and priced comparably to standard unsuspended jockey seating, these seats offer unparalleled comfort and safety for passengers without imposing significant financial strain on operators.
Our innovation has not only revolutionised the tourboat industry but has also paved the way for enhanced safety standards across marine transportation sectors. For a detailed account of this groundbreaking development, we invite you to explore the full story in our article: Link to the article.
Challenges and Achievements:
Every business faces its set of challenges, especially when it comes to innovation. Can you share a significant challenge Shark Seating overcame and what it taught you?
Every business encounters its share of challenges, particularly in the realm of innovation. One significant challenge Shark Seating faced underscored the importance of rigorous testing and adaptability.
As Albert Einstein aptly stated, ‘If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried anything new.’ A decade ago, we embarked on the ambitious endeavor of crafting all our suspensions from plastic, fully aware of the immense forces they would endure—nearly 1 tonne. Despite subjecting prototypes to rigorous lab testing, simulating up to 1 million full impacts, we recognised that real-world conditions would provide the ultimate test, especially in defense and rescue boats.
The reality soon set in as we encountered variations in plastic batches, highlighting the need for meticulous quality control measures. Embracing Shane Parrish’s wisdom that ‘it’s not the failures that define us so much as how we respond,’ we made a pivotal decision to implement 100% testing of all production parts six years ago.
This decision was not without its challenges, as we faced the necessity of recalling a batch at considerable expense, requiring personnel to travel to Iceland on two occasions.
However, this proactive approach proved instrumental in averting potential safety hazards. Despite thousands of our seats being subjected to harrowing conditions—such as boats free-falling up to 6 meters in rough seas—our commitment to quality assurance has yielded an impeccable safety record: zero injuries in ten years.
This experience has taught us the importance of resilience, adaptability, and unwavering dedication to safety and quality. It serves as a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence in maritime seating solutions.
Customer-Centric Approach:
Shark Seating emphasises a strong connection with its customers. How do you ensure that your customer service stands out in the industry?
At Shark Seating, we recognise the dual layers of customers inherent in our mission to safeguard backs across the maritime industry. Our customer-centric approach extends beyond boat owners and operators to encompass boat builders, forging symbiotic relationships that drive mutual success.
We pride ourselves on fostering exceptionally strong connections with boat builders who integrate our seats into their vessels. This partnership is founded on a shared commitment to excellence, where we enhance their offerings with cutting-edge technology, and in turn, they amplify our brand recognition.
In our experience, boat builders fall into two categories: those who prioritise offering the best and safest technology to their customers and those who only consider safety options upon request. Fortunately, within the realm of professional boats—such as government tenders, sea rescue, and defense—the specification mandates the inclusion of suspension seats. Leveraging the weight and cost advantages of Shark Suspension Seats, we’ve observed that whenever boat builders opt for our seats in tenders, the resulting vessels not only meet safety standards but also benefit from enhanced range, capacity, and performance, to the delight of end users.
To reflect our unwavering dedication to achieving tangible outcomes for both boat providers and end users, we’ve rebranded our customer service as ‘customer success.’ This shift underscores our commitment to delivering results and ensuring the success of our customers at every stage of their journey
Future Outlook:
Looking ahead, what new markets or innovations is Shark Seating exploring to continue its growth and influence in the marine industry?
While we have ambitious plans for the future, we recognise the importance of strategic discretion. Rest assured, Shark Seating remains dedicated to our core principles of affordable performance, usability, lightness, simplicity, and customer success. These values will continue to drive our growth and influence in the marine industry, enabling us to achieve our goal of a thirty-fold expansion every decade.
As Forrest Gump famously said, ‘and that’s all I have to say about that.’ Rest assured, our commitment to innovation and excellence remains steadfast, propelling Shark Seating into exciting new markets and pioneering groundbreaking innovations. We invite you to stay tuned as we embark on the next phase of our journey
Shark Seating designs and manufactures premium seating solutions for marine, automotive, and aviation industries, focusing on ergonomic comfort, innovative design, and high-quality craftsmanship to enhance passenger experience and safety.
Paul Zwaan Owner
wa
The Workboat Association
Leading the Way
Kerrie Forster, navigating The Workboat Association’s Future
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Kerrie Forster, the CEO of The Workboat Association, to explore his dynamic leadership journey and the strategic role he has within maritime. With over 20 years of maritime experience, Forster has navigated the complex landscape of the industry, rising from a part-time workboat crew member to the helm of The Workboat Association. Under his leadership, the association has seen significant growth and transformation, tripling its membership and expanding its influence and outreach.
Join us as Kerrie Forster shares insights into his leadership approach, the association’s mission to promote trade, skills, and safety standards, and the challenges and opportunities facing the workboat sector today. Discover how The Workboat Association is championing advancements in maritime safety, sustainability, and technological innovation, and learn about their vision for the future as they celebrate their 30th anniversary and prepare for the next phase of growth and development.
Professional Journey and Leadership:
With a 20-year career in maritime, transitioning each-rung of the ladder from a part-time workboat crew member to CEO of The Workboat Association, how have your onshore and offshore experiences shaped your leadership approach?
Patience – quite simply. We all have different backgrounds, expectations, and thought processes. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
Having worked with many different nationalities in remote environments and thousands of miles away from home, you quickly learn that leading, working, managing, and behaving all require someone to remain adaptive, professional, thorough, but also amicable.
‘Collaboration without bigotry or prejudice’ is ultimately something that continues to go through my mind when making operational and leadership decisions. How can the decision I am making be influenced by any of the stakeholders around me? Are my eyes closed to something right under my nose? These are the questions I ask myself when considering the effects of my actions. ‘Can somebody that will be key to the success of my expectations either positively or negatively affect the outcome of the shared objective beyond my own experience or interest?’
Maybe this means engaging early with front-line employees, pulling together key influencers and ‘best practice ambassadors’ for their opinions, re-assessing your internal skill sets, or when necessary, reaching out for help without feeling ashamed.
There are lots of people out there that do not willingly help others to succeed; maybe it is a fear of being overtaken, or simply that they struggle to have this connection with others. I found the right role models around me, with the right mentality and skill sets to show me everything they could. All I had to do was turn up, with a willingness to learn and an eagerness to do my best and achieve. The rest is simply a matter of time.
Workboat Association’s Mission:
As CEO, how do you interpret The Workboat Association’s mission to promote trade, skills, and safety standards, and what are your top priorities for the association?
As a not-for-profit organisation run by constitution, our mission and objectives are clearly defined. However, turning these into ‘SMART’ based actions is the key. Transforming a broad objective such as ‘promoting skills’ into something specific takes some doing, but the key is focusing on the combination of such activities. Again, I return to asking myself the same questions: What are others doing? What has already been done? How do our needs differ from others? Where can we collaborate? Who can we learn from? Who are the role models?
I place myself in the shoes of different stakeholders: members, other key organisations, and nonmembers. I try to look at my thoughts through their eyes: How would I feel if I were them? How would I react? Would I want to engage? Would I share my opinion? Is there something for me?
Our priorities remain to support our members and their industry, to ensure that the workboat sector is thriving and well-regulated with suitable, but achievable rules and policy. We aim to ensure that the employees of the sector have good opportunities, a challenging but safe work environment, and sustainable operations achieved by the sharing of best practices and an emphasis on the evolution of technology, all pinned together with appropriate training, education, and certification.
We host regular workgroups and networking events, write guidance, exhibit at exhibitions and conferences, organise training and stakeholder sessions, support government and stakeholder organisations, and stand by to help any of our members with their business concerns. With over 200 member organisations, this keeps us all very busy!
Collaboration with Maritime UK:
The Workboat Association’s membership with Maritime UK represents a significant step. Can you discuss the synergies between the two organisations and the benefits of this collaboration?
The Workboat Association joined Maritime UK in 2020, seeking to increase our political understanding and presence. Facing the uncertainties of Brexit negotiations, we played our role in shaping the future relationship between the UK and the EU. With the looming Brexit date and discussions of soft and hard Brexit, along with a rapidly decreasing timeframe and intense competition from other sectors, we knew we needed to be part of a larger coalition.
In 2020, as much of the world was in lockdown due to Covid-19, our seafarers continued to work at sea and in ports, part of a wide but often uncelebrated group of key workers. They ensured that the lights stayed on, supermarkets were stocked, cars had fuel, and hospitals had power and resources to operate.
Joining Maritime UK during this politically sensitive time was immensely beneficial for us. Maritime UK is an alliance of key UK maritime industry membership organisations. It serves as a focal point for government interaction and a conduit for excellent collaboration and networking.
Challenges in the Workboat Sector:
What are the current challenges facing the workboat sector, and how is The Workboat Association addressing these challenges?
While I write this, the top four challenges for us are:
1. Supporting UK business and trade in our sector following Brexit
2. Developing and nurturing the small commercial vessel seafarer skills pool
3. Steering industry to meet the global and national decarbonisation objectives
4. Guiding and educating members and government on applicable policy and regulation
International readers may be surprised to see Brexit still at the top of the list, but it is the gift that keeps on giving… Five Prime Ministers later, countless Ministers, a huge number of civil service changes, and a continually changing rulebook—Brexit will remain one of our top challenges for a number of years to come.
Workboats (in majority) operate under domestic regulations, falling out of the convention vessel application due to their smaller size. Therefore, it is down to each country to decide what their applicable rules are in their waters and who they choose to let in and operate.
The UK’s departure from the EU, a significant workplace for many of our members, means that the expectations, intentions, and strategies of the EU/UK flag states have been given a good shake-up. The belt of “unity” has been unbuckled and expanded a few holes, giving more room for change, with each country’s Port State Administration and Immigration teams busy setting new policies to ensure that they put their own country’s workers and businesses first.
As a result, we see increased troubles for non-UK vessel owners and crew to work within the UK, and a forever-changing landscape for UK stakeholders to work in the EU, with each country setting different and evolving rules.
Advancements in Maritime Safety:
Safety is paramount in the maritime industry. Could you highlight some key safety initiatives or advancements that The Workboat Association has championed or implemented recently?
Championing safety is a significant part of our work. In recent years, we have run annual safety campaigns on topics such as mental health, fatigue, recovery from water, access and egress, passage planning, PPE, dangerous goods, and emergency preparedness.
Sometimes we join forces with like-minded organisations, while other times we go alone, depending on the objectives set by our stakeholders and the target audience. We have previously collaborated with organisations such as The British TugOwners Association, IMCA, CHIRP, The Seafarers Charity, Port Skills & Safety, Marine Safety Forum, MAIB, and the MCA. Together, we have produced toolkits, poster campaigns, training sessions and webinars, guidance documents, flashcards, conference sessions, live drills, and much more. Many of the (downloadable) outputs of our safety campaigns are available free to both members and non-members via our website or through our stakeholders’ websites.
One of the most effective and long-lasting efforts we have been a part of regarding safety advancements is our committed and continued partnership with the UK’s flag state, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). If there is any work being undertaken by the MCA related to small commercial vessels, we are always invited to take part, provide expertise or opinions, help draft documents, organise or co-host events, and be a part of training sessions, consultations, roll-outs, or campaigns. Additionally, we have a great relationship with many of the various departmental staff, which means we know exactly the right internal subject experts to liaise with or ask questions. This is something we are very appreciative of.
Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives:
Sustainability is a growing focus within the maritime sector. How is The Workboat Association contributing to the industry’s move towards more sustainable practices?
I would say our role is as ‘Enablers’. We work with both industry and government to enable sustainable practices, technological evolution, and the necessary sharing, education, and networking to make it happen on time and effectively.
We host regular sustainability and decarbonisation events, support a wide number of applications and Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) for financial grants and exposure, and steer regulators to ensure the correct policies are in place to enable new technology to safely and successfully enter use.
Through partnerships and collaboration with various industry and government-backed research and funding offices, innovation centres, and task forces, we take a proactive approach to helping the whole industry meet global and national environmental objectives. I think we are very fortunate in maritime, especially within Europe, that the majority of us share the same enthusiasm for making a positive difference. Aiming high and committing to new investments is always made a lot easier when you are not doing it alone.
Impact of Technology:
Technology is rapidly evolving in every industry, including maritime. What technological advancements do you see as most impactful for workboats, and how is the association facilitating technological adaptation among its members?
One of the biggest technological advancements in our sector within the last decade has been data digitalisation. Intelligent data recording and processing have significantly transformed maritime operations. It’s not just about artificial intelligence initially but the digital developments that have been changing and integrating into our world over the past 10 years. The ability to capture data and then turn it into something we can actually see and use has been revolutionary.
Data is being used in more clever ways across all maritime sectors, whether it manifests or stores records, deck logs, hours of work, planned maintenance systems, chart systems, NMEA data processing, safety management systems, communications, mechanical system displays, and reports. We now use advanced data processing and display systems to gauge wave heights before they even hit the ship, show how changes in certain mechanical conditions affect vessel performance live, provide more accurate weather and route forecasting, enable quicker and more effective incident reporting and mitigation, facilitate remote fault finding, monitor seafarer fatigue or activity patterns, guide training needs, improve and allow focused offshore communications, enhance stability analyses, and innovate mechanical deterioration and fuel usage tracking, whole body vibration, air quality monitoring, and much more.
Digital data advancements are one of the most powerful changes in the current maritime industry. When I started working commercially offshore in 2008, one of my duties was to take the vessel’s logbooks, tear out all the carbon copies of each log entry, and post them back to head office at the end of every month. Apart from a lucky or very broken phone call once or twice a week from the vessel’s superintendent, this was about the limit of the vessel’s connection with management. Ten years later, I was managing a globally operating fleet of vessels and staff, and I could hear colleagues getting upset that WhatsApp messages hadn’t been answered, even though they could see the messages had been read!
The evolution in data processing has been remarkable. Purchasers now can pick up their phone from bed, access all their emails, photos, and documents from their smartphone, go onto a webshop, order the parts directly, and inform the crew the part is on its way with an accurate delivery time without even having eaten their morning toast. The incredible data being collected and processed means that the next time the part needs ordering, a Planned Maintenance System will most likely pre-empt the item’s requirement and order itself, requiring somebody to just agree to the purchase and enter a delivery address.
The Workboat Association facilitates technological adaptation among its members by hosting regular events, workshops, and training sessions focused on the latest technological advancements. We also provide resources and support to help our members integrate these technologies into their operations, ensuring they stay competitive and efficient in a rapidly evolving industry.
Skills Development and Education:
Given your role in nurturing a safety culture and responsible work ethics, what initiatives or programs does The Workboat Association offer for skills development and continuing education within the industry?
We are active members of the Maritime Skills Alliance and Maritime UK skills programs, and I am personally a registered Director of both organisations. I was recently also part of the UK Government’s UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce.
Skills, education, and the employment pool are significant and continuing challenges for all businesses – it is a never-ending, looping cycle, where all parts of the system are active at the same time!
For every worker at the end of their career, there is somebody at the beginning, somebody in the middle, somebody not reaching their potential, and somebody going unrecognised.
It is a matter of continuous resource, enthusiasm, and planning. It is never easy, and if it is, it is probably because something is being overlooked.
There
are four quotes I like to remember on this subject:
“We cannot control the weather, but we can prepare for it.”
Lord Nelson
“
What happens if you train your employees and they leave? What happens if you do not train your employees and they stay?”
Anon
“Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Richard Branson
Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes of mice and men go oft’[en] awry.”
Robert Burns
There is always a chance, even in the simplest recruitment scenarios, to the most complex but most professional, that something will change and serious action needs to be taken. What happens if a pivotal employee suddenly goes off sick (or worse)? What happens if they suddenly, out of the blue, say they are leaving? What happens if that vital contract holding your company together suddenly goes ‘pop’? These are all big challenges for recruitment and skills, but with a good plan that encompasses all four of the quotes above, you are sure to be on the front foot
Nobody is indispensable, but sometimes they are pretty significant!
International Collaboration and Standards:
How does The Workboat Association engage with international counterparts to harmonise standards and best practices across the global workboat industry?
It normally starts with a telephone call or an email, and in a lot of situations it is reactive, directly requiring an answer or some work for a situation already in hand: “Good morning, I am one of your members and I need some advice…” or “Hello, you are talking with _____ from _____ flag state, I am on board a workboat and….”
Quite often it is either a translation or interpretation issue or a difference in expectations. Maybe someone used to inspect larger convention vessels is used to a certain type of certificate that workboats do not carry or maybe a rule which small vessels are not required to implement. The crew and/or operator are trying to convince the surveyor that everything is ok, but the surveyor wants some kind of additional evidence etc. We step in as a third party to help the vessel crew/operator understand what the Surveyor is looking for (it can often be something completely unheard of before to many), or we are networking different government representatives together to get the information clarified directly.
Of course we would rather work proactively, spotting opportunities for confusion or gaps in policy/ regulation and fixing them before an issue evolves, but it is not always possible. We take part in, and help secretariat many consultations and workshops – all with an eye to steer, rather than upset. Naturally we do our fair share of lobbying, but efforts and resources are normally best used if we can be a part of a process early on. I would much prefer to ease things into a better starting place, rather than having to get political or opposing once bills have already been passed. It isn’t nice for industry, and it isn’t nice for the regulator (who more often than not are doing things with the best intentions in mind).
Vision for the Future:
Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of The Workboat Association, and how do you plan to navigate the evolving landscape of the maritime industry?
2024 marks the 30th anniversary of The Workboat Association, and the General Committee is diligently developing a five-year plan to guide us from 2025 to 2030. This is my sixth year as CEO, and before that, I volunteered with the organisation as a Workgroup Chairman and General Committee member since 2014. Over the past decade, I have witnessed significant changes within The Workboat Association, both in terms of membership and activity. In 2014, our membership consisted of roughly 60 companies; today, we have just over 200. Previously, we employed my predecessor for ‘up to’ two days a week, and he worked alone, supported by an ad-hoc treasurer who contributed as needed. Today, we have a team of five working diligently behind the scenes to deliver on our members’ interests and objectives.
While our new strategy is still in the brainstorming phase—comprising pages of scribbles, doodles, brainstorming notes, and wish lists collected from members and stakeholders—it is now being translated into a strategic plan. This plan will be discussed by our General Committee at our next meeting. The work will continue throughout the year, with the intention of delivering a proposal at our AGM in late November 2024.
Until then, we have much to celebrate from our past 30 years. We are holding a celebration event, featuring a luxury river cruise on the Thames in September, for members and guests. This is a perfect opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us reach where we are today and those who continue to support our work. Ultimately, it is a chance to bring the membership together for a memorable event and remind them that ‘together, we achieve great things.
The Workboat Association is the trade association for the workboat industry, representing vessel operators, stakeholders, and suppliers, promoting safety, best practices, and industry standards across the maritime sector.
Kerrie Forster CEO
#events
Discover upcoming events that showcase innovation and excellence in the industry. Explore boat shows, conferences, and more, where enthusiasts and professionals gather to network and stay informed. Don’t miss out on these exciting opportunities to connect with the maritime world.
INAMARINE 2024
30 July - 1 August 2024
Set in Jakarta at JIExpo Kemayoran, INAMARINE is Indonesia’s essential maritime and offshore event. It showcases a vast range of the latest technologies, services, and solutions from the shipbuilding, maritime, and offshore industries. The event attracts key industry stakeholders, offering significant opportunities for networking and business expansion. https://inamarine-exhibition.net/
SMM Hamburg 2024
3-6 September 2024
SMM Hamburg is the leading global trade fair for the maritime industry, convening in Hamburg to showcase cutting-edge maritime technologies and services. It offers a comprehensive platform for networking, with special areas like the Future Fuels Area and AI Center enhancing the focus on decarbonization and digitalization www.smm-hamburg.com
Sydney International Boat Show 2024
30 Jan - 1 February 2024
Celebrate maritime and outdoor lifestyles at the Sydney International Boat Show, hosted at ICC Sydney & Cockle Bay, Darling Harbour. This four-day event, renowned as the largest of its kind in the Pacific, features everything from paddleboards to power cruisers, alongside a variety of watercraft and marine technology. https://sydneyboatshow.com.au/
IMPA London 2024
10-11 September 2024
Set in the prestigious QEII Centre, Westminster, IMPA London gathers maritime purchasing and supply chain professionals from around the globe. This event, spanning over four decades, offers a vibrant exhibition area, engaging educational sessions, and numerous networking opportunities.
www.impaevents.com/event/london
World Offshore Week 2024
11-12 September 2024
World Offshore Week returns to Singapore Expo, expanding its focus to include crucial topics like Offshore LNG, Offshore Facilities & Manning, and Offshore Digital innovations. This premier event brings together industry leaders to explore the latest in offshore technology and strategies, making it essential for professionals in the offshore oil, energy, and marine sectors. For more details, visit their website.
www.oilandgasiq.com/events-worldoffshoreweek
Genoa International Boat Show 2024
19-24 September 2024
The 64th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show takes place at the iconic waterfront, offering an extensive showcase of over 1,000 brands in the nautical world. This event serves as a global benchmark for comparing the latest in institutional and technological maritime trends. A must-visit for enthusiasts and professionals interested in the high-end yachting market.
https://salonenautico.com/en/
Unmanned Maritime Systems Technology USA 2024
23-25 September 2024
Held in Arlington, VA, this leading conference focuses on integrating unmanned assets to enhance US naval combat power. The event covers key topics such as unmanned vessels across all domains, AI and autonomy, and industry-military collaboration. It's an essential gathering for professionals involved in the future of naval warfare.
www.smgconferences.com/
Monaco Yacht Show 2024
25-28 September 2024
The Monaco Yacht Show, set in the luxurious Port Hercule, is the pinnacle of global yachting events, featuring an impressive array of over 120 superyachts. This premier event attracts industry leaders and showcases innovations in yacht design and luxury maritime services, making it a key venue for networking and exploring the latest trends in the superyacht industry. www.monacoyachtshow.com/en
Field Maple Barns, Weston Green Road, Weston Longville,
