Page 16: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2018)

ShipSure 2.0

About the Author

Stephen Macfarlane is Chief Informa- tion Of? cer (CIO), V.Group

DATA & DIGITALIZATION

Big Data ... Bigger Bene? ts

Ship owners can derive imperative alistic terms, maritime companies across business-critical data (and the conceiv- the digital plunge with partner organiza- business and operational insights from the board are effectively poised to stand ably harmful knock-on effects of a data tions. It shouldn’t need pointing out that integrated, real-time data which is read- or fall depending upon how prepared breach) are understandable – but secure shipping is now part of a far broader and ily accessible via a single platform, es- they are to engage with the ongoing data encryption is an ever-evolving and more extensive supply chain; and the pecially if it can be taken away with you, digital transformation which is already increasingly sophisticated science, with consequent need for ship owners to ac- writes V.Group CIO Stephen Macfarlane revolutionizing every aspect – from ves- appropriate protocols in place to rapidly tively address this evolutionary develop-

For the maritime industry, these are ex- sel design, shipbuilding, operational and contain damage and, as far as possible, ment is pressing.

citing and momentous times, with digi- navigational duties right through to port eradicate threat. talization as an emphatic and decisive communications, ? nancial transactions A related concern for traditional ship Digital Management pivot point in operational, business and and the myriad responsibilities which owners who might be unwilling to pass Arguably, the most persuasive ele- environmental sustainability. The poten- constitute ship management. their business operations on to ship man- ment in driving late adopters to consider tial is now incontestable for businesses If there has been a tacit reluctance in agement ? rms in the digital realm is an a properly-integrated digital strategy along the entire length of the supply certain quarters to abandon dyed-in-the- anxiety that they may appear to be ceding will be the signi? cant difference it can chain to effect the requisite changes and wool, tried-and-tested manual working control and compromising transparency. make to the bottom line. In a jittery and witness substantial digital advantages – practices, one of the most frequently Ship owners with such an entrenched ? ckle marketplace where the pips are or, conversely, to run on the spot and be cited concerns revolves around informa- mindset would obviously require veri- being squeezed from every direction, rendered uncompetitive and irrelevant tion sharing; the hot-button topics of a ? able reassurance that they would be ship owners will bene? t by seeking the by degrees, eventually and inevitably highly competitive market and of course able to visibly control and oversee op- services of ship management providers being left for dead. To put the industry’s cyber security. Fears pertaining to the erations at every level and every stage, who can radically cut costs and increase future prospects in the most bluntly re- perceived vulnerability of sensitive, were they to be convinced into taking ef? ciency with a portfolio of digital so-

ShipSure 2.0: App for Transparency, Control

V. Ships Chairman Dag Christoffersen was in New York transparent ? nancial reporting tool.

City to help promote the roll-out of ShipSure 2.0, a fully The app, which was designed and developed in house integrated platform – an app – which covers all of the by V. Ships and is available for free as an added bene? t ship management functions, including ? nance, mainte- to V. Ships customers, can be customized to the needs of nance, crewing, onboard systems and of? ce-based sys- a speci? c ship owner. “We have about 300 clients (rep- tems and more, fully integrated with full transparency resenting about 1000 ships) for whom we manage ships among the stakeholders. and crew, and they all have different requirements,” said

Designed and developed by V. Ships, Christoffersen Christoffersen, noting that there are some large clients calls ShipSure 2.0 “revolutionary” as it is a “platform that where the company manages 50-60 ships, but the average can be downloaded on your mobile phone or tablet, with is 3 to 5 ships. In addition, many are publicly listed com-

The V. Group crew was out in force at Marine full transparency and accessibility.” panies in New York, London and Oslo with tight dead-

Money New York City in June. (L to R): Dag

Designed to be intuitive and easy to use, the system is lines for reporting, “and with ShipSure 2.0 they can send

Christoffersen, Chairman, V. Ships Norway; complete as it seamlessly melds ? nancial and technical out reports real-time, allowing them to deliver ? nancial

Peter Mellis, VP – Strategic Relationships & (expenditures, from the ship management side) informa- details on how the ships are reporting in real time. “This

Business Development, V. Group; and Sharn tion, providing a readily accessible, comprehensive and an is extremely important point.”

Samra, Head of Marketing, V. Group.

16 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • AUGUST 2018

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