This year Maritech reached a key milestone in the development of Sea/, our end-to-end technology platform. After much research, development, testing and distribution, eight modules are now live, being used by over 4,500 shipping professionals, in ten different markets around the world.
Reaching this critical mass prompted us to reflect on why the timing is right to be talking about the need for our industry, so steeped in centuries of history, to fully embrace technology and embark on what we like to call the fourth industrial revolution.
- Appetite for technology
For an industry that is built on relationships we needed to create a solution that would allow relationships to thrive further, rather than replace it. The modules within Sea/ means shipping professionals can free up time to focus on relationships and adding value through personal expertise. We ensure our modules are designed intuitively and can easily be adopted into the day to day lives of our clients – instead of a one size fits all approach, our modules are tailored the needs of individual markets.
- Growth in compliance
Charterers, traders, owners and brokers are increasingly facing regulatory pressures. Rather than the red tape slowing organisations down, the solutions provided by Maritech enable them to be effectively managed without it burdening operations. For example, Sea/contracts for the Dry Bulk market ensures tighter governance around terms and flags risky clauses within Charter Parties and recaps. Sea/net and Sea/calc also provide shipping professionals with the ability to find the most fuel efficient and environmentally responsible routes for their cargo – should that form part of their trading strategy.
- Risk mitigation
Mitigating the risk involved in shipping is necessary to avoid the knock-on effect that delays can cause to the supply chain. Sea/gateway enables the performance of voyages to be monitored in real-time allowing and KPI reports can be produced quickly to better understand performance trends to help mitigate risk in future strategies. In the offshore industry, Sea/response allows oil rig operators to be better prepared in the event of an emergency in order that they can implement a response mission as quickly and effectively as possible to minimize impact to the environment.
- Efficiency
The way in which we work needs to evolve in order to keep pace with increasing demand. Having real time data at your fingertips through Sea/net, being able to perform instant and accurate calculations through Sea/calc, having an comprehensive view of rates in one place with Sea/futures and then enabling the connection to your shipping network through Sea/chat enables stronger sharing of information and better informed decisions to be made, quicker.