Page 97 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - MARTIOS 2023

SMART SHIPPING

Mr Antonis Georgantzis presents his views on the future skills a seafarer will need as for companies to employ people with relevant knowledge to perform in-house
shipping's digitalisation progresses. evaluations of their fleet’s performance? Will this be possible for smaller com-
panies, or will outsourcing become a common practice?
I believe the traditional company’s structures developed in the
past will find it difficult to cope with big data. You need dedicated
people with a solid theoretical background and knowledge. At the
CYBERSECURITY: same time, you need experienced people who understand what
goes on the vessel and make the right decisions.
CREW TRAINING Big data analysis is becoming increasingly vital to boosting the
operational performance of vessels, and it may become necessary
IS PART OF THE EQUATION for shipping companies to employ people with relevant knowl-
edge to perform in-house evaluations of their fleet's performance.
However, this may not be feasible for smaller companies, as they
may not have the resources or expertise to conduct such analy-
ses. In such cases, outsourcing may become the only solution to
apply, accommodated with considerable high cost and limitation
in flexibility to adopt new requirements. Our company has created
The field of safety is believed to have benefited the least a specialised department that includes data engineers, electrical
from the digitalisation of the shipping industry. What fac- engineers, and naval architects who collaborate to develop per-
tors have led to this result, and what initiatives are nec- formance applications in-house. They analyse and evaluate per-
essary to make the desired progress? formance data collected from our vessels and work closely with
Digitalisation is undoubtedly increasing equip- our marine, operation, and technical departments. By filtering and
ment capabilities when used correctly, provided interpreting this data, they are able to make informed decisions
you have the right platforms to bring the data that optimise vessel operations, resulting in improved efficiency
back to shore. At the same time, you also need and reduced environmental impact. Though at times we may face
to have the right people to assess the quality resistance to change, our primary goal is always to enhance vessel
of the data and be able to extract the essence performance and big data analysis has provided us with the neces-
behind the numbers. This is vital since numbers sary foundation to achieve this. Furthermore, we have implemented
can be misleading and sometimes lead to erro- preventive maintenance schemes and use data to monitor and iden-
neous results. Monitoring the vessel’s machinery tify potential problems or performance issues, which has resulted
performance is a crucial function. We can monitor in more reliable and cost-effective vessel operations. Overall, our
how critical machinery is operating, thus prevent- commitment to big data analysis has enabled us to operate our
ing downtime or damages; often, it is a case of vessels more efficiently, safely, and sustainably. It is important to
having a real-time view of how engines, genera- recognise that utilising data for preventive maintenance and vessel
tors, and cargo handling systems, especially in gas operation should not be considered as a replacement for taking
carriers we operate. Digitalisation is also assisting action to troubleshoot and address issues on the spot. These are
a lot in troubleshooting. We are moving into a parallel actions that work together to achieve the best possible
more advanced way of troubleshooting problems results. While preventive maintenance and data analysis can help
the vessels experience compared to all the tra- identify and mitigate potential issues before they become larger
ditional ways of doing things in the older days. problems, it is still necessary to take immediate action when an
For example, instead of the chief engineer having issue presents itself (day 2 day operation, traditional approach).
to send the alarm lists, we can now extract them By combining these approaches, vessel operators can optimise
automatically from the office. Therefore, we at performance and reliability, ensuring that their vessels operate at
the office know what is going on and can provide the highest level of efficiency and safety.
instructions. Digitalisation, with the appropriate
hardware on board and the knowledge of people New technologies are expected to alter the necessary skills set a seafarer
- which needs to be increased and targeted on should have. Does this refer mainly to their general familiarity with technol-
specific areas - provides the basis for moving from ogy, or are there explicit skills that will be deemed essential for seafarers in
more traditional ways of carrying out maintenance the future?
to condition-based maintenance schemes. We can Seafarers will need to follow developments in the transition towards
decide when the equipment should be maintained a digitalised and automated way of doing things. Electricians need
by relying on periodic measurements and data and highly specialised skills; we see that the younger generations coming
decide when maintenance will be done, always in out of academies are more familiar with new technologies. However, to
by line with the Maker’s recommendations. be able to operate and troubleshoot the systems, we need to provide
Antonis Georgantzis, adequate training on the actual systems installed. So, we do not need
Chief Operational Officer of Latsco Marine
Management Inc. Big data analysis is considered vital to boosting the oper- general training, but training on the specific systems and machinery
ational performance of vessels. Will it become necessary seafarers will operate when on board ships.

96 97