Operating a ship is complex. It requires coordinating crews, managing supplies, meeting rules, and communicating between staff, ports, and vessels. Doing this with paperwork and phone calls is messy, leading to costly delays from paperwork issues and miscommunications.
Crew management software makes running maritime operations much easier.
What is Crew Management Software?
Crew management software helps maritime companies:
- Schedule qualified seafarer crews
- Manage needed supplies for each vessel
- Handle compliance documentation
- Communicate updates between the office, vessels, and ports
- Improve visibility into global operations
The software focuses on planning, tracking, and managing everything related to maritime crews and logistics.
Key Features of Crew Control Software
Helpful crew management software features include:
Seafarer Database
This centralized database stores profiles of all qualified and available crew members. It tracks personal details, completed training/certifications, technical skills, eligibility credentials, and availability dates. Quick access allows easily finding and assembling suitable, ready-to-work crews based on each voyage’s needs. Automated alerts also notify managers of upcoming expiring credentials to keep qualifications current.
Crew Planning Tools
Powerful optimization tools simplify putting together complete crews. Planners enter positions needing to be filled, plus required certifications and skills. Automated recommendations select qualified candidates from the central database to build compliant teams matching planned shipping routes. Some systems generate 360 evaluations of past crew performance across inspection scores and fatigue levels to guide optimal roster choices.
Vessel Management
Robust modules handle complex vessel provisioning, supply chains, and compliance. Planners enter ports of call, durations, and distances to calculate order requirements automatically. Integrations with existing inventory software also enable seamless real-time requisitioning and tracking of onboard supplies. Regulatory certificate and equipment servicing alerts ensure all inspections and audits are completed on schedule. Some programs interface with onboard sensors to monitor waste levels, mileage, and maintenance issues.
Self-Service Portal
An online portal allows staff members to view assigned voyages and update profiles. Seafarers can add new certifications and training completions and modify personal details like contact info or availability – improving flexibility. Portals may enable shift swaps if both parties agree. Systems manage approvals before confirming trades.
Document Management
Centralized repositories with templates standardize generating, distributing, and storing crew documents like contracts, onboarding forms, visas, performance reviews, etc. Automated expiration reminders keep track of deadlines for renewing time-limited documents across all vessels in the fleet. Bulk uploads incorporate legacy paperwork during software migration.
Communication Tools
Email and messaging modules connect onshore operations staff, vessel crews while at sea, and port contacts. Secure communications improve information sharing without reliance on radio calls alone. Priority portal alerts immediately notify key decision-makers of urgent updates requiring quick resolution.
Payroll
Many systems integrate with dedicated payroll platforms to handle accurate compensation calculations, transfers and tax documentation for international maritime staff in compliance with regulations. Customizable pay rules by rank, experience level, and overtime hours streamline periodic wage payments. Detailed payroll analytics identifies trends around overtime usage, absenteeism, and compensation models to guide policy decisions.
Analytics
Extensive reports compile operational performance data to inform planning. Dashboards track metrics on crew utilization rates, expenses per voyage, recurrent repair costs, and turnaround times in ports across each vessel. Benchmarking comparisons analyze year-over-year trends to set staffing and logistical optimization targets. Custom reports also generate needed audit records for compliance authorities.
Custom reports also audit records relevant to compliance authorities to demonstrate adherence to safety regulations. Automated documentation eliminates tedious report preparation whenever oversight inquiries arise.
Challenges with Traditional Crew Management
Running ships previously involved extensive manual processes resulting in significant pain points:
Lots of Paperwork
Past compliance processes generated thick stacks of printed forms, crew records, and logistical communications. Crew dispatch offices became buried under paperwork filings and postings, which wasted massive storage space and made accessing information extremely tedious for planners and regulatory reviewers.
Limited Visibility
With purely file-based compliance records and crew assignment rosters, managers lacked any consolidated overview of global operations. Dispatchers had limited data on fleets’ real-time crew expiration statuses, vessel locations, or maintenance needs. This uncertainty handicapped proactive planning and issue resolution.
Messy Communications
Lacking digital tools, constant distracting radio calls, and delays awaiting mailed log updates interrupted all workers’ focus. Ad hoc messages caused misaligned understandings, while partial information often triggered overreactions relative to actual evolving situations.
Regulatory Issues
Tracking compliance form due dates across extensive fleets completely escaped outdated manual systems. This resulted in frequent late, lost, or incorrect document filings that violated various safety regulations. The steep compliance fines quickly diminished operating margins.
High Costs
Besides mounting regulatory fines, moderate crew snafus cascaded into wider problems without rapid response. Costly temporary labor, extensive overtime, damaged goods claims, and time stuck at port accumulated over otherwise minor issues. Limited visibility obstructed optimal responses.
Thankfully, modern software finally resolved these substantial problems through automation, organization, and visibility, saving substantial costs. Staff could refocus on core operations rather than administrative duties.
Benefits of Crew Management Software
Top reasons shipping companies use available crew control software:
Improved Efficiency
Automating formerly manual administrative tasks through the system saves massive coordination time for each voyage. Data flows instantly between vessels, ports, and managers instead of waiting on paperwork transfers. Critical activity alerts also prompt decisions ahead of time rather than reacting. Overall, there is less hourly effort despite increased ships under management.
Increased Visibility
Real-time dashboard access to crew qualifications, ship GPS coordinates, and current inventory levels lets managers proactively adjust voyage or staffing plans when needed instead of acting once problems occur. This global accurate visibility was never possible previously. Data reveals fleet insights.
Enhanced Communication
Secure instant messaging keeps all staff looped in without constantly distracting radio calls. High priority portal alerts also immediately notify both onshore and senior captain decision-makers regarding updates requiring urgent attention or emerging situations for quick collaboration and resolution.
Lower Costs
Accurate automated provisioning prevents overspending on excess supplies not utilized by voyage plans. Intelligently redeploying underutilized crews also reduces overtime expenditures and temporary staffing expenses. Fewer overall crew-related problems means less costs.
Regulatory Compliance
Centralized form templates, smart storage with expiration reminders, and bulk uploads of legacy paperwork prevent compliance documentation gaps that lead to violations and fines. Automated pre-inspection checklists also improve audit success.
Scalability
Cloud-based systems allow easily and affordably adding vessels, users, and modules to match company growth without costly enterprise IT projects. Built-in support for fluctuating team sizes and ships under management lets focus remain on core operations rather than technical constraints.
Conclusion
In summary, crew management software offers huge efficiency, visibility, and cost benefits for maritime businesses compared to historical manual approaches. Evaluating options requiring minimal changes to existing workflows ensures smoother adoption. Crew-centric tools create frictionless coordination so companies can sail ahead of the competition.
