Online vessel supplies system ShipServ is unveiling its new trading platform for a maritime marketplace with a pledge to enhance the environmental sustainability of buyers and sellers.

The platform, which ShipServ says brings together its 20 years of experience, aims to promote best practice in sustainable trade across the Blue Economy.

Chief executive Henrik Hyldahn, who took over from Kim Skaarup at the start of the year, said the system will be simple and secure for buyers and sellers “to ensure fair and open trade, with an added overall goal of sustainability”.

“Our belief is that the five-star hotel experience is no longer enough. No one wants to stay in a hotel where it is hostile or breaching good ethics of governance or not protective of our environment,” he told TradeWinds.

Ship owners and operators will be able to choose suppliers on their sustainability credentials, and in time be able to analyse a supplier’s performance, as well as its commercial, social and environmental capabilities.

Hyldahn said green commitments, like the Poseidon Principles or environmental audits done by recognised bodies, will be used to create search filters by early 2021.

“I am going out to all the major suppliers to ask them to showcase their capabilities and make them available,” he said.

If only a few suppliers have such capabilities, “it would be like the launch of a new games console. If you do not have enough games available to use it, it is not going to gain traction.”

However, he believes it will be possible to develop sustainability matrices and smart predictive maintenance systems by bringing in technology start-ups.

Benchmarking

ShipServ also aims to set up pages that help find specific alternative products. For instance, an operator looking to replace plastic water bottles might find a water dispenser to place on board.

It will also look to enhance the platform’s sustainability features by including reporting and benchmarking.

ShipServ has maintained and slightly enlarged its market share from the 10,000 vessels it was serving in 2019 despite the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic this year. One of the top five shipmanagers would soon join, Hyldahn added.

Suppliers to some sectors are struggling, in areas such as project cargo and cruise, but others, to tankers and containerships, are enjoying record sales.

“The long-term effect [of Covid-19] is still to be seen in the supplier market, but we have the luxury of being across most categories,” he said.

ShipServ set in motion a total revamp last year to create a platform that could also merge data from multiple systems to allow buyers and suppliers to interact more directly with each other.

Buyers will soon be able to put together just one request for quotation that incorporates items from multiple suppliers, the company said.

“Ultimately, ShipServ is dedicated to creating and facilitating a truly collaborative and digitalised trading environment for buyers and suppliers,” Hyldahn added.

Hyldahn joined ShipServ in 2017 and was made chief solutions officer the following year. Before that, he was business streams and IT director at shipping services group Seven Seas. Skaarup, who has been with ShipServ since its early days, is now vice chairman.