Martin Crawford-Brunt will face the challenge of convincing owners and charterers of the robustness of big data predictive analytics ship safety vetting tool Qi as he takes over as chief executive of RightShip.
The appointment of Crawford-Brunt, following the retirement of long-serving Warwick Norman, comes after a successful career at DNV GL where he principally worked in the London outpost and was viewed as one of the up and coming executives at the Norwegian classification society.
He will continue to work from RightShip’s London office and not the Melbourne headquarters when he takes over the role in March.
Speaking to TradeWinds shortly after his appointment, Crawford-Brunt said he did not expect to make “dramatic changes” at this time, although he has the ambition to continue to improve customer service and developing RightShip’s role in protecting safety and the environment.
Asked about Qi, he said he is aware there have been issues surrounding the new digital vetting tool and he will be taking the views of RightShip clients, although at this stage he had not had the chance to “look under the hood”.
Some shipowners had complained that since its introduction in late 2016, Qi’s algorithms downgraded their vessels unfairly and they were often left unaware of negative ratings. Another complaint was that it was difficult and costly to get downgrades in safety ratings corrected. The Dutch maritime administration and shipowners’ association were also upset by a downgrading of Dutch-flag vessels despite having a clean port state control record.
RightShip has defended the Qi system against the complaints, saying downgrades can be quickly rectified and are often free of charge if valid.
Crawford-Brunt’s appointment comes with high praise from RightShip chairman Peter Mannion. “We have been looking for a candidate who has the industry knowledge that will help us grow as well as the personal attributes to lead and inspire a global team,” he said. “I am confident that Martin possesses the right mix of maritime industry experience, management and leadership skills to continue the outstanding contribution made by Warwick Norman over the last 16 years.”
