Collaboration is key to the best use of vessel operating data, according to a US firm connecting systems and using machine learning to predict outcomes or improve fuel efficiency.
Partnerships are evolving not just between technology and shipping companies but also between data firms, even sharing code, to help vessel operators, according to OrbitMI.
OrbitMI was spun off from Stena Bulk in 2019 after developing artificial intelligence fleet-performance software for the tanker owner and has, like ioCurrents, linked with Kongsberg’s Kognifai digital marketplace.
Chief executive Ali Riaz said it takes effort to make partnerships work, but “collaboration is first and foremost a mindset: do we see the world from the client’s perspective?"
He added: “The ultimate expression of collaboration is when a client’s workflows are the main focus, and all vendors are committed to building solutions that address their challenges.”
Ship operators have been burned in the past by expensive implementations and technology firms overpromising what they could deliver. Not surprisingly, they can be sceptical about digitalisation.
But Riaz said OrbitMI's software-as-a-service comprises maritime solutions that operators can try with little capital investment or long-term commitment, and still use existing systems they have invested in.
“Modern technologies are built to be open and leverage application programming interfaces, APIs, to exchange information. Standards can be super helpful, but it takes years to get all parties to agree on them. In the meantime, people have to run their businesses.
“Technologies such as ours are built explicitly to integrate with existing data subscriptions and systems. Orbit aggregates data from them and uses AI to liberate and process it so teams can make better decisions,” Riaz said.
Over time, he added, that as ship operators see value flowing from the changes, they can simplify their technology and keep only those products they need.
“But to get started, you don't need to rip and replace anything.”
Standards can effectively evolve out of collaboration. OrbitMI has partnered with Sedna's email work platform for shipbrokers, and, in time, clusters of technology companies, data providers and shipowners could gather together with systems that many companies can adopt.
