THE UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), charting the oceans for 200 years, found it hard to sail the cyber seas as well as it could, said its former CEO Mike Robinson.
So he departed, taking with him his old ex-UKHO crew, and with sound financial backing, set up as CEO of start-up Global Navigation Solutions (GNS), which offers electronic navigation charts of which he is now proud.
"I started GNS because I wanted change. I could see that technology had the potential to make a difference to how shipping companies bought, managed and used navigational products from better management of compliance through to optimisation of routes," he said.
"With an excellent team of ex-UKHO colleagues who were all inspired by the changes and potential around us, we took our vision to a London-based private equity firm," said Mr Robinson.
At a breakfast meeting of hydrographic chart users and chart sellers at the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club there were more tramp and tanker people, than liner representatives.
That's because containerships and ro-ro vessels have established routes and come to know the reefs and shoals along the way. But tramp tankers and bulkers often don't know where they are going until told to go there when broker has found a buyer for their cargo.
Attempting to make the bridge team's and the shipmanager's life easier was Mr Robinson with his new view of electronic navigational charts.
"As CEO of the UKHO, I could see three things that were challenges to the industry and making the lives of navigators and ship managers more difficult," said Mr Robinson.
(UKHO is an self-funding agency within the British government, providing navigational and other hydrographic information for defence. As it has been charting oceans for centuries, it has knowledge to sell and sells it to merchant mariners.)
But Mr Robinson saw troubling signs, a lack of investment in the industry, and that paper chart updating was inefficient and that life of the bridge and indeed the shipmanagement office was becoming harder as challenges mounted.
"There has been an explosion of new regulations and compliance from Marpol and ballast water to mandatory carriage of ECDIS [electronic chart display and information system]," he said.
"Even things like switching to ENCs [electronic navigation charts], not to mention the hardware installation and crew training, causes massive amounts of more work," Mr Robinson said.
What he noticed was that the more paperwork there was, the less time seamen and shoremen had for what they considered their real jobs.
"It's probably no coincidence that in the same period the number of navigation-related compliance issues started creeping up. When people have less time, they make mistakes," he said.
He saw a more efficient way of buying ENCs, an easier way of managing them and a new way of managing the compliant use of those products on board.
GNS, unlike other sellers, said Mr Robinson, had a system whereby you don't have to pay for charts you might track through, but don't really need. On the ease of handling topside problems, Mr Robinson touted his Voyager bridge tool. Rival offerings, he said, are not really bridge tools, but "chart updating services with a few inelegant bolt-ons".
"The third thing is how you manage navigation ashore. Compliance issues are increasing. Maybe its because Port States are getting more rigorous, or there are more regulations," he said.
"So what we've done is create a new tool for marine superintendents that synchronises with Voyager and gives you complete visibility of each ship's correction log so you can have better control of navigation compliance across the ships you manage. We're calling it the Vessel Management Service - or VMS," said Mr Robinson.
VMS is web-based, he said, so it works everywhere - on PC, Mac, Tablet, SmartPhone and even iPod. "Use it the office, on your way to work or when you are travelling to help you to stay up to date and in control," he said.
WORLD SHIPPING
07 December 2014 - 21:18
Ex-UKHO CEO now runs own show, vows to ease bridge team's burden
THE UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO), charting the oceans for 200 years, found it hard to sail the cyber seas as well as it could, said its former CEO Mike Robinson.
WORLD SHIPPING
07 December 2014 - 21:18
Ex-UKHO CEO now runs own show, vows to ease bridge team's burden
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