At The Prow

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Remote surveys are here to stay

As you might have noted from the rather different cover image, this is a special Zoom-style issue of the magazine where we bring readers highlights from our ongoing popular Maritime CEO Leader Series, produced in association with our pals at Ocean Technologies Group. Thus far, I’ve really enjoyed putting this video series together and reckon it’ll be part of our own media platform’s ‘new normal’ offering even once the pandemic recedes.

The fact is we all have to get used to the swift digital changes ushered in recent months - they are here to stay.

I came across a Reuters article recently that was very negative about the rise in the use of remote surveys taking place via live streaming, a necessary trend thanks to movement restrictions brought about the coronavirus. Increasingly ship’s captains and other crewmembers are walking around a vessel with a phone camera switched on to show specific areas for checks, drawing on previous inspection reports that have highlighted issues.

“The effectiveness of virtual inspections only buys time, especially as many vessels in the global fleet are ageing. Remote surveys can also take longer and require weeks of work to process versus a few days for an on-site inspection,” the article suggested, a point of view I do not agree with at all.

As with so many parts of shipping, the coronavirus has sped up digital ways of doing surveys and it will, I imagine, continue to be an important way of auditing a vessel even when the pandemic recedes.

This virus episode has forced the experiment of working remotely on most of us and many shipmanagers tell me they have been testing and using remote auditing and focused inspections with the technology working. Moreover, the time saving in not having to travel is enormous and in an office more experts can look at the footage than just one, often biased, subjective and self-interested hired-hand surveyor.

Class executives are increasingly saying that the way they go about their business has now changed forever in the space of just a few months. Remote auditing, perhaps not to completely replace physical auditing/ surveying/inspecting, is here to stay and it will enormously complement the monitoring presence onboard.

Remote surveying with actual footage available like the bodycam footage police are using now to prove what actually happened is a fantastic opportunity for shipping.

Now can we please embrace new technology in our industry and not try to revert to how things were while moaning endlessly about how competent people onboard and in the shipping office used to be in the good old days? ●