Speed, laytime in port and control of risks are familiar success factors in the container ship business. DNV Navigator is an electronic tool which reduces paperwork, time in port and delays due to red tape and rigorous regulations. It is a comprehensive information system and reporting tool.
Information at your fingertips
Every week, DNV Navigator is updated by emails with information related to governing regulations and requirements. The information is taken from sources such as the ‘List of Radio Signals’ and ‘Notices to Mariners’ from the UK Hydrographic Office, Fairplay, the IMO, and national publications. The information is structured particularly for the purpose of port clearance and sailing in regulated waters.
As stated by Captain Taraldsen of Teekay Maritime Services: “By using DNV Navigator, we are able to reduce reporting time from hours to minutes. Port clearance goes much more smoothly now.”
By masters – for masters
The idea behind DNV Navigator is that the workload of the master and the bridge team can be significantly reduced if the information which has to be kept and maintained on board is digital, structured for its particular purpose and updated automatically by an information service provider.
DNV has established a separate company dedicated to providing such services to the maritime industry. “So far this has been a success,” says Peik Jenssen, managing director of DNV Maritime Partner AS. Close to 1,000 ships now use the system and every month new ships take it on board. The ship does not need to be classed by DNV.
Digital integration
Says Peik Jenssen, “The threshold for using the system is low. It can easily be installed by the user himself and taken into use right away. We can even provide server solutions with unattended installation. And the system can easily share data with other systems. Why should the crew data, for example, be entered twice when it is easy to make an electronic bridge between DNV Navigator and the crewing system?
“Every piece of information should only be entered once and thereafter automatically or semi-automatically reused in other systems. This can be solved by commonly available technologies applied in DNV Navigator.”
Electronic reporting
The system includes electronic reporting to the US (eNOAD) and Singapore and is being prepared for similar regimes in other countries. DNV is currently undertaking a project with amongst others the Norwegian Coastal Administration to develop an electronic reporting system in Norway. DNV Navigator contains information for port calls and sailing in regulated waters:
Checklists unique to each and every port and regulated fairway
Information about regulations and requirements
Information about countries, ports and terminals
Contact points such as radio signals, phone numbers and addresses
VTS diagrams and port maps
Furthermore the system contains a rich collection of forms for port clearance purposes as well as forms which are made for use on board and for communication with the operator. There is also room for company-specific forms.
Add-on products
Fleet
DNV Navigator contains a lot of vessel-specific information. Often at least part of this information is needed by the operator. And vice versa, the operator would like to submit information which is to be used in DNV Navigator on board the vessel. DNV Navigator – Fleet is an extension of the vessel version and enables an effective exchange of data between ship and shore.
Examples of such information are:
Ballast water log and history
Crew list
Master’s Notes
People on board
Status of certificates
Waste log
Work & rest hours
Passage Planner
This is a separate product which makes it easy to produce a passage plan as required by Port State Authorities and
oil majors. The Passage Planner imports information from DNV Navigator and calculates squat and distances by means of a way point editor.
Today’s paperwork – a safety threat
The amount of paperwork to be carried out by the master and bridge team is approaching the limit and has to be done on top of their other normal duties. The demand for reporting is constantly growing and has become a burden which takes time and attention away from effective and safe operations.
Studies carried out by among others DNV indicate that safety at sea is being compromised because officers on merchant ships do not get enough rest periods. This is one important reason why DNV launched DNV Navigator in 2003.
Date: 2007-10-09