Don’t lose sight of seafarers when developing new maritime technology
By Kuba Szymanski
Digitalisation is transforming the way ships operate and promises to improve efficiency and assist shipping to meet its green goals. However, as we sail into this brave new world, it’s important to keep seafarers in mind. The maritime community is right to embrace new ways of operating which lead to cleaner, greener and more sustainable shipping and protect our marine environments for many generations to come. We must also ensure that we don’t lose sight of those who operate our ships and bring them with us on this green journey, ensuring that the technology we install is safe to use, that proper training regimes are developed, and that operating procedures are updated accordingly.
InterManager is not alone in urging a people-focussed approach to new technology. Speaking on World Maritime Day in 2022, which took the theme ‘New technologies for greener shipping’, Kitack Lim, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization, stressed that technological solutions for cleaner, safer, and more sustainable shipping must also benefit people, and urged the shipping industry to consider the impact of green technology on seafarers and other marine personnel.
New generations coming into the labour market today are far more familiar with technology and are bringing those skills to the workplace. I would like to see these abilities and confidence supported by the development of technology that can support seafarers in their working roles and decision making. I would love to see human-centric design playing a far more important role in ship design. We should accept the fact that the human brain is still the most adaptive ‘computer’ and will remain so for many years. Technological advancement should support our seafarers by designing equipment, tools, software, and ships with this in mind.
I am delighted to see more and more software developers paying more attention to the ‘UX’ – the user experience – and asking our members for co-operation to involve the end user at the design stage. The ‘Best in Class’ are already working with seafarers and benefiting from that expert input.
Shipping is competing with lucrative shore-based job sectors to attract and retain the best talent. New generations entering the workforce now and in coming years have high expectations of what they want from their working lives. Companies now need to demonstrate their ethical standards and provide high levels of workplace satisfaction.
Through mentoring new cadets and my close links to maritime universities in several countries, I observe that young people today are much more confident in expressing their opinions and want to feel valued in the workplace and to be able to contribute their ideas. This provides an opportunity for technical and digital specialists to harness the input of seafarers and work with them to identify new solutions which are practical as well as evolutionary.
InterManager’s members are collaborating in several areas of maritime development to improve ship efficiency and safety at sea. I predict this will increase over coming years as shipping evolves to meet its ambitious environmental targets and embraces socially responsible and sustainable change.
Captain Kuba Szymanski is secretary general of InterManager, which represents the world’s third party ship and crew managers.
