At Nor-shipping 2023, at the Digital Ship Forum, Arnaud Dianoux, Founder and Managing Director of Opsealog, spoke to the maritime industry leaders about how Report Digitalization can support the industry’s decarbonization. This article will explore the benefits and challenges of a report digitalization strategy focusing on the environmental benefits discussed during the event held in Oslo on June 7th, 2023.
The maritime industry has entered a transformative phase, placing sustainability and decarbonization at the forefront. Introducing regulations like the IMO Data Collection System (DCS) and the EU Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) has mandated companies to gather extensive data and invest in Ship Report Digitalization. While the aspirations for emission reduction are lofty, there remains a significant gap between the actions taken to minimize emissions and our global goals.
Effective measurement plays a crucial role in achieving decarbonization. However, many companies in the industry are not adequately measuring their current environmental performance. Without an accurate baseline, setting achievable goals becomes challenging. Consider the example of sustainable weight loss; one must exercise and assess eating habits, beneficial food types, and suitable exercises. Similarly, this principle applies to the decarbonization challenge faced by the maritime industry and all other sectors.
Maritime Environmental Ambitions
The maritime market is now brimming with ambition. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) aims to reduce the carbon intensity of international shipping by 40% within the next seven years. However, a substantial portion of the approximately 70,000 commercial vessels worldwide still rely on paper logbooks and spreadsheets to report emissions. We recognize the resource-intensive nature of reporting tasks and developed user-friendly software to streamline the process.
While a net-zero solution is yet to emerge, we must embark on a long phase of experimentation to discover ways for the industry to achieve carbon neutrality. It is vital to recognize that decarbonization is a journey, not a destination. In the meantime, we should leverage the existing assets within the industry. Enhancing energy efficiency on current assets is crucial for expediting the transition. To do so, we need data.
Read more: Shipping Carbon Intensity Index: calculating what the future holds for your fleet
Data is available but rarely used
Fortunately, there is already an immense amount of data available onboard vessels. Ships generate millions of data points daily through various formats and channels. We collect data from ships using sensors, onboard reports, emails, and more. However, there is significant room for improvement in managing and utilizing this onboard data. Despite its value, crew reports on paper logs are typically used only a few times yearly for inspections or legal purposes. The potential for leveraging this information is enormous. Opsealog takes pride in being the first French provider of digital logbooks designed to address the challenges of collecting, centralizing, and extracting insights from onboard data.
Rather than perceiving data collection as a burden, we should view it as an opportunity. Data collected for compliance purposes, including mandatory onboard logbooks and record books, can enhance operational practices, fuel efficiency, and waste reduction, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Shipowners can go beyond regulatory compliance by adopting a new mindset that seeks value from the data they already collect.
Read more: Why isn’t digitalization reducing reporting workloads onboard ships?
Ship Report Digitalization requires infrastructure
To seize these opportunities, we require an architecture that simplifies data collection, analysis, and sharing. Fortunately, digital data collection, collation, and sharing solutions are readily available and can be deployed immediately, remotely, and without requiring a significant upfront investment. This accessibility ensures that both large and small stakeholders can easily transition into the digital era.
Human expertise, insight, and analysis remain essential to extract meaning from the data and understand its context within the company, fleet, and operational challenges. Ultimately, people translate data into action, drive change, and ensure the smooth implementation of new solutions.
“Accountability for the environmental aspect of operations in shipping is increasing, so it’s a challenging time for shipowners. But this is also a time of opportunity, and success will depend on people, because we need to have the right mindset for the transition. We need collaboration onboard and onshore in order to succeed.” Arnaud Dianoux, Founder and Managing Director of Opsealog.
Read more: Maritime Digitalization: Expectations vs Reality
Let’s not forget the people
Building a culture of change also necessitates increased collaboration among the various data providers that serve specific ships or companies. No single digital solution can address all challenges comprehensively. Instead, we need an ecosystem where different data providers and analysis services collaborate and share data to generate added value and achieve the best possible outcomes for their mutual customers.
The industry offers hope as a strong ecosystem of companies increasingly collaborates to propel it forward. Customers comprehend that combining solutions from different companies will be necessary to advance their sustainability plans. We engage in data exchange discussions with other companies to benefit the industry and customers alike. Digital companies are becoming more open to data exchange for the benefit of their customers. The energy transition is not a concern limited to shipowners alone.
How Opsealog is contributing to Ship Report Digitalization
Arnaud Dianoux, a former Merchant Marine Captain with extensive experience in Vessel Fuel Management, established Opsealog. Driven by his passion for data and the maritime industry, he founded Opsealog. Our mission at Opsealog is to transform environmental compliance into a performance accelerator for ships worldwide. We provide 100% secure and reliable means of reporting environmental data, democratizing and facilitating data access for multiple stakeholders. This enables our industry to track, record, and learn from historical data.
“As a former marine captain with over a decade of experience navigating container ships, passenger vessels, and offshore marine services, I developed a deep understanding of the industry’s fuel management and decarbonization challenges. In 2015 I created Opsealog, a company dedicated to optimizing marine operations and driving decarbonization through intelligent data utilization. The name Opsealog reflects our mission: ‘Op’ for optimization, ‘sea’ for the sea, and ‘log’ for data logging. We specialize in leveraging data to drive efficiency and sustainability in the maritime sector.”
Opsealog has developed a unique concept encompassing software, data integration, and maritime expertise to deliver services to shipowners and charterers worldwide. While initially focused on the offshore industry, we have expanded our client base to include cruise, harbor services, and shipping sectors.
Takeaways
Digitalization is an ongoing process rather than a finite goal. Digitizing onboard reporting lays the foundation to meet long-term organizational ambitions. However, the data processes implemented today must evolve throughout the energy transition. For instance, adopting new fuels requires robust data to measure consumption, emissions, and their impact on operational costs, including logistics.
Our vision for the maritime sector revolves around data democracy, openness, and accountability. Together, we can bring about a significant change in curbing the environmental impact of maritime operations. Opsealog’s solutions are designed to make digitalization accessible, beneficial, and available to all.