30 I Tanker Shipping & Trade I August/September 2011 www.tankershipping.com

A BS Nautical Systems (NS) has launched

its next generation of fleet management

software, NS5 Enterprise, with

additional functions for maintenance and survey

data. Tanker operators were at the heart of ABS

NS’ year and a half of development and testing

of the program.

Existing NS5 software has been enhanced

with a new architecture and more user-friendly

interfaces. This includes on-screen dashboards

enabling managers to examine the key performance

indicators and fleet-wide access to the latest

maintenance, supply chain, safety and personnel

data. The client front end is a combination of

network-linked thin clients – monitors and

keyboards – linked to host servers and base

databases, says Fernando Lehrer, ABS NS vice

president responsible for product development.

“NS5 Enterprise is an improved version of

NS5 with new coding, revamped architecture

and better graphics. We redeveloped NS5 from

an infrastructure perspective, to make it more

reliable and robust. We improved the graphical

interface as our users are either going into

the system to review information, or they are

entering information into the system on board

the ships,” Mr Lehrer explains.

Captains and chief engineers will enter

information such as incident reports, part orders,

and work order completions. ABS’, NS5 Enterprise

can be used for recording daily operating

information such as fuel consumption, position

data, and the condition of the ship equipment

and structures, such as decks and tanks.

“Officers have huge workloads to manage

ships, so we wanted to make it easy for them

to input the data. Superintendents want

quantitative indicators of how vessels are

performing. They want to receive operational

data on their assets in real time, so we provide

graphical dashboards that are immediately

useable so shore managers, who can navigate

around the information.”

NS5 Enterprise contains two new features

– the ability to support condition-based

maintenance (CBM) management strategies and

integration with ABS’ survey data. “We provided

new functionality for machinery health checks,

allowing NS5 Enterprise to interface with CBM

programs. Operators can see how vessels are

performing in their class status, see upcoming

surveys, inspections and certification due dates.

Ship operators can download pre-survey check

sheets to allow crew to assess the ship, while

looking at what the surveyor will be inspecting,

and make any required changes,” says Mr Lehrer.

Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) was a key

contributor in trialling the software. OSG has

used NS software for 11 years for maintenance,

procurement, crew management, payroll, quality

assurance and vetting, says head of international

shipping operations, Ian Blackley.

“It is essential to have a database system to

manage the fleet, replicated in our operating

offices in Florida, Newcastle, Athens and head

office New York, and our training centre in

Manila. In this way we can monitor training,

manage crew, procurement of equipment and

maintenance, and continue our high quality,”

says Capt Blackley. “We asked for more

functionality and they have done this. So we are

looking forward to using NS5 Enterprise for our

fleet requirements.”

OSG has integrated the NS5 procurement

module with ShipServ to streamline ordering of

supplies and has benefited from the program’s

maintenance modules. “In terms of maintenance,

we have a hierarchy database that has information

of all equipment on the vessels and spares. Standard

work orders can be raised, chief engineers can plan

jobs. And any issue or condition problems found

can be entered into NS5, and this information

is available for all superintendents and fleet

managers,” Capt Blackley explains.

“Quality is an enormous focus for us. We

have internal and external audits that are

entered into NS5. Non-conformities can be

logged and closed out. This can be accessed by

System suppliers are involving owners at an early stage in the development of their software

by Martyn Wingrove

IT fleet management software

New software has greater functionality for owners

Sovcomflot uses ShipNet and SpecTec procurement software for its tankers, including SCF Baltica

Tanker Shipping & Trade I August/September 2011 I 31www.tankershipping.com

everyone in any of our offices. We track all near

misses as part of our safety culture. This allows

us to put lessons learnt into practice through

training and prioritise on the high frequency

near misses.”

Tanker operator Euronav Ship Management

(Hellas) is another happy user of ABS NS

software. It has used Hull Inspection module

since 2009 on 11 ships. In August, Euronav said

it would expand the program across the fleet.

“Prior to implementing Hull Inspection

module, we used hard-copy forms that made it

difficult to organise, assess and identify conditions.

Now, we are able to see the actual drawings of

the vessel with improved visibility of hot spots

and critical areas,” says Euronav’s fleet technical

manager, Theodore Mavraidis. “Hull Inspection

enables us to systematically examine and grade

the hull structure of each vessel, providing fleet-

wide statistics and trends. Each of our offices can

create an inspection report, to attach photos, make

corrections, and upload reports, thereby gaining

real experience of how the program works.”

Software supplier ShipNet has enhanced

its Voyage Estimator program to enable tanker

operators to scan available cargoes to calculate

costs and profits for their ships. For charterers,

the software highlights available tankers at the

time of cargo loading and shows the preferred

route and cost.

“Owners are going after all available

cargoes to make competitive bids. Our new

Voyage Estimator package means they can do

this quickly and accurately,” says ShipNet’s

marketing director Ian Synge. “The ability to

drag and drop cargoes onto a vessel [on screen]

and get a really quick calculation on costs and

profits means an operator can get information

rapidly on the profits of a potential charter.”

The ability to make quick decisions is vital

for tanker owners in the present market as it

could be the difference between surviving and

having idle tonnage, says Mr Synge.

“It is a buyers market. It is challenging

for owners to find profitable uses for

their vessel because charter rates are

barely above the bunker prices. Tankers

kept at anchorage will haemorrhage

money so operators are willing to take

almost any cargoes to make money.

The question for operators is how to

keep a vessel moving and making a

profit until the market bounces back.”

Operators can add their own

information from experience of voyages

or ports. They can also calculate the

additional costs from making voyage

changes to avoid piracy. “Operators can

add their experience in various ports of

turnaround times, or experience with

demurrage and lay-up time, slow port

loading/unloading and delays could be

added,” Mr Synge explains.

“Voyage Estimator allows operators to plot

their route away from risk, or conflict areas.

It calculates the extra costs for avoiding these

areas, or going into emission control areas,

where it would be costly to burn low sulphur

fuel, such as off California or Europe.

According ShipNet product manager, Frank

Otterstad, the software can perform sensitivity

analysis, “An operator can change some of

the parameters – the worldscale rate, or cargo

quantity, bunker prices, etc and see this in a

matrix. If vessels have to wait in a port, the

software will show the consequences of that.”

ShipNet introduced Version 11 of Voyage

Estimator this summer, and is working on

introducing a web-based version in 2012. “Version

11 is Windows-based platform and an operator

would need as a minimum a laptop with database

program, some form of SQL (structured query

language), or Oracle platform. Our aim is to

make Voyage Estimator entirely web-based so

an operator would only need a laptop with an

internet browser,” explains Mr Synge.

“We will be developing Version 12 as a

Windows-based program in 2012. Then we

will be shifting Voyage Estimator to a web-

based platform. Later this year, we will also be

developing ways to add third party data and

services. We are looking at integrating other

information such as live bunker prices, likely

to be delivered in 2012. We could use parent

company Inchcape Shipping Services’ (ISS)

global agency network as it is about bringing in

structural data on bunker quality and prices.”

There was interest from owners and

charterers for Voyage Estimator after ShipNet

demonstrated the program on YouTube in

August. Dutch chemical tanker operator North

Sea Tankers was one of the first to use the

software and at least 10 other shipowners have

asked for proposals. The minimum cost for a

user licence is US$6,000, says Mr Synge.

ISS has upgraded its World of Ports

software with a port cost calculation tool.

With this, an operator can add enter in a

vessel’s parameters for a given port

and generate a cost breakdown for

a given port call, says ISS sales

manager Jeff Clark.

Russian tanker operator Sovcomflot

(SCF) uses ShipNet’s software for

its purchasing and procurement

requirements, along with SpecTec’s

Amos Enterprise Suite for planned

maintenance, safety and quality, says

managing director of SCF Unicom,

Nikolai Spichenok. From fleet

management software suppliers, he

wants to see more improvements.

“We need more flexibility and for

software to be made configurable

to individual customers’ needs,

minimising paper consumption, by

the use of electronic documents and

approvals,” he adds. TST

ABS Nautical Systems’ NS5 Enterprise has been trialled on tankers

Handheld devices and maintenanceSpecTec has launched a new fleet management product for handheld devices on vessels. Amos Mobile enables users to record transactions, stock levels and equipment maintenance remotely, then upload this data to Amos Enterprise Suite. Crew can remotely record work requests and equipment condition.

There are two business modules, one for inventory monitoring and the other for maintenance reports. The software runs on the Windows Mobile OS. SpecTec’s mobile device has a Sybase database that contains all data entered by crew members. The user can configure

communication between the device and the PC and choose the preferred language for the software.

Amos Mobile can integrate photos from handheld devices with work orders and readings from equipment bar codes, which are increasingly found in enginerooms. SpecTec product development director Jostein Ullestad says, “Amos Mobile will simplify the process of performing inventory control and readings of counters and gauges. If there are any concerns with the equipment which need to be addressed, the user simply requisitions work right there and can take a picture.”