Impact of Technology: Technology is rapidly evolving in every industry, including maritime. What technological advancements do you see as most impactful for workboats, and how is the association facilitating technological adaptation among its members?

One of the biggest technological advancements in our sector within the last decade has been data digitalisation. Intelligent data recording and processing have significantly transformed maritime operations. It’s not just about artificial intelligence initially but the digital developments that have been changing and integrating into our world over the past 10 years. The ability to capture data and then turn it into something we can actually see and use has been revolutionary.

Data is being used in more clever ways across all maritime sectors, whether it manifests or stores records, deck logs, hours of work, planned maintenance systems, chart systems, NMEA data processing, safety management systems, communications, mechanical system displays, and reports. We now use advanced data processing and display systems to gauge wave heights before they even hit the ship, show how changes in certain mechanical conditions affect vessel performance live, provide more accurate weather and route forecasting, enable quicker and more effective incident reporting and mitigation, facilitate remote fault finding, monitor seafarer fatigue or activity patterns, guide training needs, improve and allow focused offshore communications, enhance stability analyses, and innovate mechanical deterioration and fuel usage tracking, whole body vibration, air quality monitoring, and much more.

Digital data advancements are one of the most powerful changes in the current maritime industry. When I started working commercially offshore in 2008, one of my duties was to take the vessel’s logbooks, tear out all the carbon copies of each log entry, and post them back to head office at the end of every month. Apart from a lucky or very broken phone call once or twice a week from the vessel’s superintendent, this was about the limit of the vessel’s connection with management. Ten years later, I was managing a globally operating fleet of vessels and staff, and I could hear colleagues getting upset that WhatsApp messages hadn’t been answered, even though they could see the messages had been read!

The evolution in data processing has been remarkable. Purchasers now can pick up their phone from bed, access all their emails, photos, and documents from their smartphone, go onto a webshop, order the parts directly, and inform the crew the part is on its way with an accurate delivery time without even having eaten their morning toast. The incredible data being collected and processed means that the next time the part needs ordering, a Planned Maintenance System will most likely pre-empt the item’s requirement and order itself, requiring somebody to just agree to the purchase and enter a delivery address.

The Workboat Association facilitates technological adaptation among its members by hosting regular events, workshops, and training sessions focused on the latest technological advancements. We also provide resources and support to help our members integrate these technologies into their operations, ensuring they stay competitive and efficient in a rapidly evolving industry.

Skills Development and Education: Given your role in nurturing a safety culture and responsible work ethics, what initiatives or programs does The Workboat Association offer for skills development and continuing education within the industry?

We are active members of the Maritime Skills Alliance and Maritime UK skills programs, and I am personally a registered Director of both organisations. I was recently also part of the UK Government’s UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce.

Skills, education, and the employment pool are significant and continuing challenges for all businesses – it is a never-ending, looping cycle, where all parts of the system are active at the same time!

For every worker at the end of their career, there is somebody at the beginning, somebody in the middle, somebody not reaching their potential, and somebody going unrecognised.

It is a matter of continuous resource, enthusiasm, and planning. It is never easy, and if it is, it is probably because something is being overlooked.

There are four quotes I like to remember on this subject:

1. Lord Nelson: “We cannot control the weather, but we can prepare for it.”
2. Anon: “What happens if you train your employees and they leave? What happens if you do not train your employees and they stay?”
3. Richard Branson: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
4. Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes of mice and men go oft’[en] awry.”

There is always a chance, even in the simplest recruitment scenarios, to the most complex but most professional, that something will change and serious action needs to be taken. What happens if a pivotal employee suddenly goes off sick (or worse)? What happens if they suddenly, out of the blue, say they are leaving? What happens if that vital contract holding your company together suddenly goes ‘pop’? These are all big challenges for recruitment and skills, but with a good plan that encompasses all four of the quotes above, you are sure to be on the front foot.

Nobody is indispensable, but sometimes they are pretty significant!