Background
The client suffered from inefficient fleet operation because the on-board crew management data received from the corporate office was disorganised and fragmentary. Additionally, the fleet staff spent a lot of time taking care of various Arrival/Departure-related port papers, custom and IMO forms and had to keep track of crew overtime/expenses onboard.
Challenge
The client needed a platform where all users could have access to updated information at all times without incurring costly communication expenses or delays due to bandwidth limitations via satellites
- The client wanted an application that could handle forms and conduct analyses automatically as the crew did not have time to do this manually
- The client wanted to make sure that no duplication and human errors occurred in the data management; this had been a problem with the old system
- The client required a more user-friendly application with provisions for easy data exchange and integration with third-party systems
Solution
NETS has designed and developed an intelligent application called NETS Crew Management using .Net with SQL Server 2008 / SQLlite for both Web & Windows (standalone) applications; this application seamlessly integrates personal information systems, payroll information system, master setup, crew signings/offs and crew rest periods to run in a LAN as well as an Internet environment, with local and centralised databases. NETS recommended this application as it would efficiently deal with the clientʼs challenges in regards to crew management as well as improve operations overall.
Outcome
- Having implemented the application, the client saves time and resources on
- data integration, as no human intervention is required to integrate data between the vessel and office
- computation of salary, as all pay-roll computation – including multiple bank account deposits and transactions – is now automated
- creating reports and documentation
- communicating with the entire functional group as the Web-based system has
eliminated the communication gap between the different stakeholders
- preparing budgets, receiving allotments, booking of expenditures, and filing in
daily/monthly returns
- Personal crew data could be gathered at all levels daily, which helps the management of human resources on issues such as transfer, promotion, and rehiring
- The application could keep track of expiry dates. Alarms can be set for the expiry dates of all crew-related certificates (passports, visas, etc.), and then the module automatically reminds the captain to set up dates for auditors to issue new certificates
- The application complies with all the latest conventions (e.g. TMSA, MLC2010); meaning that the management can be confident that they are following correct procedures
- The application has provisions for easy integration with third-party systems and is more userfriendly than the old system
- The new system can convert updates into XML files that can in turn be zipped to make the file size very small (e.g. 8kb). This makes it possible to send files through low satellite bandwidths at lower costs
- Bi-directional data replication between the ship and shore enables all users to work from realtime data
- The application can automatically check the integrity of entries and report back if numbers are unusual (e.g. data duplication, missing or wrong data). This ensures data integrity as human errors are easily detected
Scope
This application can be universally implemented in any shipping/maritime organisation. It has been carefully designed and developed to handle the human resource needs of ship managers and operators around the globe.
