Bringing environmental stewardship into the digital age

Worldwide, ports and port administrations are defining their commitment to being good neighbours through local and regional sustainability initiatives. However, one of the fundamental components to these initiatives always has been a challenge – communication.

Maritime environmental regulations are constantly changing. Keeping abreast of these changes is the responsibility of all marine stakeholders, but until recently communicating these changes fleet wide or port wide has presented challenges. Paper manuals, updated by printed e-mails often are the formal updates that fleets or port personnel receive. This 20^th Century way of managing compliance is no longer practical in our digital world.

Ocean Guardian uses innovative technology and collaboration to bring the management of environmental compliance into the 21^st Century. A digitalisation tool that combines vessel monitoring with a proprietary regulatory database, Ocean Guardian integrates cutting-edge technology with highly accurate maps, relay controls and industry collaboration with the goal of eliminating noncompliant discharge.

Ocean Guardian provides operators with immediate and accurate information on environmental regulations relating to a vessel’s specific location and gives managers the tools they need to facilitate consistency throughout their fleet. Its global database provides users with digital convenience by incorporating international, national, regional and port specific regulations.

Enhancing workflow efficiencies

Today’s complex regulatory environment presents challenges for ship owners and operators, as well as port and terminal operators. Despite best efforts, improvised regulatory manuals and binders are not reliably accurate and often are extremely time consuming to locate, review and check.

This is especially challenging onboard commercial vessels, which rarely have an environmental compliance position that doesn’t also have countless other responsibilities. This leaves vessels and ports open to an increased risk of noncompliant discharge and reduces the efficiency of the industry.

By providing current and accurate information in a digital package, Ocean Guardian removes the risk of an operator missing an update, or not having the latest policy directive. It also significantly enhances the workflow efficiency on vessels and shore side teams by making regulatory information available at the click of a button. This gives the crew more time to focus on other tasks leading to safer ships and port calls.

Safer ships and port calls enhance the economic benefits of maritime commerce. To that end, Ocean Guardian has included port information to further increase the competitive advantage of global shipping and maritime commerce.

The system’s administration portal allows consolidation and storage of pertinent port documents and information. This gives vessel operators and owners access to critical port information and gives ports a way to highlight their facilities to improve workflow efficiencies while at port.

Port information in Ocean Guardian includes basic port contact information; PFSO information; availability of off-load garbage services, garbage collection requirements and whether off-load service is compulsory; availability of MARPOL certification, waste stream reception and handling details, availability of recycling facilities, availability of fuel and fresh water, including whether a fresh water certification is provided, as well as the types of fuel available.

To maintain a high level of accuracy with port specific information, Ocean Guardian’s team has distributed a survey to ports around the world. Ports that complete the survey can update and enhance their port information in Ocean Guardian. [Information on completing the survey is at the end of this article.]

Additionally, Ocean Guardian recognises that port regulations play a significant role in safe and efficient port calls. Therefore, port regulations in Ocean Guardian include: Whether a ship’s incinerator can be used in port, fuel sulphur limits, painting limits, whether window washing, hull washing and propeller polishing is allowed and opacity requirements in port.

Bottom line benefits

Access to port regulations and compliance regulations improves workflow efficiencies at sea and at port, decreases the risk of non-compliant discharge and improves communication between vessels and ports. From a port perspective, it also helps the port to be a good neighbour.

While on the surface the compliance of a vessel appears to be the responsibility of the operator, noncompliant discharge at port can create a high burden of cleanup, legal and environmental mitigation costs.

Ocean Guardian assists port operators with enhancing vessel compliance by readily providing the most accurate information prior to arrival. Accessing this knowledge beforehand lowers pollution incidents and potential damage to the surrounding environment. It significantly reduces the risk of “I didn’t know” accidental discharges and thus vessel’s being detained in port. Vessel compliance also will reduce pollution, environmental damage and help the port achieve its carbon footprint reduction goals – all critical elements in being a good neighbour.

The use of Ocean Guardian is a public commitment to environmental compliance and stewardship. For ports and vessel operators, it enhances the culture of compliance, indicating a top-down commitment to zero-pollution initiatives, helping ship owners increase their workflow efficiency, ports to improve their relationship with their community and increase regulatory visibility industrywide.

Understanding the expectations placed on the vessel – be it a reduction in air pollution, or soil and sediment pollution – has a positive impact on the success of that port call for all stakeholders. Ocean Guardian allows shipboard operators to better plan their voyage by providing them with advanced knowledge of port restrictions.

As a collaborative partner in environmental stewardship, Ocean Guardian is committed to regulatory obligations – its rules portal is vetted by a third-party maritime law firm and updated by maritime professionals. Users onboard can immediately access the applicable regulation for reference purposes when looking at a rule. This is critical, not only to improving compliance, but also to enhancing knowledge and understanding of the regulatory environment.

Ship operators and ports that use Ocean Guardian can trust that the information is accurate and reliable. This allows users to take a position of leadership in the ongoing movement toward the development of green technology and a cleaner environment. To that end, the use of Ocean Guardian can support green initiatives worldwide.

Ocean Guardian sets a new standard for collaboration and transparency. As a collaborative platform that includes shipping companies, vessel users, ports of call, regulatory bodies and industry associations, Ocean Guardian brings together all components of the maritime industry, raising the bar for everyone.

Created by Total Marine Solutions, Ocean Guardian is the first collaborative digitisation tool on the market. Total Marine Solutions has been at the forefront of environmental compliance solutions since its founding in 2001. Customers in the cruise, commercial, off-shore and yacht communities rely on Total Marine Solutions for the latest compliance technology, solutions and training.

The development of Ocean Guardian was the next logical step in the company’s business model. Ocean Guardian was developed with Brenock, a leader in cutting-edge software solutions in the maritime industry and a long-time business partner of Total Marine Solutions.

Ocean Guardian is continuously collecting information from port authorities and port agents to ensure that port data is current and accurate. To demonstrate your culture of compliance, please contact us at survey@oceanguardian.com to complete an online survey.