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In order to get closer control of the fleet, Singapore-headquartered shipmanagement group Thome bets on its recently opened operations hub

The objectives of the project are quite clear: to enhance its ship management services, to manage more than one emergency[ds_preview] response at any one time, if required, to support its ships’ masters, to improve safety on-board and to improve adherence to key performance indicators (KPIs), Thome says.

The facilities are said to enable situational awareness for both duty-personnel and Thome’s crisis teams, permitting remote tracking of individual ships in the fleet, passage planning, security risk assessment, weather routing, video conferencing, integrated vessel management system implementation, and individual on-board CCTV remote monitoring by the hub. »We now have an even closer control of our managed fleet, offering our clients up to date information and even greater improvements in our ship management services,« says Claes Eek Thorstensen, President and CCO of the Thome Group.

»The monitoring capabilities provided by the hub will enable us to direct our managed fleet more efficiently, saving time and improving our operational efficiency,« he continues. According to the CCO, in times of emergency, the shipmanager can react much quicker and get more accurate information about the situation in real time.

Thome says, a great deal of care has also been given to the interior design of the hub as the staff manning the office need to be alert and able to react quickly to any given situation. Part of this are height-adjustable ergonomic tables and chairs, independent air-conditioning, three anti-glare screens per work station, a phone system that can record phone conversations and dimmable lighting. These are just some of the enhancements for the office team who may have to spend long periods of time monitoring specific operational aspects.

There is also a large wall at one end of the hub comprised of ten 140cm anti-glare screens measuring a total of 6.1m in width and 1.3m in height, so that a full operational picture is visible to the entire team.

»The close monitoring of our managed fleet is essential for us to help optimise our operational efficiencies and I have no doubt that the creation of this hi-tech office will allow us to further improve our ship management services for our clients,« says CEO Olav Nortun.

Masters can be contacted directly from the hub so that communication can happen in real time, which is essential for getting an accurate assessment of the situation so that a plan of action can be agreed upon and executed as quickly as possible to minimise disruption and avoid a more serious situation developing.

According to the company, the development of the hub and its capabilities was structured in a three-step approach. In terms of »Monitoring & Emergency Response«, aspects like safety of navigation, MARPOL, port call support, medical support, weather routing and media handling are addressed. For fleet support services, energy monitoring, cargo handling support and commercial operation support are handled. And for compliance purposes, the hub is structured in machinery trouble shooting and condition assessment, cyber security, and risk assessment.