The value of data in the marine industry has been clear to RINA for years. With the aim of improving energy efficiency, for example, we have worked with countless shipowners all over the world to collect and analyse useful and accurate data. These days, the industry is experiencing a veritable explosion in data. Whereas before we had the challenge of gathering sufficient information, in many cases we now seem to have too much.
We are therefore looking ahead and planning how best to help our clients manage and extract value from this data in order to enhance operations and improve regulatory compliance. The fast pace of technological development means we need a flexible, forward-thinking approach and a platform that can serve current needs as well as easily adapt to future developments.
Flexibility is the thinking behind RINACube’s platform, released in 2018 with the aim of hosting a variety of marine services by the end of the year. The cloud-based platform integrates third-party data, applications and powerful analytics capabilities. These features combined will enable clients to manage information from many sources efficiently and to extract greater value and business insights from it.
RINACube’s core classification services are designed to make it easier for clients to obtain the services they need. These include issuing e-certificates, booking a survey or exchanging documentation online to obtain an approval. Clients can also obtain direct operational benefits through the platform. A key example is the fleet performance management system that RINA has developed over the last few years. This collects data on board ships, analyses it and provides optimisation recommendations, helping owners take effective, evidence-based decisions. The system is now hosted on RINACube and is the backbone for future applications covering maintenance, compliance, environmental and safety issues.
Shipowners and operators will be interested in the Fleet Operation Centre (FOC) in particular. Also hosted on the RINACube platform, the FOC enables real-time information sharing between ships and specialist onshore teams. An FOC brings additional benefits from a regulatory point of view: it responds to the IMO A.1072 (28) requirement for “an integrated system of contingency planning for shipboard emergencies”.
Clients will also see efficiency benefits as RINA engineers and surveyors start to use the platform themselves. For example, a smart checklist when carrying out a survey saves time creating a survey report back in the office.
As an independent third party with a 360-degree view of ships and shipping, plus deep experience in developing vertical software applications, RINA has a unique advantage. We can efficiently gather data from many different sources and process them in accordance with both international regulations and shipowner requirements. RINACube will evolve in line with developments in technology and customer demands. But its ability to extract useful business insights from data will remain a central pillar.
