Other reasons for aviation’s digital lead

And there are more reasons: Aviation is a much younger industry (shipping, on the other hand, has existed almost as long as mankind) and is therefore more open to many technical innovations, as younger industries often find it easier to innovate. Their higher safety requirements and the greater willingness of many airlines to invest have also contributed to digitalisation. Large first movers such as American Airlines set new digital technology standards that the rest of the industry followed. In the fragmented shipping industry, there is a lack of such pioneers and unfortunately also a lack of industry-wide standards that would facilitate the adaptation of new technologies at industry level.

Where do we stand with shipping?

As described at the beginning, crew changes in the shipping industry are usually handled by email and telephone. Every disruption means that various stakeholders have to be informed – the seafarers are often the last in the information chain, which doesn’t exactly make their work any better. For shipping companies and ship managers, these processes are unnecessarily lengthy, expensive and prone to disruption. So the question arises all the more: why don’t we do things more like the aviation industry?

Because circumstances do not force companies in the shipping industry to do so. And because there are always changes that seem more urgent, first and foremost decarbonisation. Those who do not ensure EU ETS compliance will have to pay high penalties. Those who manage their crew planning laboriously by email will not. Industry-wide standards that could provide a boost to digitalisation are also not in sight. Yet many things are possible, or at least could be in the future: Full transparency for all parties involved, including seafarers, through automated communication. Scalability. Time and cost savings for companies. And thus not only more efficiency, but also better working conditions for everyone involved.

What needs to happen for something to change in the shipping industry?

What has long been a reality in aviation is not yet technically possible in shipping. But aviation also started small. Our industry also needs first movers who try out and improve existing solutions – or develop their own and, if possible, make them available to other companies (as American Airlines did with the Reservisor, which was eventually used not only by airlines but also in other areas of travel booking). At the same time, it is also up to the software providers in the crew planning sector to communicate more clearly what is potentially possible – because most companies are already using a variety of software solutions and are reluctant to impose more and more solutions on their employees. This is where education is needed – and really good software that delivers real improvement.

The road to efficiency and secure, fast, transparent crew planning processes is still a long one, but it is doable. However, more companies need to realise that it is worth the effort.