Germanischer Lloyd urges shipping firms to upgrade software applications
2012 05 17
- Details
GERMANISCHER LLOYD (GL), a leading ship classification society, is urging shipping companies to invest more in applying more new maritime-related information technologies to help shipowners and operators reduce operating costs and enhance competitiveness.
"There is a great deal of potential for the shipping sector to invest more into maritime software," said GL software vice president Torsten Buessow at a GL Exchange Forum held in Singapore. "The sector's investment level is just one fifth of that of the oil and gas industry."
New York's MarineLink reported that only 0.7 per cent of investments in new vessels are used to cover the cost of new software installations. Yet experts from Germanischer Lloyd believe equipping more ships with the latest maritime software applications could help offset rising fuel prices and operating costs, which in turn can improve the industry's profit margins.
"Looking at ship operating costs we see a steady, rising trend," Dr Buessow said. He estimates that the operating costs for 3,000- to 4,000-TEU vessels, Panamax dry bulk carriers and 15,000-20,000 dwt general cargo vessels will grow 13 per cent between 2010 and 2014.
The company said its hull integrity management tool, GL HullManager, improves management efficiency by creating a 3D model of the ship, which can be linked to visual inspections and thickness measurement. In the end, the software helps reduce a vessel's inspection and repair costs.
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