Inmarsat Maritime, in collaboration with Maritime London, has initiated a new working group called SEA-CARE to enhance maritime safety through the sharing of information.
The group, supported by industry stakeholders, regulators, and the UK government, will focus on how data pooling can lead to better safety practices.
The initiative was partly inspired by Inmarsat Maritime’s annual report, ‘The Future of Maritime Safety’, which used Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) call records to analyze safety trends.
The SEA-CARE working group, co-chaired by Maritime London chief executive Jos Standerwick and Inmarsat Maritime vice president of safety and regulatory Peter Broadhurst, viewed data sharing as crucial for understanding and addressing maritime safety challenges.
Broadhurst said: “The volume of calls year on year is persistently high, and a high proportion also turn out to have been unnecessary. If we enriched GMDSS data with this information, for example, our industry could implement preventive measures to reduce the call volume.”
During its inaugural meeting, SEA-CARE brought together experts from various maritime sectors, including the London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association, the International Maritime Rescue Federation, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
The group discussed how to integrate different data sources to gain a comprehensive perspective on maritime safety, considering information from flag states, the IMO, insurers, and shipping companies.
Addressing concerns about sharing sensitive data, the group concluded that using anonymized historical data could circumvent potential reputational risks while still providing valuable insights.
This approach would allow organizations to contribute to the safety initiative without compromising their data’s confidentiality.
Looking ahead, SEA-CARE has scheduled its next session for early 2025, with the aim of identifying the top five safety issues in the industry.
The committee plans to determine which organizations to engage for data sharing to enhance understanding of safety risks.
Jos Standerwick said: “This conversation has been important because it has shown the scale of the challenge when it comes to sharing the appropriate data to create a better and more objective overview of maritime safety.”
In October last year, K Line announced the testing of Inmarsat Maritime’s NexusWave, a bonded network service designed to improve ship-to-shore communications, support operational digitalization, enhance environmental response, and boost seafarer welfare through high-speed connectivity.