Oslo, Norway – BASS is pleased to announce the release of BASSnet™ 2.5, a powerful, integrated software suite designed to enable ship owners, ship managers and offshore companies to manage risks, safety and self-assessment (TMSA), ensure regulatory compliance and improve financial results.
The new modules launched in BASSnet 2.5 include BASSnet Risk Manager, BASSnet Self Assessment (TMSA), and BASSnet SAFIR – all fully integrated in BASSnet fleet management systems. Like other BASSnet modules, the new products are developed on the Microsoft.NET platform – a stable and future-proof technology – and include user-friendly features for effective and efficient management of risks and safety performance onboard and ashore.
RISK MANAGEMENT, TMSA AND FLEET SAFETY MODULES
With the release of BASSnet 2.5, companies can benefit from a more effective organisational learning process and improved fleet operations. According to Haakon Dalan, general manager of product management for BASS, the new modules are seamlessly plugged into the fully integrated software suite which is developed in response to rising demand for a more holistic approach to fleet management and safety. “In today’s industry, characterised by strong markets and demand for operational reliability and predictability, increasingly strict maritime regulations, and rising public and media scrutiny, maritime companies are seeking better systems to identify and manage risks, and to improve safety performance.”
Dalan notes that as more companies realise that improved safety performance really pays, the industry is beginning to embrace a more structured approach to risk management. “Shipowners, managers and offshore companies can no longer afford to rely on simplistic systems and an incidental approach to ensure safety, reliability and efficiency,” he says. “They need to establish a thorough methodology and necessary transparency across their fleet, providing the management [with] the information they require to take timely, pro-active measures to safeguard their operational performance and reputation.”
To further enhance the management overview and continuous improvement processes in the maritime industry, BASS has also developed a new reporting tool, BASSnet Report Generator. Users with no prior knowledge of database software or SQL can now create and design their own reports in BASSnet. This module allows users to effectively tap into their corporate data in ways that suit their needs, thus boosting the potential for making more informed decisions. It also helps reduce IT and administration costs, ensuring a rapid return on investment due to quick deployment and minimal training.
According to Martin Bjoernebye, general manager of BASS research and development, BASSnet 2.5 was developed in close cooperation with the company’s growing customer community. “Our customer community has been very active in requesting new and enhanced features for all the modules we provide,” he says. “Our challenge has been to develop robust solutions which meet the changing demands of maritime companies and deliver them as soon as we can.” Bjoernebye adds that the company devotes more than 25% of its annual costs to R&D to ensure that BASSnet fleet management systems stay ahead of the curve in maritime software development.
Dalan explains that many companies do not have an integrated software solution bridging the gap between their fleet and their office or systems in place to ensure adequate experience exchange across their organisation. Paper or email-based reporting is widely used in combination with several separate data systems, which often results in semi-manual information processing ashore. Such an outmoded process separates risk management and safety from the other management processes, while they should rather be integral parts of the day-to-day operation of vessels in the fleet.
“For example, managing audits and inspections for a company with 30 ships can be a real challenge,” he says. “Each ship can be subject to six audits or inspections a year, with an average of five or six observations / remarks per audit. With as many as 1,000 observations to follow up annually, these companies face a huge administrative task to secure timely close-out and reporting to class, port state control, vetting inspectors, among others. The consequences of just one administrative error can be quite costly in terms of unnecessary loss of trading opportunities, detention or increased port state scrutiny.”
BASS’ product manager, Mr Rajesh Purkar, notes that ever-increasing requirements from authorities and charterers will only add to shipping companies’ administrative burden. “Unless the owner responds with efficient and effective systems to help the crew onboard and the management ashore,” says Purkar, “he may find himself adding resources to handle the additional burden or paying the price for being out of compliance.”
Based on customer experience, BASSnet creates significant cost benefits, improved efficiency and enhanced safety performance. However, Bjoernebye is quick to note that while the company’s modules are designed and developed to streamline operations, the success of BASS’ product suite is built on the company’s 2002 decision to migrate from Microsoft® Visual Basic (and its outdated technology, Microsoft® Component Object Model) to Microsoft®.NET.
“As many of our competitors know first-hand, Visual Basic is difficult to upgrade and is plagued by compatibility issues,” he says. “Our goal was to streamline installation onboard and building our systems on the Microsoft®.NET platform has made this possible.”
THE NEW MODULES IN BASSNET 2.5
BASSnet fleet management systems allow companies to establish common operating standards and procedures across their fleet of ships and rigs – in order to ensure industry compliance, consistent performance and safe, reliable and environmental friendly operations. Among others, BASSnet consists of software modules for maintenance, purchasing, document management, and operations.
BASSnet Risk Manager addresses the need to establish a practical risk assessment system and manage the process of identifying operational hazards, assessing the risks and responding with appropriate, pro-active control measures. By making one system available across the fleet and the office, companies can achieve a much higher degree of organisational learning and synergies. BASSnet Risk Manager can substantially reduce operational hazards, increase asset efficiency, and reduce undesired events and consequential losses.
BASSnet Self Assessment enables companies to assess and plan development of their management standards and practices – and measure progress – in accordance with self-assessment guides like the 12 elements of Tanker Management Self Assessment (TMSA) by OCIMF.
BASSnet SAFIR is a ‘best practice’ software solution for users to report undesired events such as accidents, loss, near-accidents and non-conformities as well as results from audits and inspections. This can be used in methodical follow up, organisational learning and experience exchange across fleets and shore based organisations – and thereby improve operational and safety performance.