Grindrod Shipping, a division of the listed shipping and logistics business Grindrod Limited, has signed up for BASSnet™ Fleet Management Systems, making it a good start for the year for BASS Software Ltd and marking their expansion into new markets.

Grindrod’s shipping division is headquartered in Singapore with the operational marine (technical management) team based in South Africa. The state of the art BASSnet Fleet Management Systems is being implemented on a total of 16 Grindrod vessels – nine product and chemical tankers and an additional seven dry cargo vessels technically managed by the company’s third party managers. This implementation was commenced in January this year and included the employment of various dashboard applications. Applications include maintenance, procurement, human resource management, safety management and vetting and management reporting.

"Our choice of BASSnet™ is logical, as we are very confident of BASS’s array of products, having diligently appraised their presentations and conducted research of our own," said Quentin Foyle, General Manager – Marine Grindrod Shipping. "Furthermore, our dry bulk 3rd party ship manager- Sandigan Shipping also uses the BASS systems to technically manage their vessel operations efficiently" he said.

Key to Grindrod selecting BASS was the latter’s emphasis on innovation, and research and development (R&D). As much as 25% of BASS’ operating costs is injected into R&D. BASS has also built a reputation as one of the leading global maritime software providers, with 24/7 customer service.

As testament to BASS’ ability, is its list of renowned clientele, such as Japanese giants K-Line and NYK, German shipping stalwarts Hapag Lloyd, and French carrier CMA CGM, as well as Singapore Pacific International lines, among others.

BASS is also class- approved by five international classification societies namely; Det Norse Veritas (DNV), Bureau Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, ClassNK and Lloyd’s Register.

"Now we can streamline our maritime processes effectively," Mr Foyle added.

With BASS, a shipping company can control the effective flow of procurement activities of an entire fleet, manage maintenance operations and comply with ISM requirements.

BASS’ web-based HR module can automatically track crew information, ensure the company is in compliance with STCW, integrating data into payroll, manage recruitment, training and travel activities.

In mid-February, a team from Grindrod Shipping visited BASS Software’s operational office in Kuala Lumpur, where the full transformation project to the BASSnet™ software suite kicked off with a series of discussions between the two parties.

"We are proud to add a respected name like Grindrod Shipping to our list of clients," said BASS Software Head of Sales, Mark Ravi.
"Grindrod Shipping’s choice of BASS as its partner is also a testament to our customer-oriented technology and its superior capabilities," he said.

It is also noteworthy that BASS software has now been implemented for more than 120 customers, making us one of the most reputable software providers available.

Shipping companies often look for systems that are ‘future proof’, and are able to fulfil the industry demands, such as assisting shipowners and -managers to remain compliant with maritime regulations and international standards.