The ship repair and retrofit sector has lagged behind in digitalisation, according to Newport Maritime Services. The company seeks to change that with a new online platform that allows shipowners to obtain instant quotes for routine maintenance works, have real-time visibility of shipyard availability and get priority access to dry dock slots.
Newport Maritime Services (NMS) sees most of the maintenance and repair work still being conducted via complex spreadsheets, layers of brokers and reams of paperwork.
‘Digitalisation is on the agenda of all companies operating in the shipping industry, but the sector also remains true to its traditional roots,’ says NMS’ Managing Director Ege Akcasoy. He states the NMS platform bridges the gap between shipowners and shipyards. ‘We wanted to introduce an online tool that works in harmony with the people that make the ship repair sector what it is today, enabling greater transparency and thereby validating the trust and personal relationships that this industry is built on.’
Instant quotations and booking slots
Subscribers to the NMS platform will have access to instant quotations for a wide range of routine maintenance and repair works, as well as the ability to book slots at a shipyard of their choice with a real-time view on the yard’s current availability. The platform will also provide access to a full set of bespoke solutions in repair, retrofit and conversions with a low carbon focus from an exhaustive list of trusted Newport Shipping supplier partners.
Akcasoy explains: ‘NMS is a fully-automated booking and management platform for high-quality dry docking, retrofit and conversion projects. It combines priority access, on-demand quotes, price stability and live yard availability in a streamlined way that ultimately saves shipowners time and money. In addition to this, the visibility that the platform allows through each stage of the process helps to reduce risk and futureproof ship repair operations.’
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