The safety of India’s seafarers is the top agenda at the two-day seminar – Surabhi 2019 — that commenced here on Thursday.

Organised by The Synergy Group, a leading ship manager and maritime technology company, the seminar noted that seafaring remains a perilous profession despite decades of improvements in safety. Accidents, collisions, cyber attacks and even pirates are constant threats.

Among the guests was Katsuya Abe, President of Nissen Kaiun, Japan’s largest private ship owner. He was joined by senior representatives of Shell, Exxon, Class NK, Petronas, Mitsui OSK Lines and BW Shipping.

Rajesh Unni, CEO and Founder of Synergy Group said, “We are determined to make the lives of those who take to the seas as safe as possible.” Mental health awareness and seafarer wellness should be on the top of the agenda when the industry looks at safety at sea. Many studies into the psychological health of seafarers clearly illustrate that large numbers of seafarers suffer from obvious manifestations of impaired psychological well-being such as social isolation and depression, he said.

Synergy Group, which employs almost 10,000 seafarers and manages a fleet of over 265 vessels, also launched its innovative new ‘Ahoy’ App. This keeps all seafarers in ‘live’ contact with colleagues onshore as well improving the efficiency of shipping operations.

IoT platform

Synergy also showcased SMARTShip, the patented digital shipping solution developed by Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) which is now enjoying rapid uptake across the maritime sector. The Internet of Things (IoT) platform enables the operation of multiple systems on ships with varying degrees of autonomy. It has already been installed on more than 30 vessels and 60 more are undergoing the process.

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