Seafarer safety in the age of AI: NAPA

AI can support mariners with administrative reporting tasks, enhance digital solutions already onboard, and offer faster fleet-wide insights, say Esa Henttinen (pictured), Executive Vice President of Safety Solutions at digital services provider NAPA.

Today is the UN World Day for Safety and Health at Work and this year’s theme is "Ensuring a healthy psychosocial working environment". But what role does digitalization play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of workers whose workplace is a ship traversing the world's oceans?

Seafarers are facing an increase in administrative reporting, which is a clear starting point for AI to help. In a survey of 400 seafarers from 29 countries by the International Seafarers Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), 53.8% of respondents reported added workload due to shipping’s decarbonization and 32.8% were concerned about potential criminalisation, as complex reporting heightens the risks of accidental errors.

This admin is a challenge, but with the right digital support, it does not have to be a burden. By removing simple yet time-consuming, repetitive administrative tasks, digital tools free seafarers up to focus on what matters most: operating the ship safely. Solutions can, for example, take one data entry and automatically apply it wherever relevant for that crew member, minimizing duplication.

Digitalisation can also underpin actual safety processes. A ship is one of the most information-dense workplaces on earth. Seafarers manage stability calculations, cargo operations, voyage reports, regulatory logs, safety permits, checklists, logbook entries, emergency procedures and more. AI does not replace seafarers, but it supports them. It can give better information faster, with less manual effort, so mariners can focus on the decisions that matter.

Implemented well and with the support of seafarers, digital systems suggest and the person decides. AI-generated cargo plans, for example, are reviewed and approved by officers. Voice-created logbook entries are confirmed before completion. Dashboards answer questions and give insights, but they do not make decisions for crew.

Permit to work processes are a clear area where digital solutions are already helping, and this will only expand. There are still far too many accidents during planned work onboard ships. 55% of accidents in the past 28 years have happened then, with most taking place in the hold, access areas, and oil tanks. This can be down to outdated manual scheduling and risk assessments.

When every active work permit, enclosed space entry, or high-voltage intervention is digital, competing work can clearly be shown, the relevant parties notified, and sign off procedures controlled. A paper-based permit to work process cannot alert a shore manager that three high-risk permits are active simultaneously, whereas AI-powered digital permit management systems can. 

A digital system can also spot safety trends. It creates a data trail that AI can learn from: which permit types generate the most near-misses? Which departments need additional training? Which ships have the longest authorisation delays?  Data collected onboard also feeds AI analytics shoreside, which informs better operational decisions.

The maritime industry generates millions of data points each day. Digitalisation and AI can use this to not only enhance onboard safety processes but can also generate operational insights that actively protect crews and improve performance. In one of the harshest workplaces in the world, digitalisation can enhance safety.