When software becomes the work

My career at sea has given me plenty of firsthand experience of maritime operations - the good days, the difficult ones, and everything in between. Those experiences have shaped how I view the role systems and processes play in supporting crews and shoreside teams. 

I’ve spent a large part of my career at sea.

On oil and gas tankers, working worldwide, standing watch, managing safety, dealing with the realities of day-to-day operations. Like many in maritime, I’ve seen the industry at its best - and under pressure. During lockdown, that included being stuck at anchor in Antigua for months. Not the worst place in the world, but a sharp reminder of how much we rely on systems, processes, and people working together properly when circumstances aren’t ideal.

One thing has always been true:

maritime operations are complex by nature.

They have to be. Safety, compliance, commercial performance and operational efficiency all matter - and none of them can be treated lightly.

But over time, something else has crept in.

For many teams, managing the system has become part of the job itself.

When tools start demanding attention

Anyone who has worked onboard or supported vessels shoreside will recognise this pattern:

• Information entered multiple times, in different places
• Data checked and re-checked before it’s trusted
• Reports that need explanation before they’re useful
• Workarounds created just to get through the day

None of this comes from bad intentions. Most systems evolve that way - shaped by regulations, customisation, and years of trying to solve specific problems.

But the result is friction.

• And friction matters more than we often admit.
• The hidden cost of complexity
• At sea, attention is one of the most valuable resources you have.
• When systems demand too much of it, the cost isn’t just time - it’s focus.

It shows up as:

• Experienced officers and teams spending time on administration instead of operations
• Safety processes becoming about managing forms rather than managing risk
• Commercial teams questioning data instead of acting on it
• New users taking months to feel confident

Over time, the system stops supporting the job - and starts competing with it.

Complexity onboard doesn’t mean complexity in tools

Maritime will never be simple.

But that doesn’t mean the tools supporting it should add to the load.

The best systems I’ve seen - onboard and ashore - do a few things well:

• They reduce manual effort
• They make information easier to trust
• They surface what matters without needing interpretation
• They support decisions instead of slowing them down

When software works this way, something important happens:

people get their attention back.

• Operators can focus on running vessels safely and profitably.
• HSEQ teams can focus on keeping people safe, not chasing data.
• Commercial teams can focus on decisions, not reconciliation.

A shift worth making

Across maritime - and across other industries - expectations are changing.

Progress no longer means bigger systems or more configuration.

It means clearer, sharper tools that respect the realities of the job.

At Shipnet, we’re spending time reflecting on this shift - informed by real operational experience - and on how software can better support the people using it every day.

Not by asking more of them.

But by handling the complexity so they don’t have to.

More on that soon.

Ready to talk? Get in touch today ...

Niall Jack

Chief Technical Officer