Boatracs has formed a strategic partnership with maritime compliance consulting firm Maritime Compliance International, to collaborate in the development of a new electronic forms software product designed specifically for compliance management of the upcoming US Coast Guard 46 CFR Subchapter ‘M’ regulation.
The new product is based on Boatracs’ electronic forms platform, Boatracs BTForms. BTForms is currently in use on approximately 200 vessels and aims to assist in collecting accurate vessel data for dispatch, Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE), maintenance and management.
Kevin Gilheany, owner of Maritime Compliance International, will work with Boatracs to build on this technology via the development of a Subchapter M compliance product.
“Subchapter M, with all of its grandfathering, exceptions and other applicability specifications, is the most complex regulation ever produced by the US Coast Guard,” said Mr Gilheany, himself a Coast Guard retiree.
“The biggest challenge is to determine exactly what is required for each individual vessel in a fleet. I have greatly simplified this process for vessel owners and operators by using a list of questions to determine the optimum level of compliance.”
“Whether an operator chooses inspection by Coast Guard or a third party auditor, this product is designed to make complying with Subchapter M manageable for any size fleet.”
The forms-based software product will be installed on an on-board PC and, based on certain input information, will automatically generate a vessel survey checklist and all of the corresponding forms required to meet the regulations for that particular vessel.
The product will also include alerts for required dates to provide reminders of upcoming requirements.
Completed forms can be stored on the on-board PC, printed, and the data transmitted to shore where an identical form will be accessible from any PC, tablet or smart phone through a web-based user interface.
The commercial product will be launched at the end of the first quarter of 2013.
Source: Digital Ship
