While the voting procedure for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards is open, Manit Chander, CEO, HiLo Maritime Risk Management, talks about HiLo data platform – which has been shortlisted for an Initiative Award- and informs about the new add-on that will broaden its knowledge-sharing functionality. Based on HiLo’s success, Mr Chander highlights that sharing data for improving safety does not harm business, it can only help to save ships and lives.
SAFETY4SEA: Your organization has been shortlisted for the 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards in the ‘Initiative’ category alongside a number of other distinguished nominees. What would you like to share with industry’s stakeholders with respect to this development?
Manit Chander: Our profile and influence have grown significantly since HiLo was founded. Our ethics are principled and our aims couldn’t be simpler – to drastically reduce accidents at sea by leveraging accumulated, high-quality, structured data and an advanced statistical predictive model. Forty-two companies are now involved with us, and new organisations are subscribing to the platform all the time. The use of High Impact Low Frequency (HiLo) analysis and modelling has already improved safety in the aviation, rail and road transport sectors, and in the maritime world we have been able to help our subscribers act before minor issues become major incidents.
S4S: How has your initiative influenced industry’s landscape? What are the key areas of attention?
M.Ch.: HiLo is already outstripping the industry’s top casualty and incident databases in terms of crucial detail and user value, and the numbers are beyond question. We currently analyse data from more than 3,000 vessels and operate predictive risk models for tankers and bulkers. As the user base grows across multiple asset types, the data set inevitably expands with it because it’s a collaborative, community-powered platform. We take the most tangible, meaningful new information and feed it through the HiLo models to generate problem-solving advancements and accurate, beneficial insights.
S4S: Do you have any new projects in the pipeline and/or plans that you would like to share with the rest of the industry?
M.Ch.: HiLo will soon broaden the functionality of its knowledge-sharing platform by launching a dedicated new risk model for container vessels, with a model for ferries being introduced by the end the year. Additionally HiLo is going to launch a Human Error model that has gone through rigorous academic review. These models have been created through close collaboration with individual experts and organisations with exceptional operational knowledge in the relevant categories.
S4S: If you could change one thing about the shipping industry, what would it be and why?
M.Ch.: It would simply be to overturn the common perception that shipping companies are reluctant to share data. At HiLo, we create a secure space where data protection is nailed down as an abiding principle, anonymising insights before they can be shared across our subscriber pool. In providing ship managers with something worth exchanging their data for, we can show that our subscribers are willing to share their internal reports because the platform creates palpable improvements for the safety of seafarers and vessels.
S4S: What is your key message to the industry for enhancing safety culture onboard and ashore?
M.Ch.: A truly successful safety culture depends on industry-wide commitment, stressing the importance of working together, which is the core principle of the HiLo initiative. With HiLo models, we have the foundation, but it’s the data from ships that enable the insight. So, our message is really to be more open, in the understanding that sharing data for improving safety does not harm your business. It can only help to save ships and lives.
You may cast your vote for HiLo at 2019 SAFETY4SEA Awards dedicated webpage till 6th of September 2019!
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and not necessarily those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
