That’s why we developed Q88 Dry. As the industry standard for dry bulk information management, Q88 Dry builds upon Q88’s legacy of excellence in information management while reflecting dry bulk’s unique realities. Q88 Dry empowers stakeholders on both sides of the dry bulk freight contract to collect and share critical vessel information in a standardized, streamlined way while unlocking tangible business benefits.

Read on to explore five ways Q88 Dry instantly makes life easier for our clients.

1. It allows you to store vessel information in one, central location.

Access is key when it comes to making the most of vessel information. Q88 Dry enables stakeholders to store all relevant details centrally and conveniently within its questionnaire module. In turn, dry bulk charterers and owners alike can access and update the information they need seamlessly, without the need to sort through disparate systems and data sources. By providing a standard questionnaire and supporting automatic completion, Q88 Dry also mitigates dependence on manual data entry. In addition, users can request the addition of new questionnaires from within the platform to keep everything in the same place.

2. It empowers users to easily communicate and share information.   

Siloed and inaccessible data is a chief obstacle to informed and effective decision making. With data in one place, dry bulk stakeholders can seamlessly share information in real time with other colleagues and business partners to ensure alignment and foster collaboration. In addition, the solution streamlines communication amongst charterers, brokers, and agents with anytime, anywhere information, seamless email sharing, and accessibility from mobile devices.

3. It helps you establish a single source of truth.

In addition to the unified, contextualized information contained directly within the platform, Q88 Dry delivers native connections with industry-leading software solutions and supports flexible, custom integrations. With little added effort, users can standardize data across all of their internal systems to establish a reliable source of truth for dry bulk vessel information.

4. It supports organizations in upholding compliance.

As regulations and sanctions continue to evolve, the ability to maintain up-to-date certificates and inspections has become even more critical. Within Q88 Dry, users can easily access and update certificates, documents, and inspections, while maintaining detailed historical data and an accurate audit trail. For vessel owners and operators, the Officer Matrix module allows users to keep the officer matrix updated from directly onboard the vessel, even without internet access. Q88 Dry also supports PSC inspections for foreign vessels and cargoes, ensuring continued compliance and accuracy.

5. It delivers the industry standard.

As the industry standard for vessel information management, the data within Q88 Dry is timely, accurate, and regularly updated by vessel owners and operators. Users can rest assured that information in the platform comes straight from the source, enabling them to make better, more accurate vessel decisions. Ultimately, this enables vessel owners to more easily share documentation that demonstrates their competitive edge to charterers. Meanwhile, charterers are empowered to make decisions that meet the needs of their marine supply chain and downstream stakeholders.

How will Q88 Dry transform your business?

Built to make life easier for dry bulk charterers and owners alike, Q88 Dry revolutionizes the way vessel information is managed and shared. By shaping a shared standard for timely and accurate vessel data, Q88 Dry empowers stakeholders to navigate evolving industries realities with greater agility and confidence while strengthening daily decisions here and now.

Are you ready to see what a shared information standard might look like within your organization? Book a free demo to see Q88 Dry in action and discover how the solution can transform your information management approach.

The post Five ways Q88 Dry can transform your dry bulk shipping business now appeared first on Q88.

Dry bulk shipping represents over half of all seaborne trade, and as industry realities continue to evolve, the need for an information standard has never been more important. But first, dry bulk stakeholders require an actionable way to work towards standardized, high-quality vessel information.

In this infographic, we take a closer look at some of the complex realities that dry bulk stakeholders face today and explore how a shared information standard can address them.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Q88 Dry can drive new efficiency and support stronger decision making, book a free demo today.

The post It’s Time for a Shared Standard in Dry Bulk Vessel Information appeared first on Q88.

Today, tanker charterers rely on standardized vessel information to select the most suitable vessels, a feat that is exceedingly complex due to market forces like decarbonization, geopolitical sanctions, and more. Meanwhile, owners similarly depend on standardized data for a variety of reasons, including its ability to inform more profitable decisions, enable competitive benchmarking, and affirm compliance to environmental and geopolitical regulations. These complexities aren’t unique to the tanker industry, and neither is the power of a shared standard for vessel information to help address them.  

The standardization of dry bulk vessel information has the power to simplify life for the industry’s tonnage charterers and streamline reporting requirements for dry bulk shipowners. But in order to realize these efficiencies, dry bulk stakeholders require a purpose-built solution that delivers this integral, standardized data in a scalable way that fits right into their existing workflows. Will they benefit from the agility, efficiency, and profitability standardized vessel information brings? Or will they be left to navigate the complexity without a single source of truth? Read on to learn more about the complex realities dry bulk charterers and owners face today, and how standardized vessel particulars can make all the difference.    

Tonnage Charterers 

The Reality: A more competitive maritime shipping market, a widespread focus on safe and sustainable decision-making, global demand for speed and efficiency, and outsized supply chain costs all place greater onus on the vessel vetting process for tonnage charterers.  

As charterers become more sophisticated and methodical in their approach to vessel vetting, the need for standardized and easily consumable vessel particulars intensifies. Without standardization, charterers are left to sort through unstandardized and potentially outdated data, making it challenging to ascertain the most suitable vessel for their cargo and do so in a timely fashion. The maritime shipping industry moves fast, and if a charterer cannot find the vessel information they need quickly, they can be left with a suboptimal carrier for their cargo or worse, fail to meet the demands of their production sites and external stakeholders.  

In addition, charterers are increasingly prioritizing decarbonization in the carriers they work with as one part of their organizational sustainability strategy. Some of this pressure is regulatory, and some comes from downstream stakeholders. In order to ensure their seaborne supply chain operates as sustainably as possible, charterers require visibility into owners’ emissions impact and compliance with regulations like EU ETS and IMO CII. This level of transparency is all but impossible without a solution for standardized vessel information, which ensures accuracy and comparability of environmental indicators across carriers.  

The Win for Charterers: Charterers require a solution that provides them complete visibility and transparency into vessel information, enabling them to make the most informed decisions as they search for the most suitable vessel. With a solution that provides vessel owners the ability to easily update information using a standard questionnaire, charterers can rest assured that all data is as accurate and up-to-date as possible, coming straight from the source. Equipped with invaluable data on the world’s global fleet, charterers can more readily identify sources of risk, including vessels that do not meet environmental standards, may present performance issues, violate geopolitical regulations or pose a sanctions risk. Ultimately, this information empowers the charterer to make decisions at the pace of business, rather than sorting through and validating disparate data sources in their search for a suitable vessel.  

Owners 

The Reality: On the other side of the contract, owners are navigating intense competitive realities, high operating costs, and outsized market volatility. All of these factors necessitate decisions that enable owners to enhance competitive advantage against other carriers and fix the most profitable voyages possible. Without standardization of vessel particulars, it can be hard for dry bulk shipowners to reach the entire market of potential tonnage charterers. Furthermore, they have no way to demonstrate the specifications, certification and inspection records, and compliance of their global fleet to their counterparties in a credible and scalable way.  

Aside from the struggle to stand out in the world’s competitive global fleet, shipowners experience significant operational inefficiency due to the fragmented nature of vessel particulars. Each tonnage charterer may require a disparate workflow for the exchange of this information, leaving shipowners to answer the same questions in many different ways.  

But these challenges aren’t just limited to counterparties. With many stakeholders and stages of the workflow, owners are also prone to information gaps between vessel personnel, inspectors, surveyors, agents, port, terminals and the main onboard office. This disconnect can lead to costly oversights or missed opportunities—both of which are at direct odds with maximizing voyage profitability.  

Last, but certainly not least, environmental and geopolitical requirements are multi-faceted and ever-evolving, increasing the complexity of document management. Without a standardized way to manage certificates, inspections, and other key documents, it can be challenging for an owner to readily verify they meet the necessary requirements.  

The Win for Owners: Equipped with a centralized solution to store and update vessel information and documents, owners can better market their vessels to counterparties, more seamlessly provide charterers the information they need, and avoid costly gaps in knowledge within their own businesses. In addition, with certificate and inspection data in one central location, owners can more readily generate reports to share with key stakeholders and regulators to navigate the increasingly complex regulatory landscape. A standard questionnaire mitigates the complexity of updating vessel information—minimizing errors and significantly reducing the time spent on manual data entry.  

Q88 is a win for the entire dry bulk industry  

At Q88, we’re focused on bringing dry bulk stakeholders the same shared data standard that the tanker industry has been leveraging for years. Purpose-built to manage dry bulk vessel and fleet information, Q88 Dry provides a standard questionnaire that enables charterers and owners alike to flexibly adapt to evolving requirements, easily share data, and benefit from a single source of truth. By centralizing high-quality information around dry bulk questionnaires, vessel particulars, certificates, documents, and more, Q88 Dry provides the tools you need to elevate every decision and improve efficiency while doing it. Request a demo today to learn more. 

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When asked what differentiates Q88 from its competitors, Tor-Arne Berger was quick to point out that the company is filled with shipping people, people who know the industry inside and out and together have over 350 years of experience. “Whereas many companies have software people developing software for shipping, Q88 has shipping people developing software for shipping. This is the difference, and it is a key factor in what makes us an industry leader,” he explains.

Tor-Arne emphasizes the importance that experience plays in product development. He has worked on designing, building, and delivering shipping-specific solutions for 30 years across various business areas. He has sat in the offices of literally hundreds of clients on five continents, listening and learning to find out why and how the right software can simplify and speed work flows. Solution development sometimes is born as a direct result of these conversations. Tor-Arne finds that clients often provide a critical piece of information, without even realizing it themselves.

Close contact and cooperation with customers has always been a priority with Tor-Arne, and underscores the strong supporting role this plays in ensuring the relevance of the company’s solutions. “We seek, welcome, and encourage feedback,” he says. “Input from the people using the software helps us to understand how it is being used, how it benefits them, and what more they would like to get from our products. This information forms the basis of everything we do at Q88.”

Strengthening the company’s all-round capabilities

Q88 is well established as a market leader in information management for the marine freight industry and is particularly known and respected in the tanker sector. Building on the success with tanker fleets, Q88 has invested significantly in bringing innovative and value-adding solutions to the dry bulk space as well.

Tor-Arne states, “When I joined Q88, the company already had a mature and successful product offering, and of course, I saw maintaining this dominant position as a major part of my work and that continues. Now I am focused on building from the success in the tanker space to focus on the dry.  We expect Q88 Dry to become an industry standard, paralleling what our clients expect and know from us for tankers.

Building integration possibilities

Regulatory compliance has pushed integration to the forefront of the rapidly evolving and changing shipping sector. Companies need to stay competitive and integrate closely with business partners, while the various systems they use also need to be integrated in order to achieve efficiencies and optimized performance. Access to Information (AIT) systems are a key enabler for successful integration.

Q88’s collaborative approach brings stakeholders together to share information throughout the commercial process. The company continues to develop and fine-tune tools for counterparties, enabling the information maintained on Q88 solutions to be consumed in other systems, and vice versa.

Staying abreast of industry changes

During the past decade or so, digital technologies have initiated huge changes in ship and fleet operations. In parallel with this changing landscape, the regulatory environment has become increasingly complex, with new rules and updated to industry standards continuing to come into force.

“We work hard to make sure that we stay in touch with all of the changes happening in our industry. Every new development, and everything the maritime sector is doing with respect to regulations and standards have to be factored into our thinking. We can’t allow ourselves to play catch-up, so we always place emphasis and focus on being proactive in our product development,” Tor-Arne explains.

While the regulatory framework is certainly more elaborate for tanker operations, it is becoming notably tighter for dry bulk operators. This more regulated environment is anticipated to continue for both for the vessels and the cargoes they carry, which is why Tor-Arne and his colleagues are regularly in active conversations with customers. “We seek the best pathway forward for the maritime industry to meet regulations and simplify compliance.

New ownership brings synergistic benefits

The recent acquisition of Q88 by Veson Nautical unites two of the maritime technology sector’s most respected brands. This will further both Veson’s and Q88’s commitment to keeping ahead of its clients’ evolving needs and Veson’s vision to be the standard platform that propels maritime commerce.

“I see nothing but positives in this bringing together of our complementary product lines,” says Tor-Arne. “Looking at it from my background as not only an IT person but also as a shipping and business person, I see very beneficial synergies between the systems developed by Veson and Q88. Our joint customers, and even the industry as a whole, will gain as a result.”

Learn more about Q88 Dry and Q88.com.

The post How Tor-Arne Berger Approaches Developing Q88 Solutions appeared first on Q88.

It’s no secret that the commercial maritime shipping industry suffers from a glut of information, with over 100 million data points generated every single day. And yet, amid all of this data, there is a glaring scarcity of actionable insight. One of the chief impediments to the use of data to improve commercial shipping processes and outcomes is a lack of standardization, particularly when it comes to vessel data in the dry bulk space.  

For years, the wet bulk space has benefitted from a unified vessel information standard. For wet bulk shipping stakeholders, this standardized information enables greater agility, comprehensive analysis, better decisions, and greater profitability. Originally, wet bulk’s standardized vessel information was driven by regulations that are focused on improving the safety of commercial shipping voyages and vessels.  

But today, the impetus behind vessel information standardization has changed from one based primarily on compliance to one based on a variety of complex industry dynamics. These industry dynamics place new pressure on dry bulk stakeholders to make the best possible decisions. 

Here are four key factors that have made access to standardized vessel information an imperative for dry bulk shipping.  

1. Rising operational costs  
   With rising costs and shrinking margins, operators simply have less room for error. The smallest oversight can have a major impact on the profitability of a voyage, eroding compressed margins that much further. As a result, guesswork and tribal knowledge around vessel particulars are no longer adequate. Instead, commercial maritime shipping decision makers require access to organized, high-quality vessel data that provides the level of detail and accuracy needed to identify every nuance that can impact profitability and make the best possible decisions.  

2. Evolving industry realities  
   The maritime shipping industry is rapidly evolving, and monumental topics like decarbonization, new sanctions, risk management, and other key realities are top-of-mind for all stakeholders—regardless of their cargo type. Each of these monumental topics has a relationship to vessel particulars—from inspection data, to certificate management, crew information, and more. The implications of these topics are significant, and the industry must address them in a manner that is standardized and coordinated.  

3. Widespread digital adoption 
   The adoption of advanced digital solutions—and the use of market data—have reached critical mass in all parts of the marine economy. As data-driven decision making becomes table stakes and easy data access becomes an expectation, standardization will naturally follow. Said differently, digital adoption is driving standardization in all areas of maritime shipping—and vessel information is no exception. Organizations that have not adopted the new, digital way of doing business will find themselves as a disadvantage.  

4. Deal chain complexity 
   As the voyage deal chain becomes ever-more complex, counterparty connectivity becomes ever-more critical. A single of source of truth supports greater coordination and visibility throughout the deal chain—and vessel information is a key area on which all deal chain participants rely. Deal chain complexity has the potential to degrade vessel data quality, leading to further data fragmentation. A unified standard can not only prevent this negative impact but actually streamline communication and collaboration at scale.  

The standardization of dry bulk vessel information is inevitable. The good news is, there are things dry bulk stakeholders can do today in order to adapt and enhance their competitive advantage. Enter Q88 Dry. Delivered upon Q88’s track record in wet bulk information management and Veson’s deep knowledge of the dry bulk space, Q88 enables the dry bulk ecosystem to standardize vessel information in a highly scalable manner. With a central, cloud-based workspace that protects data integrity, provides real-time data access, reduces human error, and fosters cross-stakeholder collaboration, Q88 Dry empowers dry bulk stakeholders to climb aboard the data standardization voyage—a voyage that is already en route to its final destination.  

Book a demo to learn more about how Q88 can help you standardize information to elevate decision making. 

The post It’s Dry Bulk’s Turn: Why Does Dry Bulk Need a Vessel Information Standard? appeared first on Q88.

Q88Dry is the industry’s choice for managing critical dry bulk vessel information, questionnaires, and certificates.

The post Centralize dry bulk cargo vessel certificate management for greater efficiency appeared first on Q88.

Dry bulk data management for the way we work today

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Shipping operations and the certification system

When it comes to managing maritime risk, for many, in the hierarchy of importance, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) is likely to top the list. However, we can’t ignore the fact that merchant ships are high value assets and there is a significant financial implication attached to damage or hull loss.

Of course, thoughts on any repercussions for the environment are seldom far away. Should the unthinkable happen, the risk of environmental damage has to be factored into contingency planning, expediting procedures for limiting damage and cleaning up.

Safe shipping operations are underpinned by the certification system that brings maritime activities under a compliance framework. For merchant shipping in general, and dry bulk carriers in particular, there are hundreds of certificates that need to be managed.

From pest control to lifeboats, and boilers to medical chests, if it’s onboard or associated with the way that bulk carriers are designed, constructed, maintained and managed, there is likely to be a certification requirement somewhere. Where ever your itinerary takes you and whatever your intended purpose, you are going to need valid certificates to support your activities.

How much is delay costing you?

For some, managing the renewal and expiry of hundreds of certificates is done by using spreadsheets. For others, they may use a dedicated software system, just for tracking certificate expiry.

Both approaches are likely to be grossly inefficient, especially when it comes to filling out questionnaires. Certificate information has to be looked up and entered manually by hand on the form or entered into the system being used to produce Baltic99’s or other Dry Forms/Questionnaires. How much time might you be wasting finding certificate information and filling in a form or entering it into another system?

Whenever data is manually entered, there is always the potential for mis-keying errors and questionnaires containing incorrect data. Then there’s the problem of certificate expiry being overlooked.

While the IMO’s stated goal remains the efficiency of shipping, delays, port entry denial and even detention remain options when certificate irregularities come to light. How much is a day’s delay costing you when one of your dry bulk carriers gets snarled up in red tape?

Prevent inefficient certificate management costing you dear with Q88Dry

Through switching to Q88Dry.com to maintain certificates, many dry bulk shipping companies like yours have dumped the inefficiency of managing hundreds of certificates manually overboard!

Q88Dry contains powerful certificate management features, including:

• Holding all certificate information in a single database alongside all other vessel information

• Allowing detailed Search of expiry dates to enable proactive maintenance of certificate renewal

• Enabling Search using a definable forward time window, eg 30 days ahead, to plan certificate renewal

• Creating custom reports delivered as spreadsheets to designated email addresses alerting in a timely fashion that certificates are due to expire

• Automatically populating Q88Dry.com questionnaires with the latest certificate information as you update the certificates

• Storing copies of certificates in the cloud and forwarding as attachments to emails

Q88Dry.com is an invaluable aid for those responsible for the administrative overhead of ensuring the smooth running of dry bulk ships at sea. From fleet and technical managers with overall responsibility for hundreds of vessels, to superintendents and DPAs managing a handful, all save time and enjoy confidence that certificate management is efficient and error-free.

More than just certificate management for dry bulk fleets

The single source of truth on vessel information for ship owners and operators…

• Automatically complete Baltic99 or one of 250 other questionnaires
• Certificate & document management
• Maintain Port Inspections data – perform Analytics
• Officer Matrix
• Mooring/Winches/Lines diagrams

…and for charterers, brokers, agents, suppliers, terminals, port authorities, spill response

• Access to Baltic99 of all publicly listed vessels
• Search on any data fields
• Distance, DWT, Draft calculators

Sharpen up certificate management with Q88Dry.com

Shipping industry companies like yours are enjoying the benefits of Q88Dry.com. Our subscribers are using its powerful features to save time and reduce costs. To discover more about how Q88Dry helps you to do a better job, simply register today.

The post Who takes the blame when there is an operational delay because of a dry bulk carrier certificate problem? appeared first on Q88.

Do it faster, get greater accuracy and reduce costs with Q88Dry.com

Fleet operations – completing questionnaires

When you need to complete questionnaires fast and at scale across your Dry Bulk fleet, Q88Dry software automation provides speed and accuracy. Save time and reduce costs while providing consistently high-quality information to accelerate administrative processes and meet the compliance requirements of port authorities and other 3^rd Parties

Shipping industry – Bulk carrier information

When you need to provide vessel information, certificates and documents this can be done in a matter of seconds knowing that you have the latest information within Q88Dry.com. Other subscribers can perform powerful database searches to obtain accurate and comprehensive details of what you want them to see. AIS Vessel Tracking and other tools give you the information you need to do your job faster and with greater confidence.

Like nothing else on Earth…

No other business on Earth is quite like the shipping industry… In terms of complexity, consistency of process, attention to detail, and risk and compliance management, few industries are more challenging.

And the dry bulk business is a lot like any other business… Commercial realities mean the bottom line is everything. The requirement for speed and efficiency to support profitability is non-negotiable.

Companies and organizations directly involved in dry bulk shipping and the ecosystem around it operate more efficiently and effectively with best-in-class technology tools.

Q88Dry.com is a comprehensive database of vessel information and questionnaire templates allowing you to keep it up to date ready for when you need to instantly produce a latest questionnaire or certificate. The system is organized and delivered in a range of subscription levels to meet the needs of everyone with a commercial interest in dry bulk shipping.

The system puts the latest technology in the hands of every company. In the cloud and on mobile, it provides the flexibility that fits with your expectations for the way we work today.

Q88Dry is a versatile information system. It keeps the vital information you need at your fingertips, so you achieve your objectives quickly and without wasting time.

Dry bulk information for whatever you need to do

For ship owners, commercial operators, technical managers

• Automatically complete Baltic99 or one of 250 other questionnaires
• Certificate & document management
• Maintain Port Inspections data – perform Analytics
• Officer Matrix
• Mooring/Winches/Lines diagrams

For charterers, brokers, agents, suppliers, terminals, port authorities, spill response

• Access to Baltic99 of all publicly listed vessels
• Search on any data fields
• Distance, DWT, Draft calculators

Cure your bulk carrier information headaches with Q88Dry.com

Shipping industry companies like yours are enjoying the benefits of Q88Dry.com. Our subscribers are using its powerful features to save time and reduce costs. To discover more about how Q88Dry helps you to do a better job, simply register.

The post The Dry Bulk industry is challenging enough without vessel information causing you a headache appeared first on Q88.