INDIAN ARIEBIZ

MAIN HEAD
Ariebiz produces ship reporting tool
www.ariebiz.com

Ariebiz, a maritime software company based in Delhi, has produced a software tool called "OceanManager," which is a cost effective way for seafarers to send reports back to the shore office, for example of non-conformities, inspections and accidents. 

The software is already being used by shipping companies Anglo Eastern Shipmanagement, NYK Line and Fleet Management. Tanker Pacific and Univan are also Ariebiz customers. Ariebiz is now trying to expand the business outside its Asia Pacific base. 

The software works like this. The master fills out a form on the shipboard computer, highlighting the non-conformity, or whatever is being reported; only the contents of the fields is sent to shore, and then the recipient of the e-mail on shore has the same computer software and can recreate the whole form and print it out. 

It works as a plug-in to Microsoft Outlook, probably the most popular shipboard e-mail front end. The company believes that Outlook can easily solve most shipping company's requirements for shipboard e-mail. 

The accident form has simple risk assessment functionality - you indicate the likelihood of the accident happening again, and gauge the level of seriousness of the accident; from these two factors the shipping company can work out if it needs to take rectifying steps to reduce the risk of the accident. 

To support the forms software Ariebiz has created a report manager tool to run on the shore computer, which can analyse some of the data in the forms and make graphs and reports. 

The 3rd party inspection report is used to make reports to the shipping company after a shipboard inspection has taken place, by port state control, vetting officer, class or flag. 

"You can report, what did you do to correct it, what should you do to correct is," says Captain S K Bugnait, manager of marine business processes and marketing. 


SUBHEAD
Document manager

The OceanManager tool rides over DocumentManager, a tool to replicate documents between ship and shore and provide document search functionality.

DocumentManager does not use any central database, but has a system to ensure that files updated in a certain folder on a shore computer can automatically be updated on the ship. "It looks like Windows, but its not Windows," says Mr Singh.

Ariebiz believes that DocumentManager can be the building block for virtually ship-shore reporting tool that the company would want, such as ISPS non-conformity reporting - it is also simple enough that the shipping company can put together forms on it itself. "Everything can boil down to smart forms," says marketing manager check Captain S K Bugnait check. 

DocumentManager is not restricted to forms; it can also be used to replicate word documents, images, pdf documents and spreadsheets between ship and shore. 

The company also believes that whilst most maritime software companies charge separately for the different modules, Ariebiz will just charge once for the Document Manager, and then much less for the applications / forms which use it. 

"Our system is flexible and totally customisable," says Pushpinder Singh, engineering director with Ariebiz. "It can adapt to a company's processes." 


SUBBHEAD
Ariebiz

Ariebiz believes that it can undercut most other maritime software companies, because the product is entirely built and marketed out of India, where labour rates are much lower. 

The company also supplies the software as a one-off - it does not sign shipping companies up to long-term service charges, or expect them to purchase updated versions.

A CD Rom is supplied with the software for running onboard the vessel; if there is a problem with the software it can be re-installed. Free support is provided by e-mail for a specific number of queries per day.

Ariebiz has three lines of business: maritime software, maritime simulators and training. It is also involved in a project to computerise the Marine Department of the Government of India. 

The company is currently also building simulator models of all ports in India, so pilots can use them to practise coming in to berth. The simulators are used to rehearse ship navigation and engine room management. There are also crane simulators, built for P+O in India, which is using them to train its crane drivers. 

The company has 120 staff, including 30 ex master mariners and 30 ex first officers. It was founded 12 years ago and has since trained 20,000 seafarers who are currently at sea.