Virtual Superintendent Concept
the “virtual SUPERINTENDENt” Concept
A superintendent’s primary role is to manage & solve problems on vessels and carry out ship inspections, audits, dry-docking and repair work [their ‘key tasks’], which is why almost every superintendent was formerly an experienced master or chief engineer.
However, these tasks only make up, on average 25-30% of a superintendent’s annual working time. Their remaining time – 70-75% – is spent doing work that does not required the knowledge or the experience of a superintendent, in fact virtually all this work could be done by less experienced, and thus less costly staff.
It’s like buying a Rolls-Royce then using it as a taxi – a wasteful use of a valuable resource.
However, even for the biggest ship owner or manager, getting maximum ‘value’ out of their superintendents is a difficult task, so it’s almost inevitable that superintendents are made to do low-value (though important) tasks while waiting for the opportunity to use their experience and knowledge.
The ‘Virtual Superintendent’ concept is essentially an on-demand superintendent ‘service’ providing ship owners and managers with 24/7 access to marine & technical expertise, where they only pay for the superintendents’ time when they need it, and only as long as they need it. This would enable ship managers to function effectively without the need to employ their own superintendents.
How would it work?
This ‘service’ would consist of 2 elements; firstly, teams of superintendents and other marine subject matter experts would be based at major ports across the world, close to where vessels are trading. These superintendents carry out inspections, audits and manage docking projects on vessels in their region, eliminating the need for long-distance travel to & from vessels and so cutting costs.
The second element is a one-stop help-desk, manned by experienced superintendents acting as first responders and dealing with unexpected problems/issues on board. Most shipboard problems are minor, and assistance can be provided over the phone or via e-mail, at a low cost, taking only 1-2-hours of a superintendent’s time to deal with. However, for more difficult problems – which occur less frequently – a superintendent visit may be required and would be arranged from the closest regional office, again minimising travel costs.
An important feature of the service is the ‘Technical Triage’ aspect, working as a filtering process, ensuring that each problem is dealt with by the appropriate expertise. Where a problem is outside the expertise of the first-responder – say an technical superintendent faced with a stability or navigation issue – he would immediately pass this over to someone with the expertise to deal with it (in this example, a marine superintendent). This ensures that vessels are never more the 2 people away from the right assistance.