Shipping insurer North P&I Club has launched a new marine risk awareness system, hosted on its MyGlobeView digital platform.
The Route Risk Advice application is designed to evaluate and demonstrate the potential hazards of a voyage from port of origin to destination, allowing users to input a voyage plan and receive up to date information on the risks that may arise at sea and in port.
Route Risk Advice joins the existing stable of MyGlobeView alerting and reporting features, which include industry news, port details, trading and commercial updates, and guidance on sanctions, travel and weather.
“We developed Route Risk Advice with our Members in mind, taking into consideration their feedback to give them greater control of the datasets available on MyGlobeView,” said Colin Gillespie, Director of Loss Prevention, North P&I Club.
“It is a constantly evolving solution to which we regularly add new layers of data, helping Members to plan safe and efficient routes based on up-to-date, reliable information.”
Users of the new software can establish customised reports based on specific routes and locations, with a built-in measurement tool to determine the distance between any given points. Reports can be saved or printed for future reference.

https://smartmaritimenetwork-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/smartmaritimenetwork.com/2020/10/23/north-pi-launches-route-risk-advice/amp/
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The latest set of satellite assessments by global maritime analytics companies is shedding new light into the cause of the Wakashio oil spill in Mauritius.

https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/nishandegnarain/2020/10/19/latest-satellite-analysis-reveals-new-theory-for-deadly-wakashio-oil-spill-in-mauritius/amp/​

Today West P&I Club has announced the launch of Neptune, a comprehensive global information portal for Members, brokers and Club correspondents. Providing security, operational and bunker information at ports globally, the portal will deliver comprehensive information to Club Members.

Neptune was developed in conjunction with Geollect and incorporates data such as the Club’s claims experience, maritime security reports, sanctions, weather, sailing directions, maritime news, tides and a wealth of other port-specific information. It also creates an even faster and simpler way to access West’s extensive Loss Prevention information resources, including local COVID-19 updates. 
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Exclusive to West, Neptune also provides access to comprehensive data provided by the leading fuel testing and inspection company Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) on bunkers delivered at the world’s top ten bunking ports, as well as the ability to request data on other bunkering ports. A library of our loss prevention information on bunkering as well as VPS’ Port Alerts helps make Neptune a unique point of reference on bunkers for West Members.

​I'm not sure many people would have predicted how 2020 was going to go if they were asked at the beginning of this year, and that couldn't be truer for myself. A few months ago I was travelling in South America when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and I had to hurry home. A couple of months later I was in the incredibly fortunate position of being offered a 6-week internship at Geollect and I couldn’t wait to get started. As this internship recently came to an end I was able to reflect on how much I had learned over the 6-week period and I’m very happy to say I am now a full-time employee at Geollect with a whole lot more learning to be done going forward.
 
During my internship, I worked primarily as a GIS analyst, drawing on experiences I gained from studying BSc Geography at the University of Exeter. Whilst I have worked with the Esri software ArcGIS Online and ArcPro before, I have merely scratched the surface with what is possible. Something that really appealed to me about Geollect was the company’s utilisation of GIS software to analyse live data and offer real-time analytics of datasets such as COVID-19 statistics, vessel locations and natural hazard events. This, alongside the incredibly diverse range of projects and freedom to create and explore your own ideas, creates an environment within which you feel incredibly valued. There hasn’t been a moment yet where there wasn’t a task on the to-do list and this only highlights how quickly Geollect is growing and the effort put in by my colleagues.
 
I have been asked by a few people how it felt to start a new role remotely rather than in the office, and whilst I don’t know any different when it comes to Geollect, from a personal perspective it hasn’t made a spot of difference. Regular zoom calls, socials and Funky Hat Fridays meant that when it came to meeting the team for the first time in person, no introductions were necessary. This is a credit to the Geollect family, and both their commitment to the company and the great relationship they have with each other was obvious from the get-go. I couldn’t have felt more welcome and I’m excited for what the future here holds as the team continues to grow.

​Geollect Ltd today announced the release of SIGHT, a new pandemic tracking and insights tool.

Situational Insights for Global Health Trends (SIGHT) provides an easy and effective way for businesses to understand the impact of Covid-19 on travel and business operations.

“This tool will provide actionable information on Covid-19 to business users”, says COO Rich Gwilliam. “Local infection rates and associated restrictions change frequently and it’s hard to gauge what this actually means for businesses. A recent trip to visit clients in the US involved endless searching of databases and news sources to find out if travel was possible. We’re taking the effort and guess work out of monitoring what pandemics mean for business operations.”

Some of the benefits of SIGHT include:

• All the publicly available data put in one place. Automatically collated, processed, geographically located, and presented on an easy-to-understand interactive map. 

 

• Go way beyond simply tracking how many cases there are. SIGHT provides projections & trends, data on hospital capacity, best and worst-case scenarios, hyper localised infection data, comparison between countries, filtered and geographically located news stories, progress on vaccines, and much, much more.

 

• Understand the impact on travel and business operations. See up-to-date travel corridors from the UK to the rest of the world, and details of in-country restrictions and localised lockdown measures. 

Geollect’s situational awareness and asset tracking tools are providing the world’s largest cruise line with clarity in a turbulent world.
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Nations are going in and out of lockdown, travel corridors open and close, and political instability is causing security concerns in various regions. This – combined climate change, a growing refugee crisis, and overwhelming influx of ‘big data’ – has created a perfect storm of uncertainty. In this unprecedented global situation, the hardest hit operators, cruise lines, must react quickly to operate safely and provide assurance to customers.
As Carnival Corporation ships return to sea, Geollect will be supporting operations with the same tools they built for the Royal Navy and IGP&I. Tools these organization consider essential. Geollect’s ability to unlock big data will improve global awareness, monitor risk, and assure business continuity for the cruise industry far into an uncertain future.
Equipping analysts with the most relevant information 
On top of a customised vessel tracking and maritime information dashboard, Geollect is providing extra intelligence resources to help achieve a smooth return to operations for their cruise line partners. Their team of former Royal Navy intelligence experts are working to unlock big datasets to provide simple and clear port and regional assessments and analytical support. As well as providing highly-trained human analysts, Geollect’s geospatial intelligence software exploits data to offer actionable insights to cruise line operators. Near real-time vessel tracking and visualisation of itineraries are fused with a global intelligence picture and displayed on a clear and intuitive interactive map. 
Identifying impact and consequences from data
A robust global health monitoring dashboard provides a powerful visualisation of all public data on Covid-19 and its impact. It goes beyond simply showing cases by region – displaying trends, predictions, economic impact, in-country restrictions and much more – offering clear insight and advice to decision-makers. The platform is built as an enduring capability to monitor and track emerging risks.
Blending a wide range of open-source information paints a vivid picture of the ever-changing geopolitical and environmental situation around the world. Filtered data from news, social media, databases, NGOs and other dedicated providers is scraped and processed then geographically located on a live map. Intelligence reports from specialist agencies can also be integrated to further enrich this visualisation.
Actionable insights 
Geollect dashboards display data on port operations – including threat assessments, operating capacity and hazards. This provides advance warning of issues and facilitates contingency planning. The dashboards serve as an illuminating briefing tool and enable the decision-makers within an organisation.
Geollect’s tools help fleet operators keep their finger on the pulse, carry out risk assessments and re-route where necessary. A brand-monitoring and insights feature tracks sentiment towards organisations across different media channels in real-time. Potential issues can be identified and addressed proactively, providing support to external facing parts of the business. Putting vast amounts of disparate data in one place and presenting it in a clear, easy to use, format is a genuine “force multiplier” that will help cruise line operators return to sea.
To find out more or request a free trial email info@geollect.com 
Founded in 2017, Geollect is made up of a unique mix of data scientists, geospatial developers and former military intelligence operators. Taking a data-enabled, human-centred approach to geospatial intelligence they present customers with relevant insights in an easy to use format.

https://gcaptain.com/cruise-lines-turn-to-geollect-to-assist-with-return-to-operations/

​We've been featured in the latest issue of the Marine Insurer where Nick Shaw, CEO of the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG) discusses the impact of Covid-19 on the IG and the sector. 

Asked how the IG and its Clubs are using technology to help Members through the crisis, Nick responded: 

"On the recommendation of North [of England P&I] the Group launched a new online digital dashboard with technical service provider Geollect to help shipowners, charterers, operators and other parties in the maritime sector to track country and port specific advice.

"The dashboard gives up to date details of the measures being put in place in response to the pandemic. This facilitates the dissemination of port and country specific COVID-19 restrictions to anyone interested. The tool allows the industry to identify commercial risks and physical threats to shipping around the world. It sources data from all 13 IG Clubs and their wide network of IG correspondents, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading sources."

Read the full article here.

To find out more about the insights we provide our maritime insurance partners or request a free trial email info@geollect.com 

by Josh Nock

I joined Geollect in October 2019, having previously put my geospatial intelligence skills to work in the utility sector. I was searching for a new challenge where I would be able to refine my knowledge and keep developing my abilities, whilst making a real difference with the work I was doing.

​Since joining the team, my role has diversified a lot and continually presents me with new projects which open up a multitude of different, interesting aspects of the geospatial world for me to discover - things I didn’t even know were possible before. 
 
Every project I work on is bespoke and tailored to suit the needs and requirements of a customer’s brief, meaning our team is required to have a diverse knowledge of what is possible with the available data and how we can approach tasks differently to overcome any limitations or obstacles we face. Our collective insight allows us to share our skills and work collaboratively, meaning that we can produce high-quality, efficient products within a short timeframe. 
 
I am constantly surprised by how much I have been able to learn from my colleagues and in return that I too have been able to teach them new skills. Working at Geollect has given me a lot of insight into the way I work, but also how others work and how our different strengths can allow us to collaborate well together. When we are working towards a common goal, it is infinitely helpful to have different perspectives and input from alternate points of view, as this can enable you to look at a task in a way you hadn’t even considered. 
 
Aside from the work we do together, our team really feels like a family in which everyone has their own important role to play. I have always felt supported, appreciated and encouraged, and know that my personal and professional development is a high priority for the management team. I am always excited to get stuck into my work and see what challenges each week will bring.