Oceans HQ: Articles and Reference Materials

Authentication Security

New Identity Service for Authentication

Our engineering team have been working hard over the past few months to build and deploy a new identity and authentication system tailored to our clients needs. Oceans Cloud Identity Service is the product of many hours of work that ensures our authentication services are aligned with our future growth plans.

Cyber Security Seafarers

Crew become important component in Cyber Security

With vessels now more likely to have access to the internet on board, it is important to understand how this might affect vessel owners and how crews are now an important part of the process to protect their vessel against the growing threat of cyber security attacks.

Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN)

MACN Launches New Platform to Combat Corruption

A new platform launched in April of this year has promised to help tackle corruption at ports during vessel calls and operations. The platform has been launched by The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) to combat the corruption that has been slowly getting worse over the years.

Flag State Requirements IMO Regulations

IMO Requirement Updates 2022

IMO requirements are updated regularly and 2022 is no exception. As a Flag State, it is important to keep up to date with regulations to ensure you are always compliant and so are the various vessels and crews you deal with.

Infrastructure Upgrades

This Year, Next Year and Beyond!

If you’re an existing client, you’ll be aware of the continuous technological innovation we’ve been driving in 2021. However, we don’t regularly get the opportunity to share these huge improvements with prospective clients. As we close in on the end of yet another year of growth here at Oceans, we thought now was a good time for a public retrospective and an overview of the roadmap we’re aiming to cover in 2022.

Electronic Certificates

Document and Certificate Issuing

As you learn the ropes and explore OHQ Cloud, you’ll notice we have a standard set of convention certificates ready to use. These can be updated to include your logos/crests and fonts within minutes of you getting started. For non-convention documents such as certificates of registry or transcripts, you may have a custom design that is unique to your administration.

Electronic Certificates

Digital Certificates & eSignatures

Oceans HQ enables maritime authorities to issue and sign digital certificates quickly and securely within a single platform.

Electronic Certificates Vessel Registration

Electronic Documentation, Digital Signatures and Security Considerations

The tech community has seen a significant surge from businesses around the world wanting to issue digitally signed electronic documents in the wake of coronavirus. We’ve seen first-hand the impact of transitioning entire workforces into full remote-working setups and are providing this guide to assist with transitioning to issuing fully digital documentation.

Support

Service Update: Oceans HQ During the Coronavirus Emergency

We know that governments, organisations and individuals around the world depend on OHQ Cloud and our services. We wanted to provide an update on how Oceans HQ is dealing with the Coronavirus emergency.

Helpscout Support

Platform Update: Customer Service Provisions

In an effort to improve our ability to provide great support to our customers,we’ve decided to move all our support to a system called HelpScout.

Guest Host Podcasts Ruby on Rails

Domain Driven Design & Bots with Nick Schwaderer and José Albornoz

Our very own technical lead, Nick Schwaderer was the special Guest Host on the Ruby on Rails podcast, stepping into Brittany’s hosting shoes to interview Shopify’s José Albornoz. Tune in for an insightful conversation about Shopify’s infrastructure and how personal bot building makes the world a better place.

STCW Seafarer HQ Tips

Seafarer HQ, The STCW and CoC Limitations

Limitations within the STCW are considered in one of three places. Understanding the difference between when to use each is vitally important.

Product Update

Service Update: Oceans Cloud Authentication

All client accounts will be migrated to OHQ Cloud Single-Sign On in the week beginning 5th Feb. There should be no downtime to any services as this change goes live.

Product Update

Seafarer HQ v5.0 General Availability

This software release delivers new features including multi-step application reviews, an overhaul in how we deal with tanker endorsements and online declarations for agents & staff.

Press Release

Oceans HQ to deliver Vessel Registration system to UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Partnership with Thoughtbot London will see development of user-focused and efficient IT solution to support Flag Administration’s digital strategy.

Vessel Registration

Does having a large number of registered ships affect standards?

Despite the fact that 90% of the goods traded around the world are transported by sea, all is not buoyant in the shipping industry. In spite of this figure, there is currently an overcapacity of ships within the industry. The result being that there is intense competition for the reduced demand in business and this is keeping the shipping prices low.

Seafarers

Are There More MARPOL Regulations and Reporting on the Way?

It is getting to that time again when the subject of climate change and what needs to be done about it will be filling the headlines. This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference is set to be held in Paris from November 30 to December 11.

Seafarers

Reporting of Seafarer Casualties

The maritime industry can be considered among one of the most dangerous sectors in which to work. Due to the nature of the industry, accidents to personnel working onboard a ship are not uncommon; more common than those working in the industry on shore.

Vessel Registration

Are Stricter Controls Needed for Provisional Registration?

In the world of shipping, for a ship to change flag is nothing unusual. A change in ownership, bareboat charter, or the change in the area a will ship operate are just some of the many reasons for changing flag. Some of these other reasons may be more dubious than those listed.

Vessel Registration

Yacht Registration – A competitive business

In the same way that there is stiff competition between registries for the registration of ships, so too is there stiff competition for the registration of yachts. One might think that the larger registries such as Panama and Liberia would have a monopoly on the registration of yachts as well as ships, but this is not the case. In the case of yachts, there are other registries that are able to offer specific benefits that other registries are not able to offer.

Regulation

Will The Increase In Cruises Mean An Increase In Regulation?

The Mediterranean and the Caribbean were once the main attractions when people considered taking a cruise. However, as the popularity of cruising continues to increase, new destinations are opening up.

STCW Vessel Registration

Who's keeping Watch?

Now that we are in the 21st century, one would expect that with all the sophisticated technology that has been developed, there would be far fewer accidents at sea. Yet it seems that hardly a day goes by without there being a report of a collision at sea somewhere in the world.

General

Can Anyone Put An End To Piracy?

Piracy has been a problem ever since the days when ships were first used to carry cargo for commerce. Colonialism and the increase in seaborne trade that came with it, especially between England, Africa and the Caribbean, made the act of piracy particular profitable in the 17th century.

STCW Vessel Registration

The Choppy Ride to Getting the STCW Convention Right

Way back in 1978 the STCW Convention introduced international requirements for training, certification and watchkeeping, in an attempt to standardise the competency of seafarers internationally. Previously these standards were set by individual countries which caused there to be a wide variation in the training given, and the competence attained by seafarers from different parts of the world.

Vessel Registration

MOU Blacklists, Grey lists and white lists - Tips for avoiding the blacklist

The technical performance of a flag state is measured by a calculation based on the number of inspections and detentions of its ships over the past three years, where a minimum of thirty inspections have been carried out.

Exhibitions

Nor-Shipping 2015

This year’s Nor-Shipping is less than a week away and runs from 2nd to the 5th June in Oslo. The event is even more notable this year with it being the 50th Anniversary of the event, making it the longest running maritime exhibition in the world. The event offers those in the maritime industry from all over the world the opportunity to meet up, attend conferences and seminars, and to view exhibitions. Each year many ship owners, shipbuilders, shipbrokers and representatives from the classification societies and from technology providers attend the event.

Port State Control Vessel Registration

Top reasons for Port State Control detentions

For a ship owner or operator, Port State Control does not rate as one of their favourite topics of conversation. When a ship is detained by PSC due to a deficiency of one sort or another, it can be a costly affair. Not only will there be additional port dues and a possible off-hire situation, such delays also have a negative impact on the profitability of a vessel.

Press Releases

Oceans HQ partners Gibraltar Ship Registry on STCW requirements

London, 19 May 2015 - Maritime software solutions provider Oceans HQ Ltd has announced a partnership with the Gibraltar Ship Registry (part of the Gibraltar Maritime Administration), ahead of new STCW requirements for online access to seafarer certification data which come into force in 2017.

Training Vessel Registration

The Lack of International Training for Registrars

Due to globalisation, shipping continues to play a vital role in the world economy and the maritime industry is now a huge industry. There are in the region of 50,000 merchant ships operating throughout the world comprising of a variety of ship types such as bulk carriers, tankers, container ships, and general cargo vessels, multi-purpose ships, car carriers, roll on-roll off vessels, gas carriers, cruise ships, offshore service vessels and many more.

Electronic Certificates Vessel Registration

IMO Recognition of Electronic Certificates

The FAL Convention entered into force way back in March 1967. One of its purposes was to help streamline and reduce the amount of paper work that existed in the Maritime industry. Since then however, more and more regulations and Conventions have come into force in the maritime industry which have caused an increase in the amount of paper work and reporting requirements. For the 115 flag states signed up to this Convention this has meant that the past decades have seen an ever increasing burden in the amount of paper work and certificates that are required to be issued.

CSRs Vessel Registration

Difficulties faced with manually keeping CSRs accurate and up-to-date

The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) provides for international standards to ensure the safety of shipping. As of 1st July 2004 all ships needing to comply with SOLAS, (passenger ships and cargo ships of 500 GT and above engaged on international voyages) must be issued and retain on-board ship a Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR).

Vessel Registration

Ship Registry: Exceptional Quality of Service leads to Growth

With more than 110 ship registries in operation, the question of which flag under which to register a ship may be one that a new or inexperienced ship owner may ask. A great many ship owners now choose to register their ships in a country other than their own.

Conventions Regulations

The Athens Convention & 2002 Protocol now in force

It is almost a year since The Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea, 1974 and the Protocol of 2002 to the Convention came into force.

GCloud UK Government

Vessel HQ Awarded Place upon UK Government's G-Cloud 6 Framework

Oceans HQ Ltd, provider of the maritime & flag state platform ‘Vessel HQ’ is delighted to announce the award of a place as a supplier on the UK Government’s G-Cloud 6 Framework. This means that the Vessel HQ ship registry and flag state maritime platform can be purchased by public sector agencies through the government’s Digital Marketplace, an online store where suppliers offer their services to the public sector via the G-Cloud framework.

Conventions Regulations Technology

Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007

Today we’re announcing general availability for certificate generation related to the Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007. Registries are now able to generate Removal of Wrecks certificates from a vessel’s detail page without any further configuration.