LR Certifies MARSIG’s Electronic Record Book Platform

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has awarded statement of compliance (SOC) certification to German marine engineering specialists MARSIG for its searecs electronic record book. The platform offers an electronic alternative to hardcopy logbooks and unifies the extensive collection of documents used on board a vessel into one logbook including bridge, engine, ballast water, oil and cargo records.

The move toward electronic logbooks has been embraced by regulators as a much more effective way of monitoring this crucial information. A number of major flag states accept the use of electronic alternatives for record keeping.

Markus Büsig, president, Lloyd’s Register North Europe, said, “Providing ship operators, ship owners and ship managers with a unified digital logbook will help to enable us to build a solid foundation for maritime digitalization and autonomy at sea, whilst reducing the workload of crew members by optimizing data entry.”

The searecs platform merges navigation, automation, voyage data records (VDR) and bridge alert management systems (BAMS) and can be used for detailed analytics such as vessel efficiency monitoring and evaluation of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures. Entries in the electronic record books can be prefilled with sensor signals and appear in high quality, useable data with a reduction in data redundancies.

The SOC follows an in-depth approval process that tested searecs' technical and software aspects, the final certification has allowed MARSIG to receive further Flag State authorization for the platform.