Any time a crew member changes, marine crew managers must handle immigration regulations, COVID requirements, and travel plans for each person. This is usually done through emails with port agents and can quickly lead to an overwhelming number of messages, sent across multiple time zones, especially if multiple people are leaving or embarking. To simplify the process, graywingthe Singapore-based maritime intelligence platform backed by investors like Flexport and Y Combinatorannounced today that it has developed SeaGPTan AI chatbot based on GPT4 technology.
In a statement, Greywing chief executive Nick Clarke said email overload is the top problem team managers are asking them to fix. SeaGPT is the latest of the startup’s tools to automate crew changes. The current version (Greywing plans to continue developing it and adding new use cases) simplifies the process by automating parts of the communication process, such as composing emails with important questions and extracting the most essential information from the responses of the port agency for specific members of crew.
Greywing co-founder and CTO Hrishi Olickel told TechCrunch that SeaGPT is not a plug-and-play generative AI chatbot, but was made possible by advances with GPT4 and a specific maritime programming approach.
He added that email overload affects the number of vessels a crew manager can handle at one time and their ability to gather information to make decisions. “If a single decision, such as a port agent for a single crew change, has information spread across seven emails and responses within PDF and Excel files, the chances of human error are higher. Furthermore, shipping is a global industry. When time zones are not favourable, team managers must be available 24/7 or face multi-day response times to chat.”
As an example, one of Greywing’s clients had an injured captain who needed to be evacuated from his ship immediately. This meant that the crew chief had to find the nearest port to suitable medical facilities. But since they were close to new ports, it was necessary to send a large number of emails to coordinate their departure. Olickel said that SeaGPT could have reduced that time from hours to minutes.
So how does SeaGPT work? It is currently available through Greywing’s platform, Slackbot, and its mobile app, with plans to add integrations to WhatsApp and Teams. Users can ask SeaGPT questions like “set up a crew change for me in Melbourne”. Olickel explains that crew managers who are in the process of changing crew members need to know how much it will cost for each person to leave and if there are any restrictions, including COVID vaccination requirements and immigration regulations, that should take into account.
After receiving a request, SeaGPT, which is connected to Greywing’s proprietary database covering 18,300 ports, reviews all the information and returns with the necessary information. He then asks questions such as what type of vessel is involved, the nationality of the people embarking and disembarking, and their names. This information is used for SeaGPT to compose the emails that will be sent to the port agents. Questions often overlooked by busy crew managers are included, including “can you advise on any immigration or port state restrictions, if PCR tests are required for shore leave and how much will it cost?”.
To avoid errors, SeaGPT does not allow hallucinations, so if the requested details are not available, it flags it instead of assuming that the information is being spoofed. Emails can be sent via the Greywing platform and flights can also be booked there, if required.
Olickel explains that when team leads receive email, they often receive information in different formats. For example, it can be in a list, written in a paragraph, or even in different languages. SeaGPT helps by translating (languages it can handle include Hindi, Greek, Russian, and Mandarin), extracting costs per person and historical costs, and putting them into a user’s Greywing records.
SeaGPT is now primarily intended for communication with port agents, but Olickel said that as it develops further, Greywing wants it to help simplify communication between agents, seafarers and captains at relevant points that can be import as structured data.
“In the long term, we expect SeaGPT to be a crew member or an executive assistant to the crew team, as a tool that just copies into communications when needed,” he said. “It runs in the background, retrieving relevant data and handling all communications that don’t require direct input, and provides automated decision support for each team manager.”
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