IT standardisation

Ensuring standardisation and interoperability across maritime IT systems is encased in regulations is crucial to becoming a safer and more unified industry, says SmartSea, which is lobbying for change and a more standardised approach to IT systems to bring maritime in line with aviation. SmartSea's Simon Fotakis said: "Maritime is really missing direction from regulatory bodies. I would like to see them defining and mandating uniform data formats, communication protocols, and interoperability requirements for systems used in safety, navigation and emergency response."