PSA Marine, in collaboration with Bureau Veritas Marine Singapore (BV), successfully conducted a remote marine survey on the harbour tug PSA Aspen. With the support of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), this marks the first time that a harbour tug registered under the Singapore Registry of Ships has undergone a fully accredited annual survey without a surveyor physically present on board the vessel.

With the assistance of smart mobile devices and an optimised live-streaming application, the crew aboard PSA Aspen were able to seamlessly and effectively communicate with a surveyor in BV’s Singapore office during the survey. This allowed the surveyor to convey their instructions live while seeing and recording relevant images and real-time video to complete the survey.

PSA Marine Managing Director Peter Chew shared, “We are delighted to partner with BV in piloting the first remote annual marine survey for harbour tug in Singapore. The innovative technologies used in the remote survey have enabled PSA Marine to complete our surveys on schedule despite COVID-19 while ensuring our harbour tugs continue serving our customers without delay or disruptions. Our staff have embraced these changes and technologies with agility and resilience. They are fully supportive of PSA Marine’s continuing efforts to build a smarter, safer and more efficient fleet of the future.”

PSA Marine and BV are optimistic that process automation and digital technology such as remote surveys, will increasingly be accepted and adopted as the new normal in a post-COVID world. With safety measures and other restrictions arising from COVID-19, the ability to adapt and work innovatively becomes even more imperative for the future of PSA and the maritime industry.