While much of the world was in some form of lockdown and everyday life as we knew it ground to a halt, marine and energy organisations had no choice but to continue operating and find ways to enable crew changes and wider organisational travel to continue.
Although the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic felt intense, frantic and fractious, the ensuing months have given us all chance to focus on what really matters – and this is particularly true for those operating in the marine and energy sectors.
While much of the world was in some form of lockdown and everyday life as we knew it ground to a halt, marine and energy organisations had no choice but to continue operating and find ways to enable crew changes and wider organisational travel to continue.
After working closely with our marine and energy clients throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen that there has been a collective refocus on the elements of a travel programme that are absolutely essential in helping business to continue – one of these being duty of care.
As would be expected during a global health pandemic, duty of care has taken centre stage for many marine and energy organisations over the last six months.
In fact it can be argued that duty of care is now just as much of a logistical issue as the more mechanical elements of crew travel, as if duty of care has not been fulfilled to a high standard then in some cases travel simply cannot take place, therefore jeopardising business operations.
Not only are organisations developing new ways to ensure the physical health of their crews, but more consideration than ever before is being paid to the impact of travel and crew changes on the mental health of crew.
We’ve assisted our clients in fortifying their approach to duty of care for the entirety of the pandemic, and will continue to do so as the situation develops.
In this short guide we’ll share what is really important for marine and energy organisations to focus on when it comes to duty of care right now:
The importance of considering the entire journey
The pandemic has forced many marine and energy organisations to take a more holistic approach to duty of care, as opposed to thinking solely in terms of flights and accommodation.
In order to ensure that duty of care is enacted every step of the way, crew and travel managers are mapping out a crew member’s entire journey in order to identify areas where safety and wellbeing could be compromised. This could include instances where quarantined crew could come into contact with a member of the public, or recognising the best opportunity for medical checks, for example.
For those who plan travel or manage crew changes, having access to a booking tool or workflow system that will give a clear overview of an entire journey from the moment that crew leave their door is essential during such an unpredictable time. This will enable organisations to thoroughly review their processes and feel more confident that they are doing everything possible to protect the safety and wellbeing of their crew.
The importance of being able to react quickly
Very few of the predictions made at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic hold true now. The situation rapidly developed into something far bigger and more threatening than many of us thought possible, with our way of life seeming to completely change within the space of a few weeks. Although there seems to be little certainty about how the pandemic will continue to progress as time goes on, one thing’s for sure – the ability to stay agile and react to the latest travel restrictions is essential if marine and energy organisations are to continue operations.
For those who plan travel or manage crew changes, the ability to log in to tools and workflow systems quickly and at their own discretion, rather than having to wait for a travel agent or account manager to provide information, is key.
‘Self-service’ crew management and travel tools will mean that, in the event of a major change or suddenly-imposed travel restriction, your organisation will be able to amend traveller itineraries or resource demands in order to keep operations running as smoothly as possible.
The importance of using travel data correctly
The outbreak of Covid-19 served a sharp lesson in how important it is to be able to locate all travellers and crew as quickly as possible – something that shows no sign of changing in the future. Quick and easy access to data that shows where travellers are, where they’ve been and how best to contact them ensures that marine and energy organisations are as prepared as can be for any unexpected developments regarding travel restrictions and can get crew to where they need to be.
Marine and energy organisations’ travel data can show the locations and sites that travellers visit most frequently, meaning that you can focus resources on monitoring these areas for updates regarding travel and social-distancing restrictions.
The term ‘travel data’ also includes traveller profiling systems and technology that stores travellers’ details and preferences. At a time when visas, travel permissions and even health testing have never been so important, storing this data in one central, integrated system that allows for quick access is essential.
The importance of working with marine and energy specialists
As a specialist marine and energy travel management company (TMC), we have many clients who need to get their people to challenging locations. This means we have been able to charter flights and offer seats to multiple organisations - a travel option that has been crucial in keeping crews moving throughout the pandemic. To date ATPI Marine & Energy have organised over 100 charter operations for 35 different routes - you can read more about this here.
For most companies chartering a flight for one crew rotation is cost prohibitive, but when competitors come together and costs are shared, it can work well and helps to protect crew and travellers as they continue
to do essential work, as well as prevent crews from becoming overworked and falling victim to stress or injury.
Working with a TMC that has extensive experience of both the shipping and energy sectors can not only provide you with access to charter flights and more specialist travel logistics, it will also give you access to increasingly important consultancy services. At a time when things feel uncertain and the future feels impossible to predict, talking through how you want or plan to increase your organisation’s duty of care efforts with an expert can feel like a real lifeline.
ATPI Marine & Energy will be appearing at Crew Connect Global Virtual 23-26 November 2020. The conference agenda will bring together the global crewing community to inform and inspire change in recruitment & retention, training & safety at sea, and mental health & wellbeing. Find out futher details here
