2.1. PSC data as Big Data

For the purpose of this discussion, it is more useful to approach the PSC lack of publicity and easy-to-access data as a Big Data issue; by doing so it is possible to address available approaches using the fundamental knowledge of the technology aspect. Thus, based on the above reasoning, it is evident that first we must establish why PSC could be treated as Big Data. There are plenty of theories concerning the characteristics we should expect of information or data to understand them as Big Data; however, one of the first and one of the elements most often found within other approaches, is the 3V Laney’s theory (Laney, Reference Laney2001). Laney insisted that a dataset should have volume, velocity, and veracity to be realized as Big Data set. While Oracle (2019) added the Value that Big Data should bring to the end-user, the shipping professionals in another research found to look for value in the analytics that could be exported from the complexity of the PSC inspections data (Ampatzidis, Reference Ampatzidis2021). In conclusion, the present paper understands PSC data as Big Data under the principles of volume, velocity, variety, value, and complexity (4V&C).

More than 100 vessels are actively sailing across the seas, and daily there are PSC inspections in various ports, with a structured procedure leading to a standardized report. Indeed, if all the information gathered by the inspection is collected—concerning vessel, companies or business entities connected with the ship, inspection authorities, and outcomes—there is a vast amount of information; therefore, PSC data have Volume. Furthermore, as the information mentioned above could be dynamically changed (e.g., the companies connected with the vessel) and new data may occur without a typical pattern, we could assume that PSC data also present Velocity. Within the 3V approach, it could be understood that the PSC data as datasets with structural heterogeneity, it is possible to include information in various formats like text, numbers, and images; therefore, we conclude that PSC data have Variety. According to the criteria of Laney, PSC inspection data could be seen as Big Data as they present characteristics within the 3V’s theoretical framework.

The last step is to establish their value as it is a crucial element for Big Data utility to clarify that PSC data possess characteristics that they belong to the Big Data family. McKinsey Global Institute (Manyika et al., Reference Manyika, Chui, Brown, Bughin, Dobbs, Roxburgh and Byers2011) proposed a way to examine the value of Big Data to organizations and institutions based on five elements: transparency, experimentation, customizing actions, decision-making, and exploring new business models and rationally coming by having all the information for the PSC outcome for every vessel and company worldwide provides transparency to the industry and among the shipping professionals on many levels. It is essential to find what is challenging for vessels and where the maritime industry should place its focus for the future. So far, management companies, or even broader organizations such as classification societies, P&I clubs, and other business entities, have faced various issues in collecting such data even for the fleet that they relate to; this problem seriously affects their research on how vessels could be more efficient on resolving any issues that arise regarding safety and security following the applied regulations. Thus, access to PSC data would make it possible for any organization or shipping professional to deeply investigate issues connected with the inspections of vessels, to have a more data-driven approach and finally, to customize their actions accordingly. Exploring new business models is essential to fully understand the current trends within business operations. Shipping professionals cannot perform accordingly without having a holistic view of the safety and security of the existing fleet. The last element is Complexity, as the shipping professionals on shore stated they require the complete picture of each PSC inspection outcome; with such information, it will be possible to apply mathematical algorithms and analytical methods to determine the vessels’ characteristics related to the inspections’ findings.

In conclusion, we could state that indeed the lack of PSC inspections data can be treated as a Big Data challenge to handle, as PSC exhibit the fundamental characteristics of Big Data, and their value could be an outcome of their analysis, followed by Big Data techniques (like data mining).

2.2. Challenges to address

Defining the Big Data nature of PSC inspection information makes it easier to address and handle the issues arising from the existing published data as Big Data challenges. For those involved in PSC inspections, it is known that the MoUs use an extensive checklist of deficiency items divided into broader categories and groups. After each inspection, the shipping company is informed about the outcome from the PSCO with a typical procedure of a PSC report. In this report, the shipping professionals can access the findings from PSCO and a brief description of what was wrong, and with the help of this report, the DPOs (designated person ashore) and HSQE (health, safety, quality, and environment) Officers try to resolve any issues to prepare the vessel for the continuation of its voyage. In the meantime, the officers ashore try to make sure themselves that the vessel is efficient and operatable based on the regulations; for that reason, they use any possible source of information, as the PSC reports. However, since the MoUs and the PSCO worldwide do not follow the same coding of the deficiencies, or they do not focus on all the aspects similarly, it is common for the shipping professionals to face completely different issues between ports and regimes; an issue thought to be resolved in one port, may be reported as a detainable item in the next one. This results in problematic preparation of PSC inspections from the viewpoint of ship managers as they do not have the complete picture from all the ports and regimes for every vessel, as such data are not widely published.

The ten PSC Regimes operate under the IMO’s regulations and are responsible for addressing any issue concerning the safety, security, health, and quality of the vessels and crew on board. The IMO does impose specific regulations for the vessels and how they sail concerning nature and people. However, the PSC Regimes are responsible for screening the vessels for compliance with the legislation, without however following the same procedures or protocol. This happens mainly because the authority for the inspections lies on national bodies (PSCO), and each country has a different approach to the same topic; thus, the IMO has shown no responsibility or intention so far to standardize the procedure for all countries to have the same reports published. For the above reasons, it is easy to understand that the ten PSC Regimes present considerable differences in their published statistics (when they publish such reports), or even that the same vessels inspected within a few weeks in ports between MoUs, present entirely different results, as if they were different ships.

As a result, the industry lacks transparency of the PSC inspections data. It may be possible to find basic information for vessels after specific research but extracting information regarding Ports or Countries is not feasible. If the IMO published a standardize procedure on the PSC inspections and on how the outcomes should be reported to the PSC Regimes and the IMO, it would be possible to combine information on how the PSC inspections assist shipping worldwide in having better-maintained vessels in the seas. If such a practice prevails, it is rational to expect that even the IMO will have the authority and the ability to access what is happening across different ports, find correlations between vessels’ characteristics and deficiencies reported or correlations between PSCO’s background or skills and deficiencies and define better guidance to the operators and more data-driven training to the PSCO’s. Complete transparency on PSC inspections could lead to a better understanding of the fundamental reasons that lead to a poorly maintained ship, a detailed focused inspection could enlighten the whole maritime community and upscale the operation following that knowledge. The limited availability of information regarding the quality of vessels approaching the United States is demonstrated by the United States Coast Guard’s publication of only detainable PSC inspections. This lack of information deprives the maritime industry’s interested parties and stakeholders of valuable data to assess the potential maintenance challenges posed by these vessels. On the other hand, vessels that belong to either the Paris memorandum of understanding (MoU) or the Tokyo MoU have access to more comprehensive information and are thus better equipped to understand the risks associated with their fleets. The publication of all PSC inspection results as soon as they are conducted would provide the maritime industry with a clearer understanding of the condition of vessels sailing in the vicinity.