I2PANEMA project partner NautilusLog creates new ISO 4891 'Smart Logbooks' standard

By bringing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and added-value services to the world of ports, the ITEA project I2PANEMA makes ports operations more efficient and sustainable. The project focused on the development of new services for dealing with data in ports, leading to results in areas as diverse as container localisation, noise reduction and logbook digitalisation. Further strengthening of the project’s technological outputs has taken place through the creation of the ISO 4891 'Smart Logbooks' standard, which establishes a legal framework for digitised logbooks in the form of rules for data communication via smartphones. I2PANEMA project partner NautilusLog, an innovative company based in Hamburg, who had already been working on standardisation since 2017, joined forces with other partners in the I2PANEMA project in 2018 to create this new ISO standard.

With digitalisation still in its infancy in ports, ships and their processes were highly regulated and dependent on paper-based solutions. The legal framework for a completely digitised logbook was lacking. Thus, a unified standard for digital data exchange between ships and ports was needed. With a digital solution, the crew’s workload can be reduced, all stakeholders can get access to the data, compliance criteria are correctly documented, and all processes are transparent. NautilusLog decided to set a standard for the industry and worked with the goal to meet Smart-Ship/Shore requirements.

In May 2019 the team convinced the jury of the DIN Connect innovation competition (in which ideas are transferred into a standard) of their idea and the development of the DIN SPEC 80007 with the title 'Smart Logbooks for Shipping' started. After proposing this prework to ISO as a Smart Logbook addendum for ISO 21745 ('Electronic Record Books for Ships – Technical Specification and Operational Requirements'), it was accepted in April 2020, which led to the new ISO 4891 'Smart Logbooks'.

During the standardisation process, traditional and digital requirements had to be aligned and a consensus needed to be agreed upon between the involved experts and their interests. Consequently, the new structure of the norm was accepted, allowing a new layer that opens the ship for smart applications, IoT and stakeholders - with the goal of creating an ecosystem that enables new businesses to flourish. This aligned structure led to an expanded scope of ISO 4891, changing the title to 'Ships and Marine Technology - Interoperability of Smart Applications for Ships'. For further development, more experts needed to be convinced and involved, so the ISO 4891 working group was transferred to the “Smart Shipping” working group now including experts from up to 16 countries. The new scope, the resulting interest, and the experts now available enabled a new level of quality for this work.

As a next step, a decision will be made whether the working draft (WD) will be transferred to a draft international standard (DIS) state or whether further feedback will be allowed in the committee draft (CD) state, extending the work on this standard by 9 months. Beside the finalisation of the ISO 4891 standard, the agreed goal for 2022 is to continue the work and add more parts, for example the reference to the Facilitation and Electronic Business (FAL) Compendium from the International Maritime Organization in the United Nations (IMO/UN). Other partners, such as shipping companies and research projects, will also be considered. NautilusLog is about to start the certification process for such “smart applications” for the maritime industry to contribute to sustainable and smart operations.

More information

• https://www.i2panema.eu/
• https://nautiluslog.com/