Established in 1914, Odfjell pioneered the development of the chemical tanker trade in the 1950s and the tank storage business in the late 1960s. Today, Odfjell is one of the world leaders in the global market for seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids.

Odfjell replaced its legacy system with Attune EAM, a multi-tenant cloud platform. The platform consolidated asset management, safety management (inspections and audits), procurement, project and dry dock, and inventory and stock control into one place.

This step has helped Odfjell become an industrial leader in the global market for seaborne transportation and storage of chemicals and other specialty bulk liquids. Attune EAM has also transformed the way Odfjell manages its tanker fleet and helped it live up to a core value of uncompromising safety across all operations.

One system replaces many

Odfjell had been relying on an old architecture of distributed systems with replicated databases for almost 20 years.

The legacy system was holding Odfjell back — limiting its ability to adopt new technology and improve operations. In 2019, Odfjell began a structured replacement initiative, starting with a proof of concept, then Phase 1 focused on safety, followed by Phase 2 covering maintenance, procurement and an interface to ShipServ, the shipping industry’s e-procurement platform. The rollout across the Odfjell fleet of 45 vessels started in February 2021 and was completed in May 2021.

“The integrated platform in the Octave multi-tenant cloud has enabled us to digitally transform the way we manage our tanker fleet and represents a major shift for fleet management onboard and ashore, and will support and improve collaboration and work processes at Odfjell,” said Robert Øksnes, Odfjell’s manager of planned maintenance systems. “In addition, the new platform has received ‘Type Approval’ by DNV (Det Norske Veritas) and provides a solid foundation for future engagements with audit, inspection and vetting organizations.”

Legacy system to industry leader

Attune EAM’s flexibility and user-friendly configuration have made it possible to operate locally on each vessel, with access to current documentation for maintenance and safety, while providing real-time visibility across the fleet and in Odfjell’s global offices. The platform’s integration capabilities have paved the way to sustainable interfaces with the legacy document management system, crewing management system as well as the online marine trading platform.

Optimized execution based on new solutions

The new platform represents a major shift for the fleet management and an important part of Odfjell’s digitalization efforts. With the Attune EAM platform, Odfjell can execute digitalization projects while eliminating costly and failure-prone architecture of distributed systems and replicated databases. By combining multiple satellite service providers as well as 4G/5G when in busy ports, Odfjell can provide system access globally, with solid system performance.

Alongside this, one of Odfjell’s corporate commitments is to ‘Never Compromise on Safety.’ With the Attune EAM platform, Odfjell is able to share safety documentation to the vessels in real time, thus ensuring compliance. This 20/20 visibility across the fleet through the cloud-based solution, as well as the implementation of Attune EAM mobile apps planned for 2022, helps Odfjell ensure that daily maintenance and fleet asset management processes are running smoothly. The fact that the platform has received Type Approval by DNV (Det Norske Veritas) also provides a solid foundation for future engagements with auditing, inspecting and vetting organizations.

Why Odfjell chose Attune EAM

The Attune EAM platform was selected after a thorough review of more than 20 potential suppliers. Based on the following factors, Odfjell chose Attune EAM as its new fleet management system:

• An intuitive and user-friendly tool for crew, onshore support and ship management

• More efficient administration and follow up of daily activities onboard and ashore

• One system replaces many: Attune EAM covers ships, asset management, safety management, project management, drydocking and procurement in one platform—no longer needed multiple systems

• Flexible and configurable solution, allowing additional business processes to be included if relevant

• Improved cost and budget control

• Process-driven solution workflow orientation that pushes information and tasks to the user

• One cloud-based database provides instant access and online communication, including via mobile phones and tablets

• Foundation for improved decision making based on transparent, real-time information

• Provident technology and state of the art functionality