Managing Director of Clyde Marine Recruitment, Ian Livingstone, talks about a revolutionary new crewing system, which they have been developing with Ankaa, that is ready to bring to market.

After almost 20 years in marine personnel, coupled with nearly a decade at sea, I have gained valuable insight into the daily issues we face in crewing ships. CV’s that are out-of-date the day they are written, expiring documentation, seafarer credentials with multiple certification attachments, GDPR compliance, gathering bank details securely, repetition of data input, communication through email, providing ship owner with visibility on crew supplied – we’re all facing the same issues.

4 years ago, I had an idea of a concept to solve some of these big challenges and after attending a seminar with Peter Fisk, the prominent global thought leader and best-selling author in innovation and growth, I decided if I did not do something our business could be left behind. So, I embarked on an audacious bid to provide a digital crew database solution which would not only benefit our business but would also help other marine operators struggling with the same daily challenges in marine personnel. The concept to was to have a centralised digital portal, updated globally in real-time, where all people involved can communicate, store and analyse information securely. In addition, I wanted to create a mobile app to keep the seafarer an integral part in the process.

It’s been a long road, which my father, David Livingstone OBE and business partner, Bala Narayanan, have joined me on to provide the marine industry with innovation at an accessible level. Investment for development has solely been from our own pockets, and with no third-party investors progress has sometimes been frustratingly slow but with our eyes on the end goal of providing a system that would benefit everyone from the individual seafarer to global ship owners with thousands of crew we have ploughed on.

The end game is now in sight. Ankaa Marine, a digital crew management platform with mobile app, is up and running with two big clients onboard. Ankaa Recruiter will be released imminently, which will track candidates through the recruitment process with less paper, less admin and more quality connections. Both possess a unique offering that we’ve not seen in any other products available in the market today. Ankaa Marine and Ankaa Recruiter carry universal appeal whilst being accessible to companies of all sizes and across different industries where managing personnel data and certification is paramount.

Take a look at these short animations which explains our digital crewing systems. Or check out our website for more information at ankaa.com . It would be great to hear your feedback so please get in touch ilivingstone@ankaa.com