Upskilling of Seafarers: Navguide Solutions' Journey to the IMO Stage

We started our journey in 2020.

In December 2024, we experienced a significant milestone. Thanks to the initiatives of Jihyeon Gina KIM and Capt. Tushar Pradhan the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) submitted this paper to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognising the impact of our app, Guide2Inspections?, on global shipping standards. This document is now part of the HTW documentation on the IMO website. But what is Guide2Inspections?

Imagine this.?

Third Officer Ryan stands on deck, unsure how to inspect a lifeboat. Instead of flipping through a heavy manual, he opens an app, watches a 5-minute video filmed on an actual ship, and follows step-by-step guidance to inspect the lifeboat, and collect evidence photos like an inspector would.?

That’s Guide2Inspections? – a 24/7 mentor in your pocket. It is a class-approved app that enables real-time, on-the-job skill development and self-inspections for seafarers. With a zero learning curve, it helps vessels stay compliant, reduce deficiencies, and create a confident generation of mariners.

In February 2025, at the IMO in London, we will present the concept to the world.

The Challenge: A Broken Learning Process

The problem is real! Traditional, fragmented methods of learning onboard involve:

1. Checklists & Manuals: 97% text-based, often lengthy, and subject to misinterpretation.
2. Onboard Mentorship: Valuable, but inconsistent due to time constraints, cultural gaps, or lack of structured knowledge transfer.
3. Shore-Based Training: Excellent but suffers from low retention—less than 10% of knowledge translates into long-term skills.

For seafarers navigating high-risk operations, this lack of structured, accessible training is a ticking time bomb. Mistakes at sea cost time, money, safety, and sometimes, lives.

First principle thinking

The traditional approach would say: “More Training needed!” But how do we make it measurable? What can we do that we have not done before? We had to reimagine maritime training with a modern lens using the first principles and build something from the ground up.?

What are these first principles? What do we know as fundamental truths?

1. Seafarers, no matter how qualified, will have doubts. Doubts lead to mistakes, mistakes to accidents. Checklists don’t clarify them, but a smart mentor can.
2. On-the-job skills drive ship performance. Unsafe ships have several direct or indirect implications for seafarers and shipowners. It costs money, time, energy and crew morale. We cannot afford to make mistakes at sea. The stakes are too high!

3. People forget. Retention of knowledge fades over time. Training needs reinforcement, it needs to be crisp, short, and accessible.

4. Senior officers are not always available to guide juniors. A system must provide consistent mentorship at all times.

Can we create a culture where excellence is non-negotiable?

To do that, we needed a system that could mentor anyone at any time to clearly understand their jobs, while being accessible on-site! Not just to say what to do, but to demonstrate how to do it.?

5. Seafarers come from various levels of knowledge and intelligence. Some may need a bit more handholding than others.

Therefore, this mentor would have to be patient with those who need a bit more guidance until they reach the level of excellence that the industry demands. It must not get bored or irritated no matter how many queries come its way.

There was another crucial element, how do we measure its efficacy?

6. Traditional methods of assessing training effectiveness revolve around making sure everyone has ‘undergone the training’ or ‘watched the video’. At best, it ensures that the training is well-understood. While that can be indicative, it is not the guarantee of consistent performance or behavioural change that we are aiming for.?

We needed to measure a performance improvement that cannot be negotiated against. And this had to come from seafarers across the board, not just from the best ones.?

Assuming we overcame the above hurdles, how do we get it then accepted by the industry?

7. Everyone is busy. We cannot increase the burden on seafarers or the office staff.

8. Shipowners need a clear Return on Investment (ROI). Without a measurable improvement that translates to a commercial impact, widespread adoption is unlikely.

9. Seafarers are averse to the addition of new systems, especially training systems. It is immediately perceived as an increasing workload and burden.

10. Since we are diving into the core competency of seafarers, anything that is not thoroughly well-researched will not work.

This system had to be simple and intuitive with a zero learning curve. Users must be able to figure it out within a minute and get on with their tasks. To have global acceptability, it had to be cost-effective with a clear ROI in the short and long terms.

Last but not least, we needed an organic buy-in from seafarers.

We needed to ensure the system was loved and used by seafarers by choice, across nationalities and cultures, not just because they were being told to. The mentor had to be thorough enough to guide the best of seafarers and yet seamlessly blend into their daily jobs.

The Solution: Guide2Inspections?

It took us over two years with a marine team of 100+ years of collective experience in inspections and mentorship to build what we believe is a game-changer.

What is Guide2Inspections??

• Click here to watch the Concept Note
• It is a Class NKK-approved inspection and mentorship app, available on Android and iOS.
• Divides the vessel into 16 physical zones, helping seafarers conduct self-inspections efficiently.
• Offers detailed, short, task-specific checks, breaking down complex regulations into actionable steps.
• Guides & upskills seafarers in real time with videos, guidance notes, photos, and interactive training modules.

How Does It Work?

If you are a seafarer, here’s what you do.

• You open the app. It shows your ship’s layout divided into 16 zones. Tap a zone, and you get a self inspection checklist with step-by-step guidance with videos and photos.
• Before self-inspection, You watch a 3 to 5-minute video that visually explains the task. This is not animation or theory. These videos are taken on real ships covering live inspection rounds, and they are actionable, accessible, and relatable.?
• While on-site, you follow the app to conduct the self-inspection and click evidence photographs. If in doubt, it helps you learn through notes, example photos, videos and gamified guides.

This is just-in-time training. It is like a super-smart, intelligent and super-energetic training superintendent, ready 24 x 7 to assist every seafarer individually. This is not a passive approach—it’s interactive mentorship that blends inspections and learning seamlessly.?

The best part is that after multiple repetitions, this knowledge transitions into muscle memory—no longer requiring video assistance. This creates a brand of seafarers far more confident, competent and adaptive to changes that come their way.?

Why It Stands Out

• First-of-its-kind: No other tool combines inspection and mentorship in one platform.
• Visual Learning: We visualized checklists, from a seafarer’s perspective. These live videos filmed on ships show, not just tell.
• Data-driven: The tracking system gives shipowners measurable insights, not just into training completion, but also into how the vessel is maintained.
• Zero Learning Curve: Designed to be intuitive—seafarers can start using it in under a minute.
• The organic acceptance: To our biggest delight, Guide2Inspections? has already won the trust of seafarers worldwide, thanks to its user-friendly design and practical focus. They find it simple, it reduces their workload and builds up a confident shipboard culture free from bullying and intimidation.

ROI for Shipowners:

• Measurable impact: These inspections generate tangible data, enabling shipowners to track and trend vessel performance over time?
• Operational readiness: Instant visibility into vessel condition with a centralised inspection management system, trending and tracking of vessel improvement
• Fewer deficiencies & detentions: Improved Port State, SIRE 2.0 and Rightship Inspection results enhance commercial viability.
• Cost savings: Better inspections = fewer incidents = lower operational costs. Empowering seafarers to eventually reduce the need for third-party audits or pre-vetting.

Beyond Compliance: A Cultural Shift

Guide2Inspections? isn’t just about meeting regulations—it’s about changing shipboard culture:

• Reduces reliance on inconsistent mentorship.
• Bridges knowledge gaps among crew members.
• Encourages proactive safety practices.
• Eliminates intimidation barriers—seafarers can ask questions without hesitation.

A Real-World Example

The vessel must be in good condition, but do we all know what ‘good’ looks like?

Consider this: At 1300 hours, third officer Ryan plans to inspect lifebuoys. Instead of consulting a checklist, he watches a three-minute video in the app that demonstrates the inspection process. It visualizes the checklist and clarifies not just what to do, but also how to do it. For instance, it explains how the grab line must be held between two fingers and twisted to check for frails - something that is impossible to explain through a checklist. This brief guide equips them to complete the task thoroughly, saving time and avoiding mistakes.

Once he does the job, he records it step by step through the app with pictures, this knowledge converts to muscle memory. If he repeats the process a few times over the next few months, he will not need the video anymore. He would just know the job.

• We are bringing the seafarers into the mindset of an inspector so that they are empowered to identify non-compliance.

A Call to Action

As we take this to the IMO stage, we invite industry leaders, shipowners, and regulators to reimagine how we train and support seafarers.

At Navguide Solutions, we believe that raising the standard of seafarer competence, and mentoring of on-the-job skills may not be mandatory, but it is essential.

Join us in setting a new benchmark for maritime training. Let’s navigate this transformation together.

#MaritimeTraining #Innovation #GlobalSafety #Guide2Inspections

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About Navguide Solutions

Four years ago, a small team of passionate mariners took up a cause.

A sailor all my life, eight years in command, I saw the problem firsthand. Capt. Robert Shane Vaz , with two decades in management and ship inspection, and Mr AVINASH HEGDE , having spent over a decade in maritime training, identified the same recurring issue:?

Skill development - how seafarers learn and perform their jobs, remains unstructured. Measurably improving on-the-job skills could directly enhance safety, inspection outcomes, and the well-being of maritime workers. This vision felt worth dedicating our lives to.?

With a dedicated team, including KARAN SINGH and Ishani Mitra and supported by industry stalwarts like Capt. Sartaj Gill (former MD of V.Group), Mr. John Adams (former MD of Teekay and Chairman of Bahamas Shipowner's Association), Capt. Sam Megwa , Capt. Mike Powell , Mr Simon Robinson , and Capt. Phil Davies , we committed our lives to solving this challenge.