Singapore-based maritime intelligence platform, Greywing has announced the development of an AI chatbot named SeaGPT that will simplify the process of handling immigration regulations, COVID requirements, and travel plans for each crew member of a ship.
Crew managers often handle communication through emails with port agents, which can quickly lead to an overwhelming number of messages, especially when multiple people are leaving or onboarding.
SeaGPT is Greywing’s latest tool for automating crew changes. The AI chatbot automates parts of the communication process, like drafting emails with important questions and extracting the most essential information from port agency replies for specific crew members. It was made possible by advancements in GPT4 and a maritime-specific approach to programming, according to Hrishi Olickel, co-founder and chief technology officer at Greywing.
SeaGPT simplifies communication with port agents and helps prevent errors by flagging missing information. The AI chatbot is connected to Greywing’s proprietary database covering 18,300 ports and can respond to questions like “set up a crew change for me in Melbourne.”
After receiving a request, SeaGPT looks through all the information and comes back with necessary details like COVID vaccination requirements and immigration regulations. It then drafts emails to be sent to port agents with questions that are often overlooked by busy crew managers, including “can you please advise on any immigration or port state restrictions, if PCR tests are required for shore leave and how much it will cost.”
SeaGPT is available through Greywing’s platform, Slackbot and its mobile app, with plans to add integrations to WhatsApp and Teams. In the long-term, Greywing hopes that SeaGPT will be a team member or executive assistant to the crewing team, running in the background, retrieving relevant data, and handling all communications that don’t need direct involvement while providing automated decision support for each crew manager.
