For over 20 years, Shipdex has served shipbuilders, suppliers, software developers, and shipowners worldwide by offering a common language for structured technical data exchange. One of its greatest achievements has been its commitment to listening to all industry stakeholders and turning their practical needs into real-world digital solutions.

The Next Evolution: Viewer 4.1 – Empowering Data Integration and Workflow Customization

The upcoming Shipdex Viewer 4.1 introduces a game-changing customization function: the ability for users to seamlessly assign their own functional codes — such as SFI, proprietary, or internal classification systems — to any component described in a Shipdex dataset. This long-requested feature provides a fast, convenient, and cost-effective way for software suppliers, shipowners, and managers to directly integrate Shipdex-compliant content into their technical databases and digital maintenance systems.

“With this new capability, we’re not just displaying data — we’re empowering maritime companies to transform it into smart, system-ready information,” said Marco Vatteroni, Secretary General of Shipdex. “This new Viewer function supports full digital integration across maintenance, procurement, and classification processes — and reflects Shipdex’s unwavering commitment to practical, user-driven innovation.”

Real-World Adoption: Suppliers Deliver Shipdex-Compliant Data — Free of Charge

The benefits of Shipdex are no longer theoretical. A growing number of leading equipment manufacturers and system suppliers now offer Shipdex-compliant technical documentation free of charge, delivered automatically alongside their products. This development means that original maker data can be imported quickly, completely, and without manual error into the shipowner’s digital systems — eliminating delays, reformatting, and inconsistencies.

For shipowners and managers, this shift translates into immediate improvements in:

• Data quality and consistency
• Speed of system implementation
• Technical readiness of newbuilds and retrofits
• Compliance with ISM, IACS, and classification documentation standards

Why Now? Shipdex Is the Digital Backbone for Smarter Shipping

The new Viewer enhancement is not just another feature — it’s a strategic response to the maritime industry’s digitalization agenda. Companies that adopt Shipdex now position themselves for real competitive advantage, with:

• Standardized, machine-readable manuals that eliminate duplication and reduce risk
• Seamless integration into PMS, ERP, and inventory systems
• Faster onboarding of new equipment into fleet operations
• Lower costs and improved transparency throughout the lifecycle
• Support for IMO’s digital transformation goals

With Viewer 4.1 around the corner and more suppliers joining the standard every month, Shipdex is quickly becoming the default language of maritime technical documentation.

Get Started – Shipdex Viewer is Free to Download at   👉 www.shipdex.org

Shipdex-D (technical manuals) and Shipdex-F (in-service maintenance data feedback) are designed to work together and provide the following benefits:

• For manufacturers: the ability to provide customers with technical manuals (maintenance plans, catalogues and more) in a structured, standardized, and mandatory electronic format (Shipdex-D).
• For customers: the ability to import manufacturers’ data in Shipdex-D format into their ERP and Maintenance Systems, and to export in-service maintenance data feedback in Shipdex-F format.

Data in Shipdex-D and Shipdex-F formats can be merged into a database, providing customers and suppliers with a standardized way to analyse how, when, and what results are achieved when performing maintenance tasks onboard different ships.

The new Shipdex Viewer 4.0 (available free of charge on the homepage at www.shipdex.org) now includes a Proof of Concept that demonstrates the simplicity and potential of the aforementioned features, using a simple database embedded into the Viewer.

The following illustration shows one of the several features available in the PoC.

This illustration shows, among other important details, how many times (each row), when (execution time), which spare parts (and supply, etc.) have been used, and on which ship (IMO number) the same maintenance task (subject) on the same equipment (item name and item PN and SN) has been performed. Many other features are also available in Shipdex Viewer 4.0.

Download the Shipdex Viewer 4.0 from the home page.

The maritime industry took another leap forward in its digitalization journey during the fourth Shipdex Council meeting, held online on 14th January 2025. The event brought together both seasoned and new delegates from leading global companies who joined the Shipdex Council:

• MAN Energy Solutions
• Mastermind Shipmanagement
• YANMAR
• Shipdex Consulting
• G&C Consulting
• Oceanly
• Elicon Group
• Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI)
• IsselNord (a Fincantieri company)
• BLOM Maritime
• DAMEN Shipyard

Established to accelerate the adoption of Shipdex and its role in digital transformation, the Council comprises prominent industry figures who are united in leveraging standardization to support the maritime sector’s transition.

The Secretary General of Shipdex opened the session by welcoming the new members and providing a concise recap of the key principles and concepts of the Shipdex protocol. This was followed by a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstration, highlighting the seamless integration of Shipdex-D (technical manuals) with Shipdex-F (in-service data feedback).

The PoC, presented using the new Shipdex Viewer, showcased the platform’s simplicity and potential. The Viewer, which is available free of charge on the Shipdex website (www.shipdex.org), will be updated with the PoC capabilities and made accessible for download by the end of January 2025. This marks a significant step in empowering stakeholders to adopt innovative digital solutions for technical and operational efficiency.

Discussions extended to the exploration of funding opportunities and strategies to engage additional key players in Shipdex’s mission of advancing standardization and digitalization. The collaborative efforts aim to drive innovation while supporting sustainability goals critical to the industry’s future.

The next Shipdex Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 20th May 2025.

For further information on Shipdex and its initiatives, or to download the Viewer and experience the Proof of Concept (starting from February), visit www.shipdex.org.

Shipdex Co-founder and Secretary General Marco Vatteroni and MAN Energy Solutions’ Shipdex Competence Center Leader Henrik Dan Kaspersen attended the 4th CSN Cyprus Shipping ICT Conference held in Limassol on 12^th October 2023.

The main theme of the Conference was “Exploring the Digital Frontier: Bridging Theory and Practicality in Maritime Technology”.

Mr. Kaspersen introduced the Shipdex Protocol explaining its main scope since its foundation on 2008: a protocol to standardize the production and the exchange of equipment electronic technical data from Manufacturers to Customers and now also to exchange in-service data feedback from Customers to Manufacturers.

Mr. Kaspersen also gave a clear evidence of MAN ES involvement in Shipdex non-profit organization confirming that “600+ 2-stroke & 4-stroke engines, GenSets, Propellers and Turbo chargers have already received Shipdex data from MAN Energy Solutions.”

Henrik also presented the following interesting proposal from MAN ES:

–  IT companies may receive a FREE data set to evaluate the feasibility of mapping to the PMS database

–  Ship-owners may receive a FREE data set to compare direct PMS import to the current processes

 Mr. Vatteroni participated in a panel whose scope was to answer the following questions “Is Artificial Intelligence (AI) the next Transformation in Maritime? Can be used to transform the way businesses operate and realise their goals?”

Mr. Vatteroni shortly explained that, in his opinion, the whole Shipdex process could be empowered utilising Artificial Intelligence algorithms.

Those algorithms could be used to retrieve technical information from manufacturers engineering databases necessary to build “automatically” Shipdex datasets for every equipment. Then, other AI algorithms could be developed to navigate through huge Shipdex databases to retrieve, re-organize and assemble technical data to be moved into other important data domains as Digital Twin and/or Autonomous Ship always ensuring a full coherence with source data coming from manufacturers (technical manuals) and from customers (in-service data feedback).

Mr. Vatteroni and Mr. Kaspersen will also attend the 2^nd CSN ICT Conference in Athens on 22^nd November 2023.

2023 marks the 15th anniversary of SHIPDEX protocol. SHIPDEX, a not-for-profit organization that has been leading the way in digitalization and life-cycle management of technical data in the shipping industry, was founded with the primary objective of introducing digitalization to the maritime technical data sector, including technical manuals and in-service data feedback.

Here below the very first reason SHIPDEX was developed: avoiding old style technical manuals.

The present Chairman of SHIPDEX and CEO of Mastermind Shipmanagement, Capt. Eugene Adami, highlights the importance of technical documentation, which is often overlooked in the digitalization of the maritime industry. However, standardization, integration, dissemination, and maintenance of manufacturers’ technical data are crucial to ensuring safety, security, and environmental performance, as well as innovation.

Over the years, SHIPDEX has consolidated its position as a pioneer in digitalization and optimization of on-board maintenance processes and in-service data feedback. The organization has remained committed to its VISION of improving and optimizing the digitalization and life-cycle management of technical data, with a focus on promoting a safer and greener shipping industry.

SHIPDEX driving force is its VISION: “We need to bring the shipping industry into the 21^st century” says Capt. Adami. “I am so convinced of the SHIPDEX VISION that our next new buildings order will be developed under the SHIPDEX Protocol”.

It is time for the shipping industry to lead that change instead of delaying it. SHIPDEX has proven to be a valuable protocol in many aspects of the industry, and its adoption could trigger an unprecedented domino effect that could speed up the digitalization of the maritime industry as a whole. Capt. Adami calls upon ship-owners, ship managers, shipbuilders, manufacturers, classification societies, and IT companies to share the organization’s VISION and make it a worldwide reality.

Shipdex, a standard for transferring maintenance data and instructions between equipment manufacturers and shipping companies, is now able to transfer data back to manufacturers.