- Funding Programme
- Year
- 2021
Digitalisation of the Maltese Maritime Administration
The European Commission provided support to the Merchant Shipping Directorate (MSD) within Transport Malta (TM) to fulfil the necessary preparatory steps to digitalise their Maritime Administration operations and services provided to their clients. The support contributed to increase the efficiency, competitiveness and security of the services provided by the Merchant Shipping Directorate such as Vessel Registration, Certificates’ issuance, Inspections etc and to further improve the Malta Ship Registry reputation at international level by becoming a digitally sophisticated maritime administration as well as promoting the concept of electronic issuance and verification of certificates for ships and crew members at international level.
Context
An analytical study was carried out to bridge any gaps in the knowledge of the current state, devising the modules of the ‘to-be’ Solution and producing the Technical Specifications for the Vessel Management System, Case/Contact Management System, Payment and Billing Management System, Maritime Analytics System and Seafarer Management System, which would support Transport Malta in procuring the development of such Digital Systems.
A Capacity Building Plan and Strategy was produced to enhance the Merchant Shipping Directorate workforce’s capabilities and agility through robust upskilling and ensuring that present and future talent and skills reach their full potential. This is to further ensure that the Merchant Shipping Directorate personnel are upskilled with all the required competencies to deliver upon the Directorate’s short-, medium- and long-term goals, especially those relating to the digitalisation v.1.0 initiatives.
The outcomes of this project contribute to the European Commission priorities in relation to the achievement of the European Green Deal and the EU’s digital strategy objectives. Moreover, the results play a role in achieving a number of milestones pertaining to the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
The main challenges encountered throughout this project were shifting the Merchant Shipping Directorate’s perspective from the existing legacy system(s) and manual processes to the envisaged to-be systems and ensuring that a robust list of technical skills has been captured such that the appropriate training was provided.
Support delivered
The European Commission provided advisory support, over a 14-month period, on the preparation of a Strategic Action Plan, the Technical Specifications for the Digital Systems and to deliver a Capacity Building Plan and Strategy for the Merchant Shipping Directorate workforce.
Results achieved
Through the proposed to-be solution and Technical Specifications, this project will assist in simplifying and enhancing the way processes are carried out by the Maltese Maritime Administration providing both internal and external stakeholders with the ability to benefit from a more modern, efficient, and effective user-friendly digital experience similar to other aspects of their professional and personal lives.
Moreover, the Capacity Building Plan and Strategy contributes to ensuring that the Merchant Shipping Directorate workforce is equipped with the required skills, abilities and resources to achieve these objectives.
More about the project
You can read the final report here: