~ Contributing to Digital Transformation of Shipboard Operations and Seafarer Workstyle Reforms ~

MOL announced the establishment of Katafuri as a wholly owned subsidiary which provides a cloud-based ship quality management app called the “Katafuri App” for companies seeking to digitalize shipboard operations. Katafuri’s mission is to contribute to the development of the entire ocean shipping industry by delivering services that lead to digital transformation (DX) and seafarer workstyle reforms for the industry, which is facing challenges such as slow digitalization and labor shortages.

Currently, shipboard operations have tended to vary from ship to ship and from person to person, but the Katafuri App allows users to register work details and procedures, and to report after the work has been performed—all in one place on the app. This reduces the workload of seafarers. prevents missing or inconsistent data, improves operational efficiency, and enables the accumulation, transfer, and follow-up of know-how on the data. On ships with weak Internet access, the Katafuri App can be used by loading necessary data into a smartphone or other device in advance.

[What can the Katafuri App do?]

In order to promote the use of the Katafuri App more widely among companies in need, MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. (President & CEO: Yoshikazu Kawagoe; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has been appointed as the sales agent to promote sales activities by leveraging the company’s business know-how and network accumulated through the sale of marine products.

Katafuri will not stop at providing ship quality management applications, but will continue to develop and provide essential services to improve the work environment and enhance safety by using the power of digital technology to boost the efficiency of onboard operations. The company name “Katafuri,” is a term used among Japanese seafarers to refer to the way they discuss their experiences and knowledge with each other, including gestures. It expresses the founder’s strong desire to make ship operations safer and more comfortable by effectively sharing knowledge and expertise among all stakeholders in the maritime industry and thereby revitalizing the entire value chain.