Streamlining survey preparation and response for shipowners and ship management companies

ClassNK has launched “Survey Compass,” an AI assistant that supports shipowners and ship management companies in their survey-related operations.

Survey Compass is an AI assistant that responds in natural language to questions on classification survey matters faced by shipowners and ship management companies. Users can quickly confirm the information they need together with its supporting sources, thereby improving the efficiency of survey preparation and response work and reducing their workload. This initial release marks the first step toward ClassNK’s vision of a digital service platform for ships in service. ClassNK will continue to expand and enhance Survey Compass together with our customers, incorporating feedback and requests gathered through its practical use.

Survey Compass is available on “ClassNK Customer Hub – Ship in Service -” (hereinafter “CCH SiS”)*1, a web portal service for shipowners and ship management companies.

Background
In the maritime industry, regulations, particularly those related to environmental compliance, are becoming increasingly complex, requiring shipowners and ship management companies to manage a growing number of requirements and an ever-expanding volume of information. Against this backdrop, personnel responsible for survey-related matters are often required to identify the applicable requirements within a limited timeframe. To provide prompt and accurate responses to the classification survey-related inquiries received daily from shipowners and ship management companies, ClassNK has developed Survey Compass, an AI assistant specialized in classification survey support.

Features of Survey Compass
Survey Compass accepts questions in natural language, directly searches classification survey-related documents, and presents a concise summary together with links to the underlying information sources. Because information related to classification surveys and ship management is closely tied to the safe operation of vessels, a high level of accuracy and reliability is required.
For this reason, Survey Compass adopts a retrieval-based approach that generates answers based on relevant source documents, reducing the risk of AI-generated inaccuracies. Through this approach, it aims to serve as a trustworthy AI assistant that users can rely on with confidence.
By providing links to the source documents used to generate each answer, Survey Compass enables users to review the original references directly and make informed professional judgments. In the first version, the service will start by covering Part B of the Rules for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships, the Guidance for Undergoing Surveys, and Technical Information.

Future Developments
Based on feedback and usage during the beta phase, ClassNK will continue to enhance Survey Compass by expanding the range of covered documents, including international conventions and flag State requirements, and by linking with vessel-specific data to provide more context-aware support. Through these enhancements, Survey Compass will evolve to better support users in their day-to-day operations. Going forward, ClassNK will continue to expand services through ClassNK Customer Hub to support the digitalization and operational efficiency of shipowners and ship management companies.

How to Use
Customers using NK-SHIPS*2 can log in to the web service portal on the ClassNK website with their existing account and access Survey Compass via the link to “ClassNK Customer Hub – Ship in Service -.”
https://portal.classnk.or.jp/portal/index.jsp