It's called Pulse, and it is a technology that puts a maritime company's sprawling digital infrastructure into the hands of seafarers through a single mobile application, giving them access to operational and employment information even when working aboard ships with unreliable connectivity.
Developed by Fleet Management, Pulse is powered by Paris2.0, the company's proprietary digital ecosystem that supports technical management, crewing, safety, procurement, compliance and commercial operations. Rather than operating as another standalone system, Pulse provides a mobile interface to services and information that were previously distributed across multiple systems.
“Pulse is a new platform designed specifically for Fleet seafarers," says the Paris 2.0 engineers who also developed the app. Looking at the process in developing and deploying the app, a lot ofthinking, and a major dose of humanity is seen behind the technology. "We designed it to give our seafarers the greatest amount of access and the least amount of effort," says the Pulse designers.
The technology challenge was not simply putting existing services on a smartphone. Fleet had to bring together information generated by different operational systems, simplify the underlying processes and determine what information should be surfaced to a seafarer at a particular point in their employment journey.
“The biggest challenge was less about technology and more about data management, process simplification and making sure the information being brought together was accurate, accessible and genuinely useful in everyday life at sea,” the engineering team said.
Intuitive interface
The user interface is built around context rather than presenting every seafarer with the same collection of menus and services. Pulse's home screen changes according to where the user is in the employment journey, putting the information most likely to be needed at that point in a more prominent position.
A seafarer preparing to join a vessel, for example, can have travel details, joining instructions, training requirements and key documents prioritized on the home screen. Once onboard, the emphasis can shift toward welfare resources, recognition programs and contract-related information.
The approach is intended to reduce navigation and the need to search through multiple sections of the application.
“When a seafarer opens the app, the most relevant information for where they are in their journey should be easy to find without having to search for it,” the Pulse engineering team said.
Connections count
A vessel may have limited satellite bandwidth or intermittent connectivity depending on its location and communications infrastructure. Fleet therefore designed Pulse around those constraints rather than assuming that a permanent connection to its backend systems would always be available.
“We knew from the outset that a successful seafarer app could not assume perfect connectivity because life at sea presents a unique set of challenges compared to most technology products,” the team said.
Pulse uses caching to allow users to continue accessing key information when connectivity is limited. Fleet also tested the application under low-bandwidth conditions intended to replicate real operating environments.
The company has not disclosed the specific synchronization architecture used to reconcile cached information with its backend systems after connectivity is restored. That remains one of the more technically significant aspects of deploying enterprise software in a maritime environment, where data cannot simply be assumed to move continuously between a device and the cloud.
The information being handled also makes security a central engineering requirement. Pulse provides access to contracts, certificates, employment records and personal information.
Magic link
The interface also removes one common source of friction: passwords. Pulse uses password-free magic-link authentication, allowing users to sign in without maintaining another password while retaining the security controls built into the wider Paris 2.0 environment.
“Security, performance, and user experience were built into the platform from day one rather than added later,” the engineering team said. “A good example is our magic-link login, which strengthens security while giving seafarers a seamless sign-in experience with no password to remember.”
Pulse also applies contextual personalization to its interface. Instead of presenting every user with the same information, the application prioritizes content according to the seafarer's circumstances.
Someone preparing to join a vessel may see travel details, joining instructions, training requirements and documents. A seafarer already onboard may instead see welfare resources, recognition programs or contract information.
Fleet has not characterized this system as artificial intelligence or machine learning. The company describes it as contextual personalization designed to reduce the amount of searching required to find relevant information.
“When a seafarer opens the app, the most relevant information for where they are in their journey should be easy to find without having to search for it,” the engineering team said.
Closed platform for protection
Fleet has kept Pulse closed to external developers for now. The company said protecting personal information and maintaining a controlled environment takes priority over opening the application to shipping companies, training providers or port systems.
“At this stage, it remains a closed platform because protecting seafarers' personal information and maintaining a secure, trusted environment is our priority,” the team said.
Paris 2.0, however, already connects with selected third-party systems where Fleet sees an operational benefit. The company said it will continue evaluating additional capabilities as Pulse develops, provided they deliver practical value without compromising security.
The technology behind Pulse is therefore less about creating another employee application than about solving a difficult edge-computing problem for the maritime industry: delivering useful enterprise information to mobile users who may spend weeks operating beyond the reach of reliable terrestrial networks.
Fleet said Pulse will continue to evolve as part of its broader digital transformation, with future development focused on connecting ship and shore and improving access to information, services and support throughout a seafarer's career.
