AXSTanker offers membership web-based benefits

AXSTanker is an exclusive online service that allows tanker brokers to indicate the positions of over 8,000 ships, update tonnage, perform detailed searches, prepare carefully constructed and personalised position lists and consult the tanker register, port database and distance table, as well as use the AXSTanker voyage calculator.

The system is the brainchild of Paris headquartered AXSMarine, founded in June 2000. The company has four product lines – AXSDry, AXS-Alphaliner, AXSS&P and AXSTanker – catering for different industry segments. As a company, AXSMarine has aspirations to be the shipping industry’s leading source of knowledge and decision making tools by 2010.

Its upgraded AXSTanker II system was successfully rolled out in 2006, and today, several hundred individuals from over 90 wet ship brokers use it. There is said to be a ‘club-like’ aspect to the service in that users are members, and members vote to approve the admission of every new applicant. Every member pays the same subscription price. AXSTanker’s software-as-a-service model applies a fixed price for two, three or four-plus users on a per office basis.

“The AXSTanker concept is not in itself new,” says AXSMarine commercial director Stephen Fletcher. “What is new is the web-based community aspect. No software or hardware installation is required on the user’s premises. The principle is very simple – AXSTanker provides its members with a ship register (which is bought and resold from LR-Fairplay). Users may add their own private technical information or ask AXSTanker to update publicly. Users update commercial forward vessel position information on a private (F3) or publicly shared (F4) basis.”

Position information sharing (F4) is optional and is governed by standard and user-specified rules. When a new company is admitted as a member, the system auto-configures an informational cross-blocking filter – in layman’s terms this means that if the broker is located in, say London, when the broker updates positions publicly no other London-based brokers will be able to view this information.

Additionally, any broker may add sharing shields or blocking to further prevent sharing to and from specific broking shops. “The system is really simple and mirrors processes performed in many tanker broking shops today, whether they are a small office or a large multi-office set-up,” says Mr Fletcher. “It is possible to receive information by phone, e-mail or Yahoo messenger and update the position into the AXSTanker database.

He also emphasises the system’s ability to create customer-focused position lists and to distribute them easily to their clients, as well as to see colleagues’ comments and the contact details of the broker who entered the position in which the user is interested. “There are many examples where a vessel has been chartered simply through the informational sharing capabilities of AXSTanker.”

Inevitably, the web-based nature of the system does raise the question of security. “Do not be afraid!” says Mr Fletcher. “Private information remains private. The updating process is the same if an expert or a trainee is working in Excel or in AXSTanker; the added value is that not only will trainees learn how to recognise ships, positions and the market, they also see the information in one place. AXSTanker further provides web-services to specific brokers wishing to upload their information into their own proprietary systems.” TST