For communication with crew, both onboard and after disembarkation, many still depend on private email accounts or standard messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or Teams.
These tools work well for office environments, or private use. However shipping operations are more complex, with frequent crew rotations, structured rank hierarchies, time-critical handovers, and vessels operating across time zones and jurisdictions. Without a communication solution built for this reality, companies risk losing control over information, access, and accountability.
Lack of shipping context
Generic chat tools are not designed for maritime operations. They do not understand vessels, ranks, departments, or rotation cycles.
If shipping companies give vessel staff access to tools such as Microsoft Teams, it is often limited to senior officers using shared role-based accounts. This supports basic ship-to-shore communication, but it does not enable consistent operational communication across the full crew. Using role-based accounts in systems designed for individual users also creates identity management and audit challenges.
This gap makes collaboration harder and increases the risk of mistakes during handovers. Without a clear link between the vessel, the crew member, their rank, and the access they should have, communication cannot evolve into a structured, role-driven process that supports safe and efficient operations.
Fragmented communication and lost information
When some conversations happen via email, others on messaging apps, or via onboard systems, communication quickly becomes fragmented.
Important operational discussions may remain on a personal device. While formal approval might ultimately be sent by email, the critical discussions and context behind that decision often take place in private chats that are inaccessible to the company. Documents, instructions, or supporting information can be buried in chat history outside corporate systems. When a crew member signs off, valuable operational context leaves with them, making future follow-ups or audits more difficult.
The result is inefficient collaboration, repeated follow-ups, and delays, particularly during crew transitions. It also limits long-term crew engagement, as there is no consistent professional communication channel that follows the seafarer across rotations.
Limited traceability and access control
In many cases, role-based accounts onboard are accessed through shared credentials, with multiple crew members using the same login details. This makes it impossible to determine who accessed information or sent a message, eliminating individual accountability.
When access is shared, authentication cannot be properly controlled or enforced. Devices may be shared, contact details can change, and companies often don’t know who is using an account at any given time.
There is often no centralised audit trail and no clear process to grant or revoke access when crew members join, rotate, or leave the company. Without integration with a crew management system, accounts are usually created and removed manually, adding extra work for vessel IT teams and increasing the risk of delays or access gaps.
In addition, many companies don’t enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) on personal devices or third-party applications, increasing the risk of phishing attacks, compromised accounts, and leaked sensitive information.
Learn how to enable personal login to role-based email accounts for crew
Growing compliance pressure
Regulatory expectations around cybersecurity and access control are tightening. The IMO’s MSC-FAL.1/Circ.3/Rev.3 Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management (Read the document) emphasise secure handling of crew identities, unique user credentials, elimination of shared logins, and role-based access control.
The industry has seen a clear evolution, starting with the IMO’s 2021 recommendatory guidance, followed by IACS Unified Requirements E26/E27 requiring identity management on operational technology systems, and now the IMO recommending identity management for IT systems as well. The next logical step is for identity management to become mandatory across all systems.
Non-auditable communication and shared passwords directly conflict with these principles. Both the IMO and the European Maritime Safety Agency identify identity control as a core pillar of maritime cybersecurity. Non-compliance can result in audit findings, operational disruption, or financial penalties.
What once seemed like a practical workaround is now becoming a real vulnerability.
Explore how to manage identities in shipping
What other industries already do
Airlines, for example, do not rely on consumer messaging apps to coordinate pilots and cabin crew. They use purpose-built communication and crew management platforms that connect identity, role, schedule, and access in one structured environment (e.g., Lufthansa Systems’ NetLine/Crew, Sabre Corporation’s Crew Manager, and Jeppesen’s Crew Rostering solutions).
Healthcare, energy, and defense sectors follow the same principle: professional communication must be tied to verified identities and controlled access.
Shipping is now at a similar turning point. A standardised, identity-based communication platform for maritime operations would allow:
- Communication linked to vessel, rank, and rotation
- Better handovers with preserved operational context
- Clear traceability and controlled access
- Access to role-accounts only with personal login
- Stronger cybersecurity posture and compliance
Purpose-built communication for modern fleets
To address these challenges, Dualog will soon launch Dualog Chat, as part of the new Dualog Workspace platform. Dualog Chat is designed for maritime operations, connecting verified crew identities with structured, vessel-aware communication. It provides a centralised and secure channel that follows crew members across rotations, both onboard and ashore, while maintaining full administrative control and traceability.
Want early access to Dualog Chat and test it in your company?
Fill out the form, and we’ll grant you access before the official release.
For shipping companies looking to eliminate shared credentials, fragmented communication, and access blind spots, this represents an important step toward more secure and efficient collaboration at sea.
