KaHa’s Digital Solution ready for global deployment following successful trials by SG-STAR Fund

KaHa Pte Ltd, a Singapore Internet of Things (IoT) and smart wearables firm, has concluded successful trials of its Digital Monitoring Solution with medical partners Aventus Medical Care and the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), under the Singapore Shipping Tripartite Alliance Resilience (SG-STAR) Fund Call-for-Trials Proposals (CFP). The trial featured over 170 seafarers as participants and spanned a period of three months.

The SG-STAR Fund is the first global ground-up tripartite initiative with international partners including the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) and the International Chamber of Shipping, to work with stakeholders in seafaring nations on concrete solutions for safe crew change.

To accelerate the process for safe and secure crew change, KaHa created a digital solution to provide the maritime industry with greater confidence in the health of the seafarers, ensure seafarers’ adherence to safety guidelines and enable a transparent quarantine process and accurate documentation – resolving a critical blind spot for safe and secure crew change for the industry.

A proven platform to facilitate safe crew change, the KaHa Digital Monitoring Solution is an affordable and fully integrated smart health platform comprising a tamper-proof smart wearable, mobile app, geofence locator, remote monitoring dashboard and automatic alerts. Powered by COVE, KaHa’s proprietary IoT platform, the solution provides a holistic 360-degree view for round-the-clock monitoring and detailed record logs of a seafarer’s well-being, combining key vitals tracking (temperature, heart rate, SPO2, activity level and sleep patterns), highly accurate indoor geofencing with automated geofence quarantine monitoring and health symptoms monitoring. It analyses and triangulates information collected and is able to detect abnormalities and assess risks.

Authorized stakeholders are notified of any abnormalities and quarantine breaches in real- time via SMS for quick intervention. Further screening will then be conducted via an in-app Screening Questionnaire for vitals and health symptoms breaches. The KaHa Digital Monitoring Solution is also a secure single source for regulatory compliance records required for forward travel and a one-stop-shop providing access to the seafarer’s PCR test results, fit-to-travel certificate, temperature log, location records and health and travel history. It is compliant with data privacy policy and access is limited to authorized users.

CEO and co-founder of KaHa, Pawan Gandhi, said, “The success of our trial has positive ramifications far beyond the maritime industry, as workplaces across all sectors see a return to the office. We are delighted with the successful trial and are looking forward to a global rollout of our platform in the coming months. Our platform is a fully integrated solution for all sectors that need to resume work within the constraints of a dynamic working environment for the foreseeable future.”

Nitin Mathur, Chairman of SG-STAR Fund, said, “The fluid pandemic situation presents evolving challenges for safe crew change. The SG-STAR Fund Taskforce has been working with multiple collaborators to establish the CrewSafe Audit Programme, providing the shipping community guidance on best practices to facilitate seamless crew change in a safe and responsible manner. The trial of digital solutions can help provide convenience and assurance to stakeholders – seafarers, authorities, crewing agents, shipowners – that tamper-proof quarantine and health vitals data can be provided accurately and timely when required. The SFTF will continue to engage partners within and outside the maritime sector to seek out practical and innovative solutions that can be widely adopted and accepted by all crew change stakeholders.”

Racquel Cagurangan, COO of Aventus Medical Care, said, “The solution will enable us to continue to conduct 24/7 monitoring of seafarers while requiring less manpower, freeing up valuable resources that can be utilized elsewhere. Most importantly, the commercial deployment of this solution – successfully tested by the SG-STAR Fund – will ensure safe crew change for seafarers not only in the Philippines but also across Southeast Asia and beyond, marking a key step forward for the maritime industry.”