Interview between Adonis Violaris of CSN and Ronald Spithout, Managing Director of OneHealth by VIKAND
Could you please introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of your role at OneHealth by VIKAND?
Hello, my name is Ronald Spithout and I am the Managing Director of OneHealth by VIKAND. Beyond leading our OneHealth division, my job is to educate the maritime industry on the benefits of taking a more proactive approach to seafarer wellbeing. I show potential VIKAND customers the value of investing in “preventive maintenance” for their labour force, just as they would any other critical business asset.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the maritime industry, and how has your journey led you to OneHealth by VIKAND?
I have an engineering background and spent the last several decades in leadership roles with telecommunications and mobile satellite providers. As president of Inmarsat’s maritime business, I helped drive digitalisation at sea. After this, I formed a consultancy to advise the maritime industry on satellite communications and digital initiatives, which inspired a deeper interest in sustainability and crew welfare.
This is where I met Peter Hult, VIKAND’s CEO. I was impressed with his drive, vision and energy, and his mission to make a positive impact on the sustainability of the maritime industry and its workers.
This was exactly the kind of purpose-driven company I was looking for and he encouraged me to take on the MD role for OneHealth. I felt that my experience could help VIKAND digitise its approach to seafarer wellbeing, and it has, in the cruise and commercial sectors.
Can you describe OneHealth by VIKAND and its core focus within the maritime industry?
VIKAND’s OneHealth program is an all-inclusive, proactive, and modular approach to onboard health and wellness inspired by our company’s deeply held values. We know that the most important asset onboard – the crew – deserves best-in-class asset management. We believe this approach is the future of total healthcare at sea.
The World Health Organization defines “One Health” as an integrated, unifying approach to human health that is sustainable, balanced and optimised. OneHealth by VIKAND offers a combination of policies, services and solutions that enhance seafarer wellbeing, which is critical to vessel productivity, operator success and the overall sustainability of our industry.
What sets OneHealth apart from other companies in the maritime sector?
What sets OneHealth apart is our approach: We view healthcare as an investment that drives value, not a cost centre that consumes resources. As a global medical operation with hundreds of professionals, we provide a comprehensive service worldwide and help address more than just the obvious physical and mental wellness of people onboard. We make a direct impact on important KPIs, including human safety, operational risk, talent preservation and more. Proactive healthcare means a healthier and happier workforce, which leads to safer vessel operations and a more motivated, loyal workforce.
How does OneHealth contribute to maritime health and safety, and what role does technology play in your operations?
All VIKAND medical professionals have maritime experience, which helps enormously when in contact with seafarers or when discussing the health and wellbeing of the vessel and crew.
Safety is strongly correlated with both physical and mental wellness, and safe vessel operations depend on crew members who are physically and mentally fit for duty. I go into more detail on this in “Health and safety: Two sides of the same coin.”
At VIKAND, we are proud to be associated with the brightest startups in this arena, such as FrontM, Riverr, Scoutbase and Neuron. These partners allow us to use:
Intelligent collaboration software that connects crew (and wearables, where applicable) with support services, all optimised for use over satellite.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) to automatically analyse disparate health data and provide real-time insights, which directly impacts people’s health.
Friendly networking technology that collects anonymous – but targeted – feedback from crew, empowering workers and helping management make informed decisions.
In short, the combination of modern digital technology and artificial intelligence supports learning and problem-solving. The ultimate goal of OneHealth is to provide predictive insights at every level, from individual to vessel to the entire fleet.
Can you discuss any recent advancements or innovations that OneHealth has implemented to enhance safety and efficiency in the maritime industry?
The tech partnerships I just mentioned support VIKAND’s goal of proactive, predictive and personalised healthcare for seafarers. AI software can identify potential crew health risks early by analysing medical data and predicting likely outcomes if no action is taken. This allows for preventative measures and interventions, ultimately leading to better care.
This proactive approach benefits ship operators, too, with fewer onboard illnesses, fewer medical emergencies, and fewer impacts to productivity and operating costs.
Another tool we use, Scoutbase, gathers anonymous feedback from crew members, which can help address mental health issues. The platform alerts management to morale issues and inspires timely interventions, such as organisational changes, access to resources and more. Seafarers are at higher risk than other professions for depression, loneliness and suicide, and improving that is part of good healthcare.
VIKAND has also partnered with Neuron to proof the concept of instant expandable bandwidth in emergency situations. For example, in a health crisis, shipboard doctors may need higher-quality internet to power video chats with a shoreside support team or transmit high-resolution scans and x-rays.
What are the main challenges facing the maritime industry today, and how is OneHealth addressing these issues?
One major issue is the industry’s ability to attract and retain talent. OneHealth puts seafarers first by making their welfare a top priority.
Many ship operators incorrectly assume that good healthcare means higher costs, when in reality, mentally and physically healthy seafarers working in an environment that proactively supports their wellbeing are less likely to cause – or suffer from – accidents, injuries, and other events that might compromise crew or vessel safety.
Beyond this, OneHealth has solutions for many other factors impacting crew wellness, including nutrition, sleep, exercise, air quality, sunlight, social wellbeing and more. In addition to being relatively easy to address, these things improve morale and crew fitness, leading to a reduced risk of accidents and illnesses at sea.
How is OneHealth committed to sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of maritime operations?
While sustainability is a prevalent topic in the maritime industry, the focus often leans toward environmental concerns, especially under the pressure of fuel transition and decarbonisation. However, social sustainability is just as important to the industry’s future.
After all, of what value is a company with carbon-neutral ships if no seafarers are willing to work for it?
The social aspect of ESG – the ‘S’ – is integral to human sustainability, and where VIKAND believes our total healthcare solution can have a major impact. To us, this means giving seafarers access to ongoing training, a defined career path, good onboard facilities, and preventive healthcare that keeps them fit for duty. Over time, this can turn some of the hardest jobs on earth into safe, fulfilling and engaging careers with high retention.
Long-term human sustainability investments will lead to an improved risk profile and lower operating costs for maritime companies. And we’re not the only ones who believe this. Two new EU directives – the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), also known as the EU Supply Chain Act, and the newly enacted EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) – require companies to manage the social and environmental effects of their entire value chain.
Read VIKAND’s analysis of how these measures will impact maritime companies.
Can you provide examples of any green initiatives or technologies that OneHealth is implementing?
Apart from what has already been mentioned, proactive healthcare itself is a “green” initiative, as it reduces the human carbon footprint. Fewer accidents and serious illnesses mean fewer diversions, thereby creating fewer emissions.
How does OneHealth manage its global operations, and what are some of the key markets you operate in?
While VIKAND’s corporate headquarters are in Fort Lauderdale, our customers – and their ships – are all over the world. OneHealth vessels are served by a global team of medical professionals and support staff, and we have hundreds of doctors and nurses who provide in-person medical services aboard customer ships.
How crew members and vessels are served depends on the scenario. A crew member dealing with a mental health issue may connect directly with a therapist via telehealth. A captain may call the ship’s dedicated shoreside “house doctor” to discuss vessel-wide concerns. Or, in the event of an accident or injury, an onboard doctor will handle the initial response, but he or she may contact the first available shoreside team for second opinions or to request a diversion and disembarkation plan.
How and where we serve customers is very diverse and situationally dependent.
What are OneHealth’s long-term goals for the maritime industry?
VIKAND’s mission is to provide the highest-quality proactive maritime healthcare services on earth. We strive to deliver reliable service through skilled professionals and advanced technology, creating a collaborative health ecosystem that supports the long-term health and sustainability of crew members and the industry at large.
How do you envision the role of technology shaping the future of maritime operations?
On one hand, we see massive technological changes driven by fuel transition and environmental regulations. On the other hand, technology around advanced decision support and various levels of autonomy is developing rapidly.
Tech-driven crew investments will continue to increase and seafarers will continue to be trained and re-skilled on a growing array of digital systems, which may not be globally uniform. Each company’s approach will likely be slightly unique, which in itself will become a key reason to protect and retain talent. Sourcing and re-training skilled labour will become increasingly difficult and costly.
When it comes to technology in maritime healthcare, VIKAND and OneHealth will continue to explore every opportunity, including the use of AI, to keep people healthy and fit-for-duty.
How important are collaborations and partnerships in the maritime industry, and what kind of partnerships has OneHealth formed?
OneHealth’s collaborations and partnerships are extremely important to our ongoing success. From a technology perspective, I have already mentioned our partnerships with Scoutbase, Riverr, FrontM and Neuron, but in the context of market reach and customer intimacy, we also have a great collaboration with Navarino. They share our vision for sustainable crewing and adopted OneHealth as part of their extensive suite of services.
Can you share any success stories or significant projects where these partnerships have made a notable impact?
So far, these collaborations and partnerships have resulted in various shipping companies adopting our services on all continents. The fact that OneHealth provides excellent health risk mitigation is also driving partnerships with maritime insurance providers – the UK P&I Club, for example.
What advice would you give to young professionals looking to enter the maritime industry?
I would say keep an open mind to career options. The introduction of so many new technologies will change the role of many traditional jobs both at sea and onshore. It’s an exciting and dynamic time in the maritime sector. Right now, decarbonisation and digitalisation are driving the industry’s most significant period of change since the Industrial Revolution.
How can industry professionals stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in the maritime sector?
By reading publications such as yours and by attending as many global conferences, panel discussions and exhibitions as possible. There are some great speakers and experts in their fields who are becoming key disruptors and drivers of change.
Is there anything else you would like to add about OneHealth or the maritime industry in general?
I have always been interested in the use of digital and communication technologies to improve life at sea, so personally I am very excited to be part of this phase in our industry. I feel that if we approach this period with purpose, we can positively impact an industry that’s basically the lifeline for a globalised world.
