Maritime tech firm DOLGO launches AI platform to solve ‘skills time bomb’

DOLG has launched its new AI platform to help combat maritime’s skills crisis at the recent Blue Innovation Symposium in Rhode Island.

Tampa headquartered DOLGO founder Nithesh Wazenn explained that the platform, which can be uploaded to a phone or computer like ChatGPT, will tackle one of the biggest challenges facing maritime - the vanishing aging workforce. As a measure of the scale of the problem in the United States today, the average age of shipyard workers is 55-years-old. This is against a backdrop of shipbuilding

demand being set to double over the next decade.

“I am super proud to launch DOLGO,” Mr Wazenn said. “It’s easy to use, intuitive and designed by gamers. This is the moment AI enables maritime to claw back time. The sector is being paralyzed by skills shortages. It’s a ticking time-bomb. DOLGO can provide a solution by retaining the expertise before it leaves forever. One platform driven by machine learning constantly being updated with the knowledge of hundreds then thousands of workers across a vast array of tasks.”

DOLGO has been spun out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric  Administration (NOAA) Ocean Enterprise Accelerator and has built its AI platform and undertaken testing with the University of South Florida’s marine science lab. The software enables workers to share knowledge, allowing companies to retain skills for new and existing engineers.

Mr Wazenn described how the platform gives shipyards a private AI system that continuously updates with proprietary knowledge from their workforce. Workers will be able to call each other on the platform to seek advice on engineering problems while the AI learns on the job.

He added that the DOLGO software further tackles the long-standing issue of ‘ownership’ of know-how. He also noted that shipyards are reporting how older workers can be reluctant to share valuable knowledge with younger colleagues who are being paid the same wage as them, leading to a ‘race to the bottom’ as new workers' skills cannot replace those who are retiring.

Mr. Wazenn emphasized that AI will incentivize workers to share their expertise. On DOLGO, the engineer is equitably rewarded with bonuses or benefits each time their knowledge is downloaded from the platform, using a similar concept to a Spotify download.

“Retaining expertise will not only drive efficiency and improve safety, it will also prevent costly and time-consuming mistakes and equipment damage,” he added. “In addition, with turnover of younger workers high and with shipyards reporting attrition rates of 20%, we can help reduce training costs by automating learning.”

Mr. Wazenn further outlined that the platform can be deployed across a variety of maritime jobs, from equipment manufacturers to seafarers to flag states, class, and even ship broking and vessel operating.

“It’s early days, and we’re focusing the AI on shipyards and autonomous vessels for now, where the skills shortage is acute and the training demand high,” he said. “But the potential to capture skills and training across maritime businesses is massive.”

DOLGO is one of seven pioneering ocean startups to be chosen by the Seaworthy Collective, a Miami-based non-profit that supports blue tech entrepreneurs. With only 10% of startups accepted onto the program, the companies can participate on full scholarships with no equity or fees as a result of Seaworthy’s $14M National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Enterprise Accelerators partnership, The Continuum.

The Continuum is a coordinated network of accelerators that fast-track start ups to market by supporting BlueTech innovation. The Continuum provides access to connections, resources, and guidance to data-driven innovators to positively impact the ocean enterprise, economy, and workforce.