Second Officer John Bisset Modernizes Recording Sea Time with Digital Sea Service

The struggle of recording sea time and the slow verification process can put a damper on the path to advancing up the ladder. So to help speed up a step, second officer John Bisset created Digital Sea Service (DSS), an app and website that simplifies sea time collection and verification.

An officer can input data for sea days, standby days, yard days and port days, and with a few clicks, DSS generates a PDF to print out for those pursuing tickets via the US Coast Guard, NCAA, Nautilus, and PYA route. This saves time from going through logbooks, plus getting the captain’s, deckhand’s and yacht’s details. And it helps improve the accuracy of sea time recording for individuals reporting independently and vessels.

“For sea time to be written on a piece of paper, posted, then sent back to you within like six weeks, it’s quite a long time to wait for sea time and wait to do your exam,” he shares. “It’s just a very slow system, and we're like we could speed this up at least one step of the way.”

With the help of a childhood friend on the technical side, over five months, he built the DSS website first, then converted it into an application and officially launched in mid-September.

After working on tug boats for two and a half years, John made the jump to yachting, starting as a deckhand and working his way up to officer during his eight years in the industry.

“It's kind of a win-win for the deckhand who gets their sea time, saves me hours [as an officer], and it saves management hours as well,” John shares. “So it's a win for everybody, and it's free.”

In the next DSS update, they’re looking to add AMSA certification, New Zealand certification, and NOE for the UK MCA route. Digital Sea Service is available on desktop and mobile via the App Store and Google Play.