The Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) has granted type approval to WAYSHIP, an electronic record book developed by Volteo Maritime, clearing the way for ships to replace statutory paper records with a single digital platform.

The approval covers a range of records that ships have traditionally maintained in physical form. Moving them into a digital environment is designed to improve access to operational information while simplifying record management and verification for owners, crews and inspectors alike.

What WAYSHIP covers

The platform handles the core statutory logbooks: engine and deck logbooks, oil record books, ballast water record books and garbage record books. It also supports several records required under MARPOL Annex VI, including documentation for fuel changeovers, NOx Tier II and Tier III switching, volatile organic compounds and exhaust gas cleaning systems.

That MARPOL Annex VI coverage matters commercially. Compliance documentation around fuel sulphur caps, Tier III emissions control areas and scrubber operations has become a frequent point of friction during port state inspections. Digital records that inspectors can verify quickly reduce the risk of detention-triggering paperwork gaps and cut the administrative load on crews.

IRS says electronic record books can improve the consistency and accessibility of operational information. Digital records can also support inspections, verification and data analysis while reducing reliance on paper documentation.

"The approval of Volteo Maritime's Electronic Record Book is a significant step in supporting the adoption of digital technologies across the maritime sector," said Tapesh Ghosh, HOD Type and Works Approval at IRS.

Structured data, not just paper replacement

Volteo Maritime frames the approval as more than a shift in format. The company sees the digitalisation of shipboard records as a first step toward making operational data available for more advanced applications.

Surendra Lingareddy, Founder and CEO of Volteo Maritime, said moving logbooks and operational reports from paper to digital formats creates structured data that can later be used through APIs and artificial intelligence applications.

For shipowners, that points to a longer arc: once engine logs, fuel changeovers and ballast records exist as structured data rather than handwritten entries, they can feed performance monitoring, emissions reporting and predictive maintenance systems without manual transcription.

The type approval certificate was presented to Lingareddy at the IRS headquarters in Mumbai.

With class approval secured, WAYSHIP now moves from certification to fleet-level uptake, and IRS's endorsement signals that digital record books are steadily moving from pilot projects toward standard practice across the maritime sector.