Catch up on the latest activities from the Marine Stores Guide
Over the last years, the MSG has implemented Industry-changing developments and completely overhauled its capabilities to offer more tools, services and improvements than ever before, serving us now and into the future.
You may have missed some of the many announcements the MSG has had recently, so please read on to find out more about what is here now and what is coming in the future.
Data Licence
The most popular way to access the MSG is with a Data Licence; this gives you the entire MSG catalogue in Excel format (which can be imported into purchase and supply systems) and access to the MSGO at no extra cost!
Our team are currently working on a range of new options for our Data Licence that will launch alongside our new Offline Digital Catalogue coming later this year!
Provisions Catalogue
Over 1,000 items have been added to our provisions (00) category in the Marine Store Guide. Each has a high-definition full-colour image making this the largest and most significant update to the MSG Data in many years!
The provisions catalogue also includes many international delicacies and ingredients, including coverage for country-specific needs for crews on vessels of varying nationalities.
Every Data Licence holder has received these exciting new updates in their latest data release, and every new customer who buys the data will get them also!
Offline Digital Catalogue
The latest development for the MSG could be our biggest yet! A brand-new platform and service will launch later this year that will allow users to browse and search the MSG Data in its entirety, make custom additions to their own catalogues and much more; what's even better is that this will be available fully offline, perfect for use onboard vessels at sea!
Leveraging the MSG Data available through the MSG API and the latest digital technologies, we will be able to deliver a reference tool and platform like never before.
We will be sharing more on this in the upcoming months, so watch this space!
The 8th Edition
The Marine Stores Guide 8th Edition is Currently in Development. With each new edition of the MSG, our team adds a wealth of new updates, including new items, fixes and updates to current items in the guide and the removal of unnecessary items, all of which keep the data of the MSG up to date with industry needs.
The 8th edition of the MSG will be the most environmentally focussed to date! We are working with our industry colleagues to include several sustainable products as alternatives to current MSG stores that will have drastically less impact our environment. Our team have partnered with an industry working group who are in the process of identifying replacement items that offer more sustainable values, such as being recyclable, having a longer lifespan or being produced with more environmentally friendly materials.
MSG Online
The MSGO is a free benefit to all MSG Data Licence holders that, for the first time, allows them to browse
the MSGO on any internet-connected device, search (by six-digit code, keyword and category), save stores (by adding them to a handy session basket) and export them into a CSV file that can be sent to suppliers, for example.
Users have reported using the service for many purposes, from daily use when placing and taking orders to using it as a reference when planning and building entire brand-new vessels!
IHM Tool
The 'IHM Relevancy Check' is available now and is offered as an extension for MSG Data Licence holders, made possible through the Marine Stores Guide Online Service (MSGO). It allows users to export their session baskets to be evaluated in the digital solution provided by NautilusLog by comparing them with the constantly updated rules of GSR Services, which includes a thoroughly reviewed IMPA catalogue.
The relevancy information specifies whether IHM documentation (SDoC & MD) for a line item is required or not; this prevents unnecessary requests and reduces the workload for all involved to the bare minimum (shipowners, suppliers and maritime supply-chains) and eases IHM compliance for all. The results are then delivered to the user by email.
All of this is achieved by the simple click of a button!
MSG API
The MSG API allows our team to develop new applications and handle the MSG data in a brand-new way, live and online. The first example of a new application using the MSG API data is the MSGO, which is updated on the fly with a live feed to the API data, meaning as soon as new updates appear in the API, they also appear in the MSGO.
Users of the MSG API will soon be able to gain access via a secure key-based login and have a live feed to the MSG Data. This gives the user the ability to constantly access the data and receive live updates as they happen on the API and no longer need to update their system with the Microsoft Excel-based data via twice-per-year releases. Furthermore, this will also aid in combatting the illegal use and sharing of the MSG Data files. This capability particularly suits MSG partners and Data resellers who offer software solutions for management and procurement in the maritime industry.
We are already working with partners to incorporate and test the MSG API in their systems and will continue developing the API's capabilities throughout 2022 and beyond.
