Dual Use Goods: Improved matching in Dual Use Goods screening
What’s new:
Improved matching-logic in Dual Use Goods screening where a genuine match was not being surfaced when the screened item had no HS code on record — the system was requiring an HS code in order to return a matched phrase in the results.
Why it matters
- Dual Use Goods screening was reporting “No match found” even when a valid match existed, whenever the screened item had no HS code on record
- Fixed so a match on the phrase alone is now always surfaced
Why it matters
- AI-Assisted Bill of Lading Document Upload- Introducing a faster way to add a Bill of Lading and screen the shipper, consignee, carrier, vessel, goods description and the locations in a single workflow. Simply upload your Bill of Lading as a PDF, and PurpleTRAC will automatically extract the key information and pre-fill the form for you. Review the extracted details, make any edits if needed, and run your screening – no manual data entry required.
- Ship-to-Ship Pairing Detection Alerts – Introducing alerts for Ship-to-Ship (STS) Pairing activity on your tracked vessels. You will be notified when a new STS pairing is detected on a vessel that you are tracking. Another notification will alert you when the detected STS pairing event has ended. Dedicated alerts when a STS pairing is detected in a high-risk zone or high-risk country allows you to act quickly on the pairings that matter most.
Podium (Shipping & Offshore)
Feature 1: Security events from clear water dynamics
What’s new:
Podium now includes a new source of Security Events from Clearwater Dynamics (CWD), providing visibility into security incidents and maritime threats across key regions.
Security Events include incidents such as robbery, attacks, piracy, and other security-related activities, with details such as event title, date and time, location, description, and associated vessel information where available. Historical security events from the past year are also available.
Why it matters
Access to security events from Clearwater Dynamics helps customers stay informed about maritime security developments, understand potential risks across important shipping regions, and make better-informed decisions to support vessel safety and operational planning.
Feature 2: Mobile App Improvements
1. Updated Branding to Pole Star
What’s new
- The mobile app login screen now uses current Podium and logo.
- The app icon on users’ devices has been updated to the latest Pole Star branding.
Why it matters
- Ensures a consistent brand experience across Podium mobile, web and other Pole Star products.
- Makes the app easier to recognize on the home screen and in app catalogs.
2. Hide Vessel Labels on the Map
What’s new
- A new label visibility control lets users show or hide vessel labels (ship name, speed, course, etc.) on the chart.
- The app remembers the user’s preference, so the chosen setting persists across sessions.
Why it matters
- Reduces visual clutter for users managing large fleets, making it easier to focus on the underlying track and geography.
- Gives users more control over how much information is overlaid on the map, depending on their current task (overview vs detailed inspection).
3. Collapsible Vessel Detail Panel
What’s new
- The vessel detail drawer at the bottom of the screen is now collapsible instead of closing completely when a user taps on the map.
- When collapsed, the vessel name remains visible in the header, and the panel can be restored with a single tap.
Why it matters
- Users can now view the vessel’s track and keep context for the same vessel without having to go back to the fleet list and re‑select it.
- Reduces unnecessary navigation steps and makes it easier to switch between map and detail views while staying on the same vessel.
4. Manual Position Polling on Mobile
What’s new
Manual position polling, previously available only on web, has been brought to the mobile app with safeguards and audit support:
This is only available to customers who have the “Poll” feature flag enabled.
Why it matters
- Gives operations and admin users the ability to request on‑demand location updates when needed, directly from their phones.
Feature 3: Automated Communicator Activation & Deactivation from Podium
We have introduced an automated workflow for communicator activation and deactivation requests from Podium, reducing manual effort for supported communicator types and providing Support with visibility of requests that still require manual intervention.
User permission: Only admins can access these actions.
What’s New
- Automatic communicator activation
- Supported communicator types can now be activated automatically from Podium without requiring Support to manually process the request.
- The request status is updated as the activation progresses and completes.
- Automatic communicator deactivation
- Supported communicator types can now be deactivated automatically from Podium.
- This removes the need for Support to manually process deactivation requests for supported communicators.
- Manual intervention for unsupported communicator types
- Communicators that require actions in external systems continue to follow the existing manual process.
Benefits
- Reduces manual processing for routine communicator requests.
- Speeds up communicator activation and deactivation.
- Maintains the existing manual process where external-system intervention is required.
Feature 2: Automated Vessel Deregistration from Podium
We have introduced Vessel Deregistration in Podium to provide a structured and more reliable way to offboard vessels.
Previously, vessel offboarding involved multiple manual activities across Podium and Aloha, including handling subscriptions, communicators, and account relationships. The new deregistration flow brings these activities together into a controlled workflow and provides better visibility into the status of the deregistration.
User permission: Only admins can access these actions.
What’s New
1. Dedicated Vessel Deregistration Flow
Users can now initiate deregistration directly from the vessel details.
The deregistration flow guides the user through the required information before the vessel is removed from active operations.
Users are required to select a reason for deregistration, providing better visibility into why a vessel is being offboarded.
The available reasons include scenarios such as:
- Vessel sold
- Change of management
- Service no longer required
- Other
Users can also provide additional notes where required to capture relevant context for the deregistration request.
2. Parent and Child Account Support
The deregistration flow supports vessels that are associated with parent and child account relationships.
This reduces the risk of a vessel being marked inactive while an associated service or subscription continues to remain active.
Benefits
The new Vessel Deregistration flow provides:
- A single, structured process for vessel offboarding
- Clear reason capture for every deregistration
- Support for parent/child account relationships
- Automatic end of comms and AIS subscriptions
- SSAS deactivation as part of offboarding
- Reduced manual intervention and operational errors
- Retention of historical vessel data
Podium Voyage
Feature 1: Point to Point Routing
What’s new: Podium now lets users build routes from any position at sea, not just from port to port. Start and end points can be entered as ports or as coordinates, so routes reflect where a vessel actually is and where it needs to go.
- Enter start and end positions as coordinates in DD, DDM or DMS notation, with inline validation as you type.
- Save routes as Standard Routes and assign them to vessels for reuse across voyages.
- View position-based start and end points in both Podium Online and Podium Onboard.
Why it matters: Voyages rarely begin or end neatly at a port. Teams can plan from a vessel’s current location, an anchorage or a waypoint mid-ocean without workarounds or manual distance calculations. This gives more accurate route planning for operations, chartering, and voyage estimates.
Feature 2: ECA Breakdowns per Route
What’s new: Every route in Podium now shows how much of the voyage falls inside Emission Control Areas. Distances are split between ECA and non-ECA waters, so users can see the regulatory exposure of a route at a glance.
- See total route distance broken down into ECA and non-ECA distance.
- Compare ECA exposure across alternative routes before choosing one.
- Use industry-standard ECA boundaries for consistent, reliable results.
Why it matters: Time spent in ECA waters drives fuel choice, cost and compliance. Teams can estimate low-sulphur fuel requirements and compare route costs earlier in planning, without separate tools or manual chart work. This supports better bunkering, chartering, and compliance decisions.
Feature 3: ETA Calculations
What’s new: Podium now calculates estimated times of arrival for every route based on distance and planned speed. ETAs update as routes or speeds change, keeping arrival estimates aligned with the current plan.
- See a calculated ETA for each route as soon as it is created.
- Adjust speed and instantly see the effect on arrival time.
- Track how the latest ETA compares with the pre-voyage ETA as the voyage progresses.
Why it matters: Accurate arrival times are central to port calls, charter party commitments and commercial planning. Teams can test speed scenarios and communicate reliable ETAs to ports, charterers and agents without manual calculation.
Feature 4: Podium Onboard Optimisation
What’s new: Route optimisation is now available directly on the vessel through Podium Onboard. Crews can view and work with optimised routes on board, using the same weather-aware optimisation available to shore teams.
- View optimised routes alongside Standard Routes in dedicated tabs.
- Compare the optimised route against the planned route before acting on it.
Why it matters: Decisions at sea are made on the bridge, often with limited connectivity. Giving crews direct access to optimised routes means shore and ship work from the same plan, with less back and forth over email. This supports safer, more fuel-efficient voyages.
Meridia
Feature 1: Fleet Composition Tab
What’s new: Meridia now includes a Composition view for every fleet, turning key fleet attributes into clear visual summaries. The view highlights vessel type, class, flag, port of registry, build origin, builder, age, and size in one place.
- Filter by vessel flag, type, and class to focus each chart on the segment you need.
- Switch Size and Dimensions charts between available metrics for deeper analysis.
- Open the full vessel list to search, sort, and review the vessels behind each visual summary.
Why it matters: Teams can quickly understand a fleet’s overall profile and investigate specific segments, such as the age profile of Panama-flagged bulk carriers, without exporting data or building spreadsheets. This supports faster compliance, chartering, and operational decisions.
Feature 2: Fleet Events Tab
Feature title: Track Fleet-Wide Events in One Place
What’s new: Meridia now provides a consolidated, searchable event log for every vessel in a fleet. The view brings port calls, zone transits, and voyage-based events into one place, helping teams monitor activity without checking vessels one by one.
- Search across fleet-wide events to find specific vessels, activities, or time periods quickly.
- Customize the columns shown so each team can focus on the details most relevant to its workflow.
- Export event data for offline reporting, analysis, or follow-up action.
Why it matters: Operations and compliance teams can see fleet-wide activity in a single view, identify relevant events faster, and export the exact data they need. This reduces manual checking and supports quicker reporting and decision-making.
