Shipping’s Data Problem: From Overload to Insight
Vessel owners of every size, shape and locale today face a mounting opportunity and challenge: effectively utilizing all of the data coming from their vessels, their fleets, and putting that information to work to make maritime operations more efficient and profitable.
At “The Business of Shipping” panel on Day 1 of the Connecticut Maritime Association’s Shipping 2026 conference, a senior executive from a leading gas carrier operator put it plainly: “Our ships produce massive amounts of data … so much of it is captured … we don’t know what to do with it.”
That statement neatly captures the state of maritime digitalization today. Ships are now fully connected assets, continuously transmitting data ashore via satellite networks—both traditional geostationary VSAT systems, such as those provided by Inmarsat (now part of Viasat), and increasingly through low-earth orbit (LEO) systems like Starlink. Hybrid solutions, combining both, are emerging to improve speed and reliability.
The pipes are in place. The problem is what comes next.
Image courtesty Vega Reederei
From Data Capture to Data Confusion
Over the past decade, pressure to improve operational efficiency and meet emissions regulations has driven a surge in digital tools. These systems monitor everything from fuel consumption to engine performance, feeding both regulatory reporting frameworks — such as EU ETS — and internal analytics, including digital twin applications.
Consultancy Thetius described modern vessels as “dynamic digital hubs of connectivity and insight,” but noted a persistent issue: the data itself remains fragmented.
As operations grow more complex and regulatory scrutiny intensifies, this fragmentation becomes costly. Data sits across platforms, inboxes, and spreadsheets, limiting its usefulness.
Chris Aversano of Wood Mackenzie sees the challenge less as technical and more human. “The issue isn’t the data itself,” he said. “It’s what that data does to people and how it changes the way they work.”
Regulation Driving Integration
Regulation is accelerating the push toward integration. In March 2026, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) approved a Strategy on Maritime Digitalization focused on interoperability, standardization, and data governance across jurisdictions.
Classification societies are positioning themselves at the center of this shift.
DNV’s Veracity platform, for example, aggregates vessel data and distributes it to both operators and regulators. Its Emissions Connect module supports FuelEU compliance, including emissions reporting, credit banking, and fleet-level pooling.
Similarly, Lloyd’s Register has consolidated its offerings into the OneOcean platform, aiming to unify data across safety, compliance, and operations. As Tony Brown, SVP of Product at OneOcean, notes, the industry is moving toward “a single ecosystem of decision-making tools that connect ship and shore.”
The Push Toward a Single Source of Truth
The concept of a “single source of truth” is central to current digitalization efforts. Poor integration between ship and shore systems continues to slow decision-making and increase operational risk.
DNV’s Craig Koehne emphasized this point at CMA, noting that shipowners are increasingly focused on “data-driven operations”—bringing more data ashore to enable faster, more accurate decisions.
Artificial intelligence is part of the equation, but cautiously so. While AI can enhance analytics and automation, concerns around validation, trust, and safety remain—particularly in mission-critical functions like navigation and maintenance.
Breaking Down Silos—Or Creating New Ones?
Despite advances, data silos remain a major obstacle.
Aversano highlights a cultural dimension to the issue. At the executive level, data integration is widely accepted as inevitable. But at the operational level, reactions are mixed.
Greater transparency can improve efficiency, but it also exposes decision-making processes. “Once systems are connected across departments, there’s less room to hide,” he said. “That brings accountability—and sometimes resistance.”
For crew and operational staff, the shift can feel more like surveillance than support. Increased reporting requirements and real-time monitoring add to workloads already strained by new fuels, routing complexities, and daily operational demands.
Image courtesy MOL
Platforms, Partnerships and the Digital Ecosystem
Technology providers are responding with integrated platforms and partnerships.
Bureau Veritas has taken a stake in Orbit-MI, linking emissions compliance tools with broader operational software ecosystems. Orbit-MI, in turn, is integrating with platforms such as Veson Nautical and SEDNA to unify commercial and operational data flows.
Cyprus-based Columbia Ship Management is advancing a similar model, deploying Starlink connectivity across its fleet and integrating operations through the One-Link platform. The system combines voyage optimization, emissions tracking, and commercial analytics into a single interface.
One-Link CEO Pankaj Sharma describes the goal succinctly: creating “a shared operational reality” between ship and shore, where decisions are based on real-time data rather than delayed reporting.
The Human Factor
For all the technology, the human element remains central—and unresolved.
Aversano, a former seafarer, points to growing concerns among crews. Real-time visibility from shore can feel intrusive, while automation raises questions about long-term roles. At the same time, each new system adds to onboard workload.
This tension — between efficiency and burden, insight and oversight — may ultimately define the success of maritime digitalization.
The industry has solved the problem of collecting data. The next challenge is turning that data into actionable insight without overwhelming the people expected to use it. As one executive put it at CMA: the data is there. The value is not, at least not yet.
Until the industry can bridge that gap, shipping’s digital transformation will remain a work in progress.
AI & Maritime
On the horizon, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is entering the maritime realm. One entrant, Orca AI, an automation specialist, now offers platforms linking the vessel bridge and the shore-side office. The company reports that its kit is deployed aboard more than 1,200 vessels- with customers including MSC, NYK, Seaspan, Gram Car Carriers, and Maran Tankers. A deal in the works with ship manager Anglo-Eastern is expected to bring Orca AI’s vessel count to more than 2,000 ships. In a recent analysis conducted by North Standard, a leading mutual provider of P & I insurance, looking at 139 deepsea container ships trading globally, the results showed a 52% reduction in “high-severity close encounters” within 12 months of deploying the Orca AI platform. According to North Standard, “…AI situational awareness can strengthen performance regardless of legacy bridge hardware.”
The Cargo Side
Much of the activity in maritime digitalization (and movement of data) discussed here occurs on the vessel side. But, similarly, the cargo side of the business has also seen islands of development but without centrality- as logistics data is often viewed as being proprietary. One unsuccessful attempt at innovation saw TradeLens, a joint venture between two giants in their respective arenas, Maersk and IBM, built around blockchain, shut down in 2022. Perhaps looking towards the future, two large competing U.S. West Coast ports (Long Beach- POLB and Los Angeles- POLA) are working together. At an early 2026 State of the Port event, POLA’s Executive Director Gene Seroka highlighted that its “Port Optimizer” (a cloud based digital logistics platform developed by WABTEC) was being linked to a similar trucking appointment data system across the Bay at POLB. Similar to Danelec and solutions aimed at vessels, emissions reduction has been a driving force in the ports’ efforts- perhaps offering a clue into ways forward.