ABS Wavesight LISW Panel: Digitalization, Data and a Single Source of Truth

Where does true value lie in maritime digitalization? How are shipowners leveraging improvements in data quality and how can a single source of truth support and inform decision-making? To kick-off London International Shipping Week, ABS Wavesight assembled a panel of industry leaders to seek out the answers, with CEO Staci Satterwhite asking the questions.

The panel - made up of Robert Gaina, SVP, Commercial at Ardmore Shipping, Niraj Nanda, Chief Commercial Officer at Anglo-Eastern and Robert Desai, Chief Executive Officer at V. Ships – had the task of unpacking the shipping industry’s progress in successfully adopting digital tools.

• Finding Value

To Robert Gaina, the definition of digitalization is “finding simplicity in complexity and identifying the areas of greatest value: regulatory compliance and operational efficiency across the board”.

For Ardmore, the ability to leverage a single source of truth in its data is in reality a process of creating trust, he explained. “A single source removes the debate and generates trust in commercial and technical functions and is something you can share externally to charterers and finance providers” he added.

Niraj Nanda cast digitalization as a process that enables collaboration across functions that can transform decision-making and drive operational excellence. “The result is strategic leadership. It’s not just a tech upgrade; it’s a functional transformation in how we manage complex maritime systems,” he said.

Nanda identified the ability to unify data as the source of greatest value – a single source of truth, sharing validated, verified information across stakeholders. “Making processes more automated also reduces administration for crew and offices because you eliminate repeated reporting,” he added.

Robert Desai took the discussion further. He pointed to the fact that very large, corporate owners are the exception in shipping, not the rule. Most are asset light and less focused on the opportunities that better digital technology might bring them.

“Digitalization is the opportunity to bridge that gap and create a new and different paradigm where compliance and operational decisions are based on the idea of horizontal decision making,” he suggested.

“Traditionally Shipping doesn’t run like that, but if we can break through that barrier, we can make decisions that really add stakeholder value. It’s the kind of step change digital can deliver.”

The question of a single source of truth is one that answers itself, he argued. The alternative is the confusion and conflict that too often exists now. The competing interests that define so much of the shipping business mean that competitive players increasingly need the best data at their fingertips.

Image courtesy ABS Wavesight

• Data Quality

Issues around data quality continue to create obstacles, but Niraj Nanda contended that support is available. While industry fragmentation is undeniable, ship managers with the appropriate scale can help, with proven platforms in place for shipowners to adopt without needing to build from scratch.  

“The systems are tried and tested and reflect your goals – whether that’s emission tracking, predictive maintenance, or business decisions. The right strategy is to choose the parts that best reflect your ambitions,” he said.

The ability to operate a full-scale fleet performance center simply wasn’t possible a few years ago but is now proven in real-world business cases for digital-driven optimisation. “Our Fleet Performance Center monitored over 640 vessels in 2024, cutting fuel use by 63,000+ MT and CO₂ by 189,000+ MT, saving USD 38 million,” said Nanda.

“One of our ambitions is to use high speed data from ships at sea to improve visibility and maintenance of onboard assets - this has been achieved by our Asset Management & Technical Support Division, using high-frequency telemetry, predictive maintenance algorithms, and AI-assisted dashboards. These insights power condition-based maintenance, reduce downtime, and extend asset life, transforming ship management from reactive to proactive, data-driven operations. As data quality increases, so reliability grows.”

Robert Gaina acknowledged that the path to data quality can mean taking a sledgehammer to the silos and, even then, being prepared for a long rebuilding process.

“Digital solutions enable you to break silos and once you all have same data there’s not going to be any debate,” he explained. “Our belief is that efficiency creates top line revenue, we’ve been looking at how to improve performance from day one. In 2013 we shared our ambition to eliminate multiple noon reports. It’s 2025 are we are still fighting that battle.”

V.Ships employs AI to predict risk that Robert Desai believes can help change the traditional shipping mindset. The practical challenges include how to deploy cutting edge technology on existing vessels across a global fleet which spans leaders and laggards. “I’m in favor of the idea of borrowing from other industries rather than waiting 10 years for shipping to figure it out. If we don’t do that, we will increasingly find ourselves on a path where what the shipping industry can deliver diverges from what the IMO demands.”

• What Matters Most

So, what is the one metric that shipowners need to focus on in a period of transition that promises to be a bumpy ride, but one whose opportunities are unarguable?

“For us the key metric is commercial agility that is applicable at all levels,” said Robert Gaina. “High quality data gives us the flexibility and ability to move as we see new ways to make gains.”

Niraj Nanda suggested operational efficiency would always be the critical differentiator. “By constantly measuring, we can make gains and cost savings from data, improve crew wellbeing and simplify our processes.”

Robert Desai advocated for the human factor, expanding from compliance to the near horizon. “We can use technology to help our people to change their thinking and make better decisions. Big capital investments are difficult for a number of reasons, but we shouldn’t miss the low hanging fruit and the opportunity to challenge how our people work and how we can help them improve.”