We quiz top names on what tech breakthroughs the industry might see in the coming 12 months in the concluding chapter of our shipmanagement magazine. Digitalisation is no breakthrough anymore, says Tim Ponath, CEO of Germany’s NSB Group, but it has by far not yet reached the end of its effectiveness. Artificial Intelligence and other technologies have the potential, he says, to streamline processes and collect real-time data on various parameters. Those applications can provide valuable insights into vessel performance, fuel consumption, maintenance scheduling, and route optimisation. “Implemented and used wisely, these technologies lead to highly efficient and transparent shipmanagement,” Ponath tells Splash. Manish Singh, CEO of shipping advisory Aboutships, has also been keeping a firm eye on maritime’s adoption of AI. Vessels can transition towards an application-centric environment “We are seeing early adopters within maritime sector embrace AI with varying degrees of effectiveness. There, however, seems to be a trend to stick GPT at the end of maritime terms and rush out applications as businesses hurriedly take their seats in the maritime AI theatre,” Singh says. “Often this is happening prematurely, without optimal data architecture and before appropriate policy and resilience frameworks are put in place.” Setting the scene for the endless possibilities afforded by AI adoption, Vikrant Gusain, the CEO of Dubai-based Dockendale Ship Management, muses, “Imagine a ship where ChatGPT becomes a virtual crewmember, continuously analysing vast datasets, weather patterns, traffic patterns, and navigational hazards. This AI companion not only enhances real-time decision-making but also serves as a tireless assistant, offering insights, suggestions, and predictions that empower the crew to navigate with unparalleled precision.” Vinay Gupta, managing director of Singapore’s Union Marine Management Services, also wants to talk transparency when quizzed, but he’s coming at the discussion from a slightly different angle. One of the biggest challenges today for owners, he reckons, is the transparency in terms of the performance of each eco-device that gets fitted and a clear pathway for the owners to choose the right solution in the short term. “I hope there is a common platform where the success and failure of the devices and experiments are documented and information shared for a common good,” he says. EU ETS “The rise of digital continues to be a powerful tool for our industry, from using it to plan more efficient routes to creating decarbonisation plans,” says René Kofod-Olsen, the CEO of V.Group. “Sustainability and the drive towards decarbonisation are at the forefront of shipowners’ and shipmanagers’ minds,” he says. Around 80% of reductions in emissions over the next decade will come from optimisation of current assets, Kofod-Olsen reckons. According to Olav Nortun, chief operating officer at OSM Thome, in the coming 12 months significant technological breakthroughs may reshape the landscape of shipmanagement, particularly in response to regulatory changes such as the inclusion of shipping into the European Union’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). A huge opportunity for cross-sector optimisation is being missed “This integration,” he says, “is poised to significantly impact operational costs, prompting a critical need for technologies that enable shipmanagers and owners to operate vessels with reduced emissions.” In this regard, he s