ShipSure puts data heritage to work to improve operations and management.

 

By Stephen MacFarlane

The global maritime landscape has never been more complex. Globalization, geopolitics and decarbonization have created an intricate web of interconnected systems where every decision, event, or disruption has ripple effects across industries, market segments, and businesses.

A push for decarbonization in the EU, with regulations such as EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime, is just the start. Soon, other regulators will move to implement their own emissions reduction measures, which will increase regulatory complexity and cost and raise long-term questions around fleet efficiency investments, strategies for trading carbon credits, charter party agreements, and more. Meanwhile, the ongoing Red Sea challenges are also driving increased complexity and volatility in the industry. The extra routing requirements associated with avoiding the Red Sea passage mean that the equivalent of 6 to 7 percent of shipping capacity has been taken off the market.

Brewing below the surface is a myriad of overlapping developments, from conflict in Eastern Europe affecting thousands of seafarers to the return of Donald Trump to the White House, all coalescing to form one of shipping’s most transformative periods.

For ship managers and operators, this means our job becomes more about expertise and global scale. Nimbly navigating the interconnected web of industry challenges is a delicate balancing act.

Of course, these challenges also bring opportunities. The key to thriving in a volatile landscape lies in strategic adaptability, and in this context, ship managers can act as critical partners by guiding businesses through unpredictable waters, leveraging their expertise and experience to keep operations on track.

While headline grabbers such as geopolitics and environmental regulations have been significant disruptors, one of the most transformative forces reshaping the shipping industry has been digitalization. It has already revolutionized how businesses operate, offering technologies that enhance safety, optimize energy usage, improve decision making and unlock new levels of commercial efficiency.

Digitalization has delivered groundbreaking results, from real-time tracking and predictive analytics to advanced fuel management systems and AI-driven maintenance. These tools offer opportunities to streamline operations, reduce costs and meet tightening regulatory requirements.

However, like all innovations, the path to digitalization has not been smooth. The explosion of new technologies and software providers over the past decade has created a crowded and competitive marketplace. Startups and established players alike have rushed to offer solutions, each claiming to be the next game-changer.

For shipowners, this presents a significant dilemma. How do you identify which solutions are genuinely effective? Making the wrong choice can create more problems than it solves. Poorly implemented software can lead to information silos, duplication of efforts, communication breakdowns, and missed opportunities to leverage data for strategic insights. In large organizations, this risk is magnified when different departments or regional offices adopt different technologies that do not integrate seamlessly. Instead of solving problems, these fragmented solutions can amplify them.

In such a saturated digital marketplace, shipowners need more than flashy promises. Proven experience, a strong track record and digital heritage have become the most significant differentiators.

The Benefits of Data Heritage

One of the most valuable benefits of digital heritage is access to historical data. Solutions with a proven track record may have amassed years, even decades, of data that provide unparalleled insights into operations, fuel consumption, maintenance patterns and environmental performance.

Take the industry’s decarbonization challenge, for example. Companies with access to rich historical data can use this information to develop more precise strategies for meeting compliance targets. By analyzing trends in energy use, emissions, and vessel performance, shipowners can identify inefficiencies, optimize routes, and implement solutions that reduce fuel consumption while meeting regulatory standards. This proactive approach is only possible with the foundations of robust, reliable data.

Digital platforms, such as V.Group’s ShipSure, provide the industry with extensive data and insights to manage vessels and navigate evolving challenges with confidence. With a rich data heritage built up over many years, it is a critical part of the toolkit to make informed, strategic and data-driven decisions.

The power of data lies not just in its existence but in its breadth. Companies with access to vast data sets can gain clearer, more authoritative insights; the kind that smaller providers cannot offer. In a market where every commercial decision can have significant financial and operational consequences, the ability to trust in data is critical. The larger the data set, the clearer the patterns and trends become, which means shipowners can make informed, confident decisions based on trusted insights rather than guesswork or incomplete information.

At the heart of digital heritage lies the data flywheel effect. In simple terms, this is the process by which data compounds over time; the more data a company collects, the better its ability becomes to analyze and extract actionable insights from that data. These insights drive improvements in operations, which in turn generate more data to be collected and analyzed. This creates a continuous cycle of data collection, analysis, and action that fuels ongoing innovation and improvement.

For example, a digital platform that collects data on fuel consumption, maintenance schedules, and weather conditions can identify inefficiencies and suggest optimizations. Over time, these improvements become increasingly precise and impactful as the system learns from more data. The result is a perpetual cycle of enhanced performance, reduced costs and greater resilience.

Another example of the benefits of deep historical data would be in the world of maintenance. It is well known that predictive maintenance powered by data analytics can significantly reduce downtime and repair costs. By analyzing historical maintenance data alongside real-time performance indicators, shipowners can anticipate when equipment is likely to fail and schedule maintenance proactively. This not only saves costs but also minimizes operational disruptions.

Ultimately, the full potential of data is unlocked when it can be coupled with human expertise. While data and digital platforms provide all the right insights, it’s human decision making that ensures these insights are applied effectively in real-world scenarios, that their implications are understood, and that the customer’s trust is maintained.

This dynamic was recently demonstrated when a major cruise line engaged V.Group to support its energy performance management. Combining the expertise of three naval architects, alongside robust vessel efficiency data that were drawn from automated processes on board, V. provided consultancy on ways the cruise line could identify potential savings and take corrective action.

The team looked at a range of areas that contribute to fuel savings, from hull and propeller cleaning to voyage optimization, evaluating the estimated fuel losses per leg due to higher average speeds and extra fuel consumption at ports. Using the data, technical expertise, and a collaborative approach between crew, customer, and data experts, the cruise line was able to build a strategy that would see it save 25 tonnes of fuel per month per vessel across its 20-strong fleet.

In other words, captured vessel data combined with human expertise unlocked measurable upsides for the cruise operator. This is only possible when both forces can work in tandem with each other—and when the vast reams of ship data being gathered on board can be harnessed, understood, and interpreted by digital applications.

Conclusion

The journey toward digitalization is not about adopting the latest technology for the sake of it; it is about choosing the right partner, one with the expertise, experience and digital heritage to deliver meaningful, long-term results to future-proof operations. The right partner will have a proven track record of success, a comprehensive understanding of the industry’s unique challenges, and the ability to integrate solutions seamlessly across an organization’s operations.

The shipping industry’s challenges are not going away. Geopolitical instability, environmental pressures and technological disruption will continue to shape the future. The companies that thrive will be those that embrace adaptability, leverage the power of data, and choose partners with global scale and expertise.

Shipowners must understand their past to chart a confident course for the future. By blending historical data with advanced technologies and actionable insights, businesses can proactively manage risks, optimize operations, and drive sustainable growth.

Stephen MacFarlane is the chief information officer of V.Group.