Page 26: of Marine News Magazine (May 2026)

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Data

Digitalization

Orca AIOrca AI

SHIPPING’S DATA PROBLEM:

FROM OVERLOAD TO INSIGHT

By Barry Parker essel owners of every size, shape and locale emerging to improve speed and reliability.

today face a mounting opportunity and The pipes are in place. The problem is what comes next.

challenge: effectively utilizing all of the data coming from their vessels, their ? eets, and From Data Capture to Data Confusion putting that information to work to make Over the past decade, pressure to improve operational

V maritime operations more ef? cient and pro? table. ef? ciency and meet emissions regulations has driven a surge

At “The Business of Shipping” panel on Day 1 of the Con- in digital tools. These systems monitor everything from fuel necticut Maritime Association’s Shipping 2026 conference, consumption to engine performance, feeding both regula- a senior executive from a leading gas carrier operator put it tory reporting frameworks — such as EU ETS — and in- plainly: “Our ships produce massive amounts of data … so ternal analytics, including digital twin applications.

much of it is captured … we don’t know what to do with it.” Consultancy Thetius described modern vessels as “dy-

That statement neatly captures the state of maritime namic digital hubs of connectivity and insight,” but noted digitalization today. Ships are now fully connected as- a persistent issue: the data itself remains fragmented.

sets, continuously transmitting data ashore via satellite As operations grow more complex and regulatory scrutiny networks—both traditional geostationary VSAT systems, intensi? es, this fragmentation becomes costly. Data sits across such as those provided by Inmarsat (now part of Viasat), platforms, inboxes, and spreadsheets, limiting its usefulness.

and increasingly through low-earth orbit (LEO) systems Chris Aversano of Wood Mackenzie sees the challenge like Starlink. Hybrid solutions, combining both, are less as technical and more human. “The issue isn’t the data 26 | MN May 2026