UnDocked: The Maritime Transformation Show

Seatrade Maritime’s Marcus Hand joins Nick Chubb and Raal Harris to unpack Crew Connect 2026 in Manila: a crewing agenda reshaped by geopolitical risk, emerging technology and persistent workforce pressures. They explore what the industry’s more candid debates reveal about seafarer safety, training, fatigue and the future of maritime careers.CHAPTERS03:49 What has changed in crewing?08:31 Geopolitics and seafarer safety16:09 Alternative fuels and training costs21:37 AI, digital skills and technostress28:13 Welfare, fatigue and career progression35:58 Rethinking the seafarer shortage40:25 Inclusion and changing career expectations44:35 Connectivity and ship-shore communication52:14 Uncertainty and the industry's prioritiesReflecting on Crew Connect in Manila, Raal Harris and Seatrade Maritime's Marcus Hand bring Nick Chubb up to speed on a conference where geopolitics displaced much of the traditional technical agenda. For the Philippines, conflict-zone risks are not abstract: seafarer safety is both a national priority and a family concern.The conversation examines who pays for alternative-fuel training, the growing influence of AI and the uneven digital skills of incoming seafarers. Welfare debates are becoming more practical, with fatigue, career progression and employment models exposing weaknesses in how shipping recruits and retains talent. Even the familiar seafarer shortage narrative faces scrutiny, particularly the distinction between available applicants and experienced officers.Finally, the trio consider lessons from cruise-sector employment practices and whether improved connectivity is genuinely helping crews or introducing new workloads and dependencies. The overriding theme is uncertainty, and the importance of more candid industry conversations.EPISODE PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by OneOceanOn Tuesday 17 November, Nick Chubb will host the next webinar in OneOcean's See Further series, asking: what does effective loss prevention actually look like in practice?When something goes wrong on one ship, how do you make sure another crew doesn't face the same problem?He will be joined by Christopher Saunders, Chief Maritime Officer at RightShip, and John Hissey from OneOcean, who spent four years working in loss prevention at Britannia P&I.The event will use real case studies to explore how operators can recognise risks earlier, learn from incidents and prevent them happening again.It's live at 11 am GMT, and you can register using this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/5617944785391/WN_d7RP_oc6Rqy2ezufNzjiZg

Digitalising seafarer credentials sounds straightforward, but replacing paper certificates with PDFs only solves part of the problem. In this episode of UnDocked, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris discuss new Thetius research into making crew qualifications more secure, interoperable and seafarer-friendly. They also cover Baltic maritime surveillance, GPS spoofing, a potential solution to shipping's 'sail fast and wait' problem and robotic hull cleaning.CHAPTERS05:20 Crew Connect Manila06:14 Thetius research into digital seafarer certification10:30 Why PDF certificates aren't digital transformation15:55 The risks of losing seafarer certificates19:27 Nick creates a fake certificate using Claude in 11 minutes20:54 How secure digital credentials could work24:43 Offline verification and connectivity challenges27:41 The interoperability challenge across flag states29:56 Industry recommendations and who should pay35:06 Why seafarer trust and adoption matter37:59 Bornholm's maritime surveillance mystery43:17 AIS vulnerabilities and tracking dark vessels45:01 GPS spoofing, jamming and maritime navigation risks46:38 What happens when a ship loses GPS?50:45 Could computer vision revive celestial navigation?51:46 StormGeo acquires Portchain: just-in-time arrivals56:12 Robotics, shipyard jobs and automationNick and Raal begin with Securing Trust: The Transition to Digital Seafarer Credentials, new research from Thetius commissioned by Maritime Passport.The report examines how shipping can move beyond fragmented paper-based certification towards a system that allows qualifications to be securely issued, held and independently verified.Nick recounts the experience of a master mariner carrying 4kg of certificates and demonstrates how he created a convincing fake training certificate using AI in just 11 minutes.They discuss the importance of common standards, protecting personal information, offline verification and ensuring seafarers retain control over their credentials without having to pay for access to their right to work.The conversation then moves to an unusual story from the Danish island of Bornholm, where a mysterious request to install coastal surveillance cameras eventually leads to Windward's acquisition of Azimut AI. Nick explains how computer vision could help track vessels operating without AIS.Raal raises concerns about GPS interference, prompting a discussion about the vulnerability of interconnected bridge systems and whether traditional navigation skills, including celestial navigation, deserve renewed attention.Next, StormGeo's acquisition of Portchain offers a potential route towards better coordination between vessel arrivals and terminal availability, tackling the persistent inefficiency of ships sailing at speed only to wait outside port.Finally, Cargill's partnership with Neptune Robotics brings robotic hull cleaning into focus, with Nick and Raal considering the opportunities for safer maintenance and improved vessel efficiency.Read the Thetius report:https://thetius.com/securing-trust-the-transition-to-digital-seafarer-credentials/EPISODE PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by Insight.What if compliance simply happened as your business operated, instead of being chased after the fact?That's the advantage of building NIS2 cyber requirements, IMO safety compliance and EU ETS reporting directly into operational workflows from the outset — not bolted on afterwards. Insight and SmartSea make that possible with an integrated digital approach that keeps these requirements running in the background of daily operations, not as a separate compliance project.Because when compliance is built into how the fleet runs, it becomes another driver of performance, not a drag on it.Protect your maritime estate with Insight.

Does keeping a human in the loop always produce better results? Heather Carroll, Chief Revenue Officer at Path Robotics, joins Nick Chubb and Raal Harris on UnDocked to explore how physical AI is changing robotic welding and what this could mean for shipbuilding, skilled workers and the future of maritime manufacturing.CHAPTERS00:00 – Heather's journey into robotic welding02:53 – Robots, jobs and the shortage of welders05:53 – How AI learns to weld through practice09:07 – The origins of Path Robotics16:01 – Why conventional automation struggles in shipyards17:17 – Rove: the robot dog that can weld19:16 – How automation could change skilled work21:55 – The submarine welder's extraordinary working conditions23:55 – Rebuilding American shipbuilding capacity34:32 – HII, Path Robotics and the HYPR programme41:58 – What tomorrow's shipyards could look like48:09 – Weld quality, inspection and costly rework53:23 – Could robotic maintenance eventually move onboard?56:51 – Challenging the human-in-the-loop assumption1:01:24 – How AI operates within welding standards1:06:06 – NAVSEA, ABS and accepting robotic welding1:09:31 – Resilience, reshoring and future shipbuildingHeather's interest in welding is personal. Her husband operated a manufacturing business that struggled to find skilled welders, a problem that eventually contributed to his decision to sell it.She explains how Path Robotics trains its Obsidian AI model using real-world welding data, why conventional industrial robots struggle with shipbuilding and how mobile systems such as Rove might offer new possibilities.The discussion covers Path's collaboration with Saronic and its work with HII and GrayMatter Robotics. Heather also describes the working conditions faced by a submarine welder, raising difficult questions about safety and how skilled labour is used.Later, the conversation turns to an assumption familiar across maritime AI: that a human should always remain in the loop. Heather makes the case for allowing trained models to adapt within approved welding procedures, while acknowledging where human involvement and technical oversight remain essential.Nick and Raal also explore the potential for robotic maintenance at sea, the challenges of gaining technical acceptance and what a more automated shipbuilding industry could look like.EPISODE PARTNERAdding another digital system to the fleet is easy. Getting it to work seamlessly with everything else is where the real work starts.Disconnected platforms create duplicate data, manual workarounds and unnecessary complexity across a fleet. Insight and SmartSea bring it together through a common integration layer connecting onboard operations, applications and data into one end-to-end environment — a fleet that's easier to manage, easier to scale, and ready for whatever comes next.Because the best technology doesn't work in isolation. It works together.Connect your fleet with Insight. #UnDocked #Shipbuilding #PhysicalAI #MaritimeTechnology #Robotics

SummaryRecorded live at the Digital Ships Summit in Athens, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris debate whether shipping should prioritise efficiency or resilience as AI reshapes technology decisions. From vendor dependence and workforce skills to governance and boardroom accountability, they ask how operators can embrace automation without surrendering control or flexibility.CHAPTERS00:20 IT's move from support to strategy04:50 Episode partner: trusted fleet data05:33 Efficiency or resilience?09:42 Vendor lock-in and skills fade15:14 Transforming organisations for AI17:10 Leadership and AI governance21:55 Measuring returns and building capability27:11 Audience: data risks and shadow AI32:29 Digital twins and human resilienceLive at the Digital Ships Summit in Athens, Nick and Raal begin with IT's move from back-office support to strategic decision-maker. What should shipping prioritise as technology becomes more central to operations?Raal argues resilience must take priority over efficiency. Geopolitical disruption, recovery planning, vendor lock-in and skills fade can make efficient technology choices dangerously brittle. Nick calls this a false choice: resilience is unavoidable, while the bigger decision is how organisations transform for AI.That requires informed leadership, practical governance, measurable returns and capabilities beyond IT. The audience confronts shadow AI, sensitive data and digital twins built from decades of institutional knowledge. They finish by considering how technology transformation can strengthen resilience rather than undermine it.EPISODE PARTNERBetter decisions start with better data. But across maritime, fleet data is still fragmented, inconsistently standardised and uneven in quality.A weak data foundation leads to unreliable decisions. The same is true for AI and analytics: they're only as good as the data they're fed. That's why getting the fundamentals right — data standards, structure and governance — has to come before scaling innovation.When leaders trust the data, they move faster, invest with more confidence and turn digital ambition into measurable outcomes. Build trusted data foundations with insight. Follow the link in the episode description. Discover data solutions from Insight.

Eman Abdalla joins Nick Chubb and Raal Harris to discuss building SeaThrew Marine, why ownership matters for safety and seafarer welfare, and what meaningful maritime transformation demands. The conversation spans operational accountability, career reinvention, decarbonisation, collaboration, incentives, technology, and the challenge of turning ambition into everyday practice at sea.CHAPTERS03:31 Why ownership changes accountability07:46 Commercial viability and seafarer safety09:30 Using technology to reduce risk11:58 Courage, culture, and difficult decisions16:03 Why transformation fails at adoption18:51 Transforming operations at Cargill23:26 Turning operations into a P&L enabler29:59 Leaving the corporate identity behind33:12 Designing a career with intention41:03 Decarbonisation beyond future fuels47:55 Fixing incentives across the value chain51:50 What effective collaboration requires56:18 What comes next for SeaThrew MarineEman Abdalla joins Nick and Raal to explain why founding SeaThrew Marine was the culmination of a career spanning chartering, operations, logistics, governance and strategy, and why her original ambition was not simply to advise shipowners, but to own and operate vessels herself.In Emans’s view, influence only goes so far. Charterers, managers and operators can set standards and shape behaviour, but ultimate responsibility for safety, seafarer welfare and investment decisions still rests elsewhere. Her aim is to build a business where commercial performance and operational accountability sit in the same place.The conversation moves into the practical meaning of transformation. Eman argues that technology should do more than optimise fuel consumption: drones, better data, AI and redesigned processes should also reduce risk for seafarers and improve the quality of everyday decisions. She also reflects on her time at Cargill, including the work of repositioning operations from a perceived cost centre into a function that protects and enables P&L. That required trust, stronger communication, talent development and a clear link between organisational values and daily decision-making.The discussion then turns to career identity and Eman’s decision to leave the security and visibility of a major corporate role. She describes the vulnerability of separating her own professional identity from a large company name, alongside the freedom to pursue board work, entrepreneurship and problems where she believes she can have a direct impact.Finally, the conversation examines shipping’s decarbonisation challenge. Eman argues that uncertainty over future fuels cannot become an excuse for ignoring operational efficiency today. Better voyage planning, port coordination, contractual incentives and data sharing could cut avoidable emissions now, but only if owners, charterers, ports, cargo interests and operators stop optimising their individual piece of the system in isolation.EPISODE PARTNERCompliance in maritime is too often treated as a constraint. Done properly, it's the foundation for better operational performance.The real barrier isn't the regulation — it's fragmented data and inconsistent standards, which make compliance manual, slow and reactive. Standardise the data and strengthen the governance, and compliance starts improving data quality and reducing inefficiency across the fleet, instead of just sitting on top of it.Compliance isn't the anchor holding the fleet back. It's the keel that keeps it stable — and lets you move faster with more confidence.Build compliance into every workflow with Insight.

Two maritime conferences, one city, and two perspectives on shipping's future. Nick reports from Shipping UK, where geopolitics, resilience and digital investment dominated. Raal brings insights from Demystifying AI in Maritime, exploring trust, governance and seafarer wellbeing. Together, they examine the decisions maritime leaders can no longer afford to postpone.CHAPTERS00:00 Two conferences, one city: What you missed01:12 Shipping UK: Geopolitics and national security09:51 Resilience, decarbonisation and the true cost of shipping14:01 Digital ROI: Measuring the return on technology investment23:05 Demystifying AI in Maritime: From potential to practical application27:47 The verification tax and AI's trust problem30:24 Real-world AI applications and emerging risks40:37 AI in the boardroom: Investment, accountability and people50:31 Seafarers, shadow AI and the STEER project55:14 AI bias and the importance of critical thinkingNick and Raal compare notes from Shipping UK, hosted by the UK Chamber of Shipping, and Demystifying AI in Maritime, organised by Intent Communications. From national security to artificial intelligence, both events raised difficult questions about how shipping prepares for an increasingly uncertain future.At Shipping UK, geopolitical risk dominated the conversation. A sobering keynote from Major General Paul Maynard highlighted the growing importance of commercial shipping to national security and the possibility that the UK may need to draw upon maritime expertise in a future conflict. But after decades of limited government investment in commercial maritime capabilities, is the industry equipped to respond?The discussion turns to resilience and an uncomfortable economic reality: shipping may need to become more expensive. Building redundancy into supply chains, preparing for disruption and funding decarbonisation all require investment. On a more practical note, Nick shares insights from his panel on digital return on investment. New benchmarking data reveals a significant jump in spending on AI and automation, while conventional IT budgets are being squeezed. Across London, Raal attended Demystifying AI in Maritime, where the conversation has matured from excitement about AI's capabilities to more fundamental questions of trust and accountability. Raal shares practical examples, including AI-powered food waste monitoring on cruise ships, alongside emerging threats from fraudulent certification, cyberattacks and information overload. A discussion with ABS also challenges the assumption that giving AI more context necessarily produces better answers.The conversation then moves into the boardroom. How should directors evaluate AI investments when the technology is evolving faster than conventional governance processes? Finally, attention turns to seafarers, who are already adopting AI tools regardless of whether their employers have formal strategies in place. EPISODE PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by GTT Marine.Every integration RFP in shipping asks for a single source of truth. Almost no fleet actually wants one in practice. Why? Because, as one operator told the team at Thetius, the moment you force everything into one platform, you risk sacrificing best-in-class functionality. The great integration, the new Thetius and GTT Marine report, makes the case for something more achievable.A consistent view across the systems your teams already trust. Recommended reading for anyone running an integration RFP. Download it here.

Nick and Raal explore how LLM-native apps could reshape maritime workflows, why shipping companies are struggling to define the modern CTO role, and what CCTV, digital identity and maritime single windows reveal about interoperability. CHAPTERS03:40 MCPs, LLMs and the future of maritime transactions14:52 When maritime standards meet the wider technology ecosystem18:30 Shipping’s “unicorn” CTO problem25:44 AI-powered CCTV arrives on board30:15 Surveillance, privacy and the social contract36:53 The Hawthorne effect and monitoring crew behaviour39:29 Why the Maritime Single Window still isn’t truly interoperable49:11 AI agents, digital identity and converging workflows52:14 Why all of this lands on the CTO’s desk57:02 Strategic choices, resilience and avoiding technology driftThe episode opens with Nick testing Princess Cruises’ new ChatGPT integration and asking what happens when the browser stops being the default interface to digital services. That leads into shipping’s search for increasingly improbable technology leaders: CTOs expected to understand cloud infrastructure, cyber security, AI, data, vendors, transformation and the operational realities of ships. Nick and Raal consider whether companies need deep maritime experience, deep technology expertise, or teams deliberately designed to combine both.The discussion then moves on board, where AI-enabled CCTV promises better safety analysis, automated evidence and reduced administrative workload while raising difficult questions around privacy, crew acceptance and surveillance.Finally, they examine the Maritime Single Window, seafarer identity and certification as examples of a wider interoperability problem. Digital systems may be individually compliant yet still fail to work together. Tickets are still available for the Digital Ship Summit in Athens. Join maritime IT leaders for practical discussion around the technology choices shaping the fleet.EPISODE PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by Insight.Most organisations invest in preventing a cyber incident. Fewer can say, with confidence, how they'd keep operating on the day one happens.Insight and SmartSea build resilience so an incident is a disruption, not a shutdown — connecting technology, people and operational workflows so critical decisions can still be made even when a single system is compromised.Because resilience isn't only about stopping attacks. It's about keeping the business moving when one gets through.Future-proof your digital defences with Insight.

This week, Nick and Raal examine how geopolitical disruption is exposing hidden dependencies across shipping: from helium shortages and future-fuel investment choices to soaring freight markets and cyber risk. They also trace the global supply chain behind a Greggs sausage roll, revealing how deeply everyday life depends on maritime trade.CHAPTERS01:03 Helium shortages and an unexpected shipping dependency03:35 Qatar, Hormuz and the global helium supply chain08:40 Shipping’s difficult alternative-fuel investment choices15:20 What the newbuild engine mix says about 205019:00 Ammonia safety and the long road to fuel adoption24:25 Could alternative fuels reshape tramp shipping?40:19 The sea miles behind sausage rollsNick opens with one of shipping’s less obvious supply-chain vulnerabilities: helium. Its role in MRI scanners, semiconductor production and aerospace makes disruption to Qatari supply more consequential than the commodity’s profile might suggest. Raal then turns to study published by the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and Boston Consulting Group on shipping’s fuel transition and the decisions being embedded in today’s newbuild orderbook. The pair discuss the economics of conventional fuels, LNG, methanol, ammonia and onboard carbon capture, and why carbon pricing, hydrogen costs, bunkering availability and safety requirements make a 25-year investment decision exceptionally difficult. That uncertainty raises a bigger operational question. If future fuels are available only along selected corridors and port networks, could shipping become less flexible? Nick considers whether tighter dependence on known bunkering locations could constrain tramp operations and encourage more fixed trading patterns, while Raal points to combination carriers as an example of how the industry can extract more efficiency from established routes.Nick brings that global system down to the scale of a single Greggs sausage roll, tracing ingredients and inputs across Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, India, Morocco, Ukraine and the US. The episode closes with a more immediate operational concern: a cluster of reported cyber incidents involving tankers and gas carriers. With allegations involving cargo-monitoring and control systems rather than only conventional IT or navigation, Nick and Raal discuss why cyber resilience is increasingly a safety and fleet-management issue, not simply an information-security problem.EPISODER PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by Insight.Fleet IT shouldn't mean a constant cycle of hardware refreshes, scattered support contracts, and capital tied up in kit that's hard to maintain.It's the same discipline behind Insight's day-in-the-life device management on the Aroya refit — every one of 650-plus onboard devices tracked, maintained and accounted for across its lifecycle, on schedule and within budget.Insight's Ship-to-Shore IT Asset Management brings that same model fleet-wide, modernising onboard technology without upfront capital spend — shifting fleet IT from a lump CapEx cost to a predictable service.It's a smarter way to run fleet IT — freeing your teams to focus on operations, not infrastructure.Simplify your fleet IT with Insight.

This week, Nick and Raal ask whether bunker suppliers could become an unlikely force for crew welfare, examine why the world map may finally change, and explore South Korea’s bet on sovereign AI. They also unpack mounting AI safety concerns before ending with shipping’s newest minimal-techno artist: Handysize.CHAPTERS01:32 Could bad crew welfare cost shipowners their bunkers?07:22 Why maritime suppliers may have more leverage than we think11:36 Connecting crew performance, maintenance and procurement data14:57 Why doesn’t better training affect insurance premiums?19:25 Can maritime risk data drive prevention, not just pricing?21:33 The end of the Mercator map?30:42 South Korea’s plan to make AI a public utility43:20 AI insiders sound the alarm over the race to superintelligence52:01 Would AI regulation protect incumbents?01:01:17 Shipping gets a techno artist: Handysize and 14 KnotsThe episode opens with an unusual proposal for tackling one of shipping’s most persistent welfare problems: what if suppliers simply refused to do business with operators that mistreat or fail to pay their crews? Raal highlights Suzun Marine Fuels’ move to include crew-welfare provisions in bunker contracts, allowing it to refuse or cancel supply where operators have been reported over issues including unpaid wages, poor conditions, forced labour or modern slavery.That leads to a wider discussion about the overlooked influence of maritime suppliers and how unpaid wages can be used as a signal for financial distress at the organisation-level. From there, they turn to P&I and loss prevention, asking why investment in crew competency and training is still so weakly connected to the way maritime risk is priced.From there, Nick gives a brief history of the Mercator map and its proposed replacement: The Equal Earth projection.The second half moves into AI. South Korea’s plans for a sovereign, widely available generative-AI capability prompt a discussion about what happens when AI starts to look less like a software subscription and more like national infrastructure. That optimism is followed by the darker side of the AI race. Raal tracks a rapid sequence of resignations, safety warnings and calls for greater oversight from researchers and industry leaders.They finish on a less apocalyptic note with former Shipfix co-founder Antoine Grisset’s return to electronic music as Handysize, including his debut track 14 Knots, dedicated to women at sea.You can support Handysize and women in maritime here:EPISODE PARTNERThis episode is sponsored by OneOceanWeather has always shaped shipping. But what happens when conditions become more extreme, less predictable, and the consequences start reaching far beyond the voyage plan?On 29 September, Digital Ship Media and OneOcean are bringing together senior maritime leaders to explore what that means in practice - from vessel performance, cargo and fuel consumption to schedules, crew wellbeing and commercial decisions.You’ll hear from Capt. Harpreet Singh, COO of Suisse Atlantique, and Peter Turner from OneOcean, in a discussion moderated by Nick.Register here and join the discussion on 29 September.

Nick returns from SMM Hamburg with a read on where maritime innovation is actually moving: wind propulsion, nuclear, AI, class and new technology hubs. Raal then digs into digital judgement, conflicting data sources and the return of spreadsheets thanks to AI, before the episode ends with a reminder of shipping’s extraordinary role in everyday abundance.CHAPTERS01:07 How SMM is changing03:21 The Thetius Top 15007:52 Wind propulsion goes mainstream12:39 Maritime AI before the AI boom16:27 Meet the “meat proxy”17:39 Class as an innovation enabler28:25 What people at SMM really think comes next32:03 Shipping’s messy, contextual data problem35:12 Who owns the authoritative version of reality?37:03 Moving decisions closer to the frontline41:32 Critical thinking becomes digital judgement43:16 Are spreadsheets making a comeback?47:22 Ordinary abundance50:13 Pineapples, spices and what shipping lets us take for grantedNick is back from SMM Hamburg, where the exhibition increasingly looks less like a showcase for engines and heavy equipment alone and more like a cross-section of shipping’s technological transition. Using the newly launched Thetius Top 150 as a lens, he picks out several signals from the week: nuclear propulsion moving towards a credible adoption pathway, wind-assisted propulsion shifting decisively from demonstration to commercial scale, and classification societies becoming important enablers rather than inadvertent bottlenecks for new technology.Although maritime has been applying machine learning, computer vision and predictive systems for years, much of the industry remains cautious about the current generative AI boom. Nick’s conversations at SMM underline the contradiction nicely: almost everyone thinks AI matters, but nobody wants to be the person predicting AI.That leads into a broader discussion about shipping’s increasingly connected data environment. As vessel, port, customs and operational systems exchange more information, the challenge is no longer simply collecting data. It is deciding which source deserves authority when those systems disagree. This has one unexpected consequence of generative AI: the possible return of the spreadsheet. Tools that once required specialist software or analyst support can increasingly be built and interrogated quickly, although data governance and validation remain significant constraints.The episode closes with a reminder of the once-extraordinary luxuries that shipping now enables us to take for granted as everyday essentials.EPISODE PARTNERThis episode of UnDocked is brought to you by GTT Marine.Every integration RFP in shipping asks for "a single source of truth". Almost no fleet actually wants one in practice. Why? Because, as one operator told the team at Thetius, the moment you force everything onto one platform you risk sacrificing best-in-class functionality. The Great Integration, the new Thetius and GTT Marine report, makes the case for something more achievable — a consistent view across the systems your teams already trust. Recommended listening for anyone running an integration RFP. Download it today.