Splash247: Smart ships still struggle to get smart, warns SmartSea

Published by Splash247

The maritime industry’s push towards smarter and more connected vessels is generating more data than ever, but much of it is failing to translate into practical operational intelligence, according to maritime technology company SmartSea.

The company said shipowners have spent heavily over the past decade on sensors, AI-driven tools, voyage optimisation systems and onboard connectivity, yet many vessels still operate with fragmented digital systems that do not communicate effectively with each other.

According to SmartSea, the problem facing the industry is no longer a lack of data collection, but the inability to properly harvest, integrate and analyse the information already available onboard ships.

“The industry is not short of data — ships are already collecting huge amounts of it every day,” said Kris Vedat. “The real problem is that too little of that data is being harvested, connected and analysed in a way that supports better decisions.”

Vedat argued that many vessels branded as “smart ships” still leave crews piecing together information from multiple disconnected platforms.

“If crews still need to piece together information from multiple platforms, then the ship is not smart, it is just more complicated,” he said.

The warning comes as shipowners face growing pressure to improve fuel efficiency, emissions performance and operational reliability while also dealing with tighter environmental rules and rising operating costs.

Across the sector, owners and managers have rolled out a broad mix of digital products covering engine monitoring, maintenance planning, fuel tracking, routing and performance analysis. But many of these systems were developed independently and often operate in silos.

The result, SmartSea said, is that valuable operational information remains spread across multiple dashboards and software environments, limiting its usefulness for both onboard crews and shore-based managers.

The company said this fragmented approach can also increase operational pressure on seafarers, who are expected to manage overlapping systems that may produce inconsistent or conflicting information.

SmartSea believes this creates a growing disconnect between the industry’s digital ambitions and the practical reality onboard ships.

Critical operational decisions covering vessel speed, fuel consumption, maintenance planning and voyage routing are often still being made without a complete view of vessel performance data, the company said.

Rather than adding more standalone systems, SmartSea said the industry should focus on integrating existing technologies into a single operational layer that allows data to flow seamlessly between ship and shore.

“Shipping does not need more dashboards or more raw data, it needs better use of the data it already has,” Vedat said. “That only happens when information is connected, analysed properly and presented in a way that people can actually use.”

The debate around digitalisation has become increasingly important across shipping in recent years as owners look for ways to improve efficiency while meeting decarbonisation targets.

Owners have invested heavily in voyage optimisation software, predictive maintenance systems and AI-based analytics in the hope of cutting fuel consumption and improving fleet performance. At the same time, regulators and charterers are demanding more accurate operational and emissions reporting.

But industry players have increasingly raised concerns that the rapid rollout of new digital products has created a patchwork of systems rather than a fully connected operating environment.

SmartSea said the next phase of shipping digitalisation will depend less on collecting new streams of data and more on turning existing information into actionable intelligence that crews and operators can use in real time.

The company argues that without better integration, the industry risks creating ships that are more digitally complex without becoming more operationally efficient.

That challenge is likely to remain in focus as shipowners continue investing in smart shipping technologies while balancing commercial pressures, regulatory demands and growing expectations around fleet performance.