Antwerp, Belgium - October 8th, 2025

‍By Joos Van Den Bergh, Director Maritime & Logistics, Made

‍London International Shipping Week (LISW) is always a good barometer for maritime innovation. This year was no different. Or was it? Topics like decarbonization, vessel autonomy and digital transformation stood out, and brought me to a clear conclusion of how to cope with contemporary challenges at sea: those who master their data, will own the sea.

During LISW25, you really couldn’t escape the topic of decarbonization. Not least due to the upcoming MEPC session in October where new measures of the IMO’s ‘Net-Zero Framework’ are expected to be adopted in MARPOL. Amongst others, these measures include a new fuel standard for ships and a global pricing mechanism for emissions.

Such measures push the industry toward more transparency in terms of reporting, while overall fleet performance needs to be more verifiable than ever before.

Hence, you need data. 

However, data is needed for more than reporting purposes. Odfjell’s Øistein Jensen made that very clear during Inmarsat’s excellent Strictly Decarb event, where he argued that operational excellence is the most powerful method to reduce carbon emissions quickly. Apparently, keeping a close eye on what is emitted (and why), comparing against benchmarks, applying historical insights, leveraging weather data… are all effective methods for cutting emissions. In a later conversation, a large fleet operator confirmed this approach, telling me they reduced emissions by 10–15% by doing exactly that: measure and act.

Yet again, data is key.

Another popular LISW25 topic was vessel autonomy. In general, the world is seeing a stronger push for autonomous vessels. This is driven by the shortage of seafarers and next to that, its evident military advantages.

The UK, for example, is investing heavily. Its First Sea Lord has stated the Royal Navy will be guided by the principle: “uncrewed wherever possible; crewed only where necessary”; envisioning frigates sailing with uncrewed escorts.

Although I don’t expect crewless commercial ships anytime soon, this trend does accelerate the development of advanced sensor systems. A fitting example is Orca.AI’s SeaPod i.e. an automated lookout using cameras and AI to enhance visibility and situational awareness for the crew.

Step by step, digital systems in maritime will gain sharper, more reliable data about the real world.

Finally, I noted that digital systems are increasingly becoming part of everyday workflows, where they long have been siloed systems only to be used by specialists. During Lloyd’s Register Digital Transformation event, Bahri’s fleet manager for instance talked about how digital tools are automating their reporting. Karrie Trauth, Shell’s EVP of Shipping & Maritime, highlighted the importance of digital tools to handle volatility, for resilience, during the head conference.

From our own experience as well, at Made, we observe a growing demand for digital tools that integrate seamlessly into daily workflows, giving fast access to the right information for all kinds of users.

In other words, more people need access to data.

Decarbonization requires auditable data to comply and to optimize. Autonomy pushes for reliable sensors and real-world data. Meanwhile, broader use of digital tools ensures that data is becoming embedded in all kinds of workflows.

The factors above, for me, suggest that we are only at the beginning. While the use of digital tools and data in maritime was already gaining momentum, the drivers outlined above will accelerate it even further.

What illustrates this: 6 years ago, we worked on a custom fleet platform for CMB.Tech to leverage high-frequency sensor data for automated reporting, weather routing and more. True innovation, because the market did not offer what was needed at the time. Today, many of those capabilities are available off the shelf.

Like I said; the capabilities and adoption of digital in maritime is accelerating. Given the competitiveness of maritime, this means proper use of (your) data is key for a competitive edge.

At Made, that is what we do for maritime businesses: we make data travel across ecosystems and bring it to good use - so you can master the sea.