Navigating the Future: A Comprehensive Guide to Human-Centric Maritime Digital Transformation

At a recent seminar hosted by Inmarsat titled ‘Thriving in the Digital Age,’ experts emphasized the importance of a gradual approach to maritime digitalization, highlighting the critical role of human involvement. According to this event, while embracing advanced technology can yield notable benefits for shipping companies, those still reliant on conventional methods must not rush into change. A thoughtful and incremental strategy is essential for successful digital transformation, focusing on crew training, enhanced collaboration between ship and shore teams, and robust connectivity.

The seminar took place on June 4, 2025, during Nor-Shipping in Oslo, Norway. It conveyed an optimistic outlook tempered by an acknowledgment of the industry’s current distance from its digital goals and a cautious stance regarding how quickly these objectives can be achieved. Amilia Busby, who works as a Third Engineer Officer on a semi-autonomous dredger vessel, shared her insights: “We need to ensure we’re not hurrying through this process; proper infrastructure and training are vital.” Reflecting on her own experience during her cadetship where she learned extensively about engines but received little exposure to digital tools or systems made her question whether that training was truly relevant.

Busby pointed out that much of her education focused on steam vessels—now quite rare—which raises concerns about whether more pertinent content could have been included. This gap in training may highlight a disconnect between decision-makers ashore and those working at sea. Captain Jorgen Grindevoll from safenav noted that many decisions are made without firsthand knowledge of onboard realities: “Those making choices often haven’t set foot aboard,” he remarked.

He stressed the necessity for maritime organizations to develop new systems with human operators in mind before gradually increasing automation levels. Even basic tools like video conferencing could significantly enhance dialogue between ships and thier offices if supported by reliable internet connections.

Richard buckley from 90POE echoed these sentiments while urging caution regarding expectations for rapid change within the industry: “We still rely heavily on manually compiled noon reports; claiming we’ve fully embraced digital technologies would be misleading.” Though, he remains hopeful due to emerging innovations within maritime circles. He believes it’s crucial for the industry to shift its viewpoint beyond just ship-to-shore interactions towards integrating onboard personnel as part of fleet operations enabled by constant high-bandwidth connectivity.The discussions revealed an industry at a pivotal moment—caught between traditional practices and modern advancements—with varying levels of progress toward digitization across different sectors. Marco Cristoforo Camporeale from Inmarsat highlighted that data traffic has been doubling every couple of years recently; however, only about 46 out of 169 thousand registered ships currently utilize VSAT systems—a clear indication that connectivity issues continue to hinder broader adoption.Moreover, camporeale referenced findings from BIMCO indicating an acute shortage of around 120 thousand officers in shipping—a challenge compounded by annual fleet growth exceeding one percent.He emphasized automation’s potential role in addressing labor shortages but warned that without adequate connectivity options available onboard vessels today—three out of four seafarers might hesitate before joining crews.

Amilia busby underscored how vital internet access is not just for daily life at sea but also career development opportunities: “I only recently got Wi-Fi aboard my ship; without it during my last trip I wouldn’t have even known about this event!”

while there’s consensus among panelists regarding certain movement toward full digitization—and eventually autonomy—the ongoing presence of humans will necessitate continued focus on effective training programs alongside seamless integration between ship operations and shore support through quality connectivity solutions.