XMAR: Is Shipping Ready to Evolve with AI and Data-Driven Decision-Making?

Decades after other industries embraced digital transformation, shipping still relies on email chains, phone calls, and gut feel. But AI and data-driven decision-making are starting to challenge the status quo, forcing companies to rethink how they operate. 

Some shipowners and operators see AI as a buzzword. Others see it as an existential threat. The reality? AI is neither magic nor a job killer. It’s a tool that can finally bring logic, transparency, and efficiency to an industry that’s been built on relationships and intuition rather than data. 

The problem: decisions based on instinct, not intelligence 

Shipping has never been a data-led industry. Chartering managers, bunker buyers, and fleet operators make multi-million dollar decisions daily, often without real-time data or historical benchmarking. 

A bunker procurement manager, for example, might buy fuel based on a few WhatsApp quotes, comparing offers in their head rather than through a structured system. An operator might adjust a ship’s speed based on personal experience rather than…