‘Smart ships’ failing to turn data into real intelligence, warns SmartSea

(Posted on 13/05/26)

The maritime industry’s push towards “smart shipping” is falling short, with many vessels collecting vast amounts of data but failing to use it effectively, according to maritime technology company, SmartSea.

Despite heavy investment in sensors, AI and onboard connectivity, most ships are already generating significant volumes of operational data. However, much of that information remains underused because it is not being properly harvested, integrated or analysed to support better decision-making onboard or ashore.

Over the past decade, shipowners have deployed a wide range of digital tools, from engine monitoring to voyage optimisation and maintenance systems, but these technologies are rarely designed to work together. The result is a fragmented environment in which valuable data is collected across multiple systems but not combined in a meaningful way, limiting its operational value and adding complexity rather than clarity.

SmartSea, a maritime technology company focused on improving digital integration across vessel and shore operations, argues that the industry’s challenge is not a lack of data, but a failure to make better use of the data already available.

Kris Vedat, CEO of SmartSea, said: “The industry is not short of data — ships are already collecting huge amounts of it every day. The real problem is that too little of that data is being harvested, connected and analysed in a way that supports better decisions. If crews still need to piece together information from multiple platforms, then the ship is not smart, it is just more complicated.”

This lack of integration and analysis means critical decisions around speed, fuel consumption, maintenance and routing are often made without drawing on the full picture of vessel operations. At the same time, seafarers are expected to manage multiple systems that can present overlapping or inconsistent information, reducing confidence in onboard technology and increasing operational pressure.

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