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Maritime companies may be confident that AI will have a big role in the future of their industry, but still face many hurdles at the present time
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In these early stages of AI adoption, most are still unable to scale beyond small experiments as widespread optimism collides with implementation reality
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For now, 66% are concerned about overreliance on the technology eroding human skills and judgment
Maritime companies may be confident that artificial intelligence (AI) will have a big role in the future of their industry, but still face many hurdles at the present time.
In these early stages of AI adoption, most are still unable to scale beyond small experiments as widespread optimism collides with implementation reality. So says a new industry report from Thetius in partnership with Marcura titled “Beyond the Hype: What the maritime industry really thinks about AI.”
Marcura is a leading maritime technology and services provider, and the study combined more than 130 survey responses and in-depth interviews with maritime professionals.
The study revealed a sector that is both eager and cautious, with 82% optimistic about AI and 81% running pilot projects.
Yet 37% said they had personally witnessed AI failures and only 11% have formal policies to guide scaling.
For now, 66% are concerned about overreliance on the technology eroding human skills and judgement.
The value of AI is generally and widely recognized, with 97% of those surveyed seeing benefits in reducing manual workflow inefficiencies, 87% in charter party contract analysis, and identifying risky voyage decisions.
On the other hand, 69% believe AI solutions might miss critical red flags in contracts or voyage planning, leading to poor business outcomes.
Janani Yagnamurthy, VP Analytics at Marcura, said: “A general AI agent might say that SF means standard form, but in shipping, it means stowage factor…Off-the-shelf solutions might automate basic processes, but they miss the nuanced context that maritime professionals rely on.”
As a result, maritime professionals overwhelmingly reject full automation, with 70% believing AI should only recommend actions but humans should always make the final decision.
Concerns were raised on overreliance on AI eroding human skills and judgement.
Yagnamurthy also stated that when change happens, “it’s very natural to fear losing control.”
Skilled maritime professionals have spent decades honing their judgement in high-stakes roles like chartering and operations, he explained.
Relying on AI without human oversight can cause errors and even cross into professional misconduct, as seen in some legal cases.
One example shows the intrinsic value of AI was seen when Marcura’s AI-powered charter party analysis helped a dry bulk operator avoid over $120,000 in potential losses by identifying four critical clauses missing from a draft agreement.
According to Marcura, their approach differs from generic AI providers by embedding AI agents directly within maritime workflows and training specifically on maritime language and contract structures. Each client’s data is kept in isolated, secure environments.
Some 38% of respondents to the study cited inadequate training as the biggest barrier to scaling.
The governance gap is similarly stark – while 81% run pilots, only 17% have transparent processes for how AI makes decisions within their organizations.
Close to a quarter expressed concerns about vendor claims outpacing real-world results.
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