UnDocked: The Maritime Transformation Show

This week, Nick and Raal explore two new research reports examining the gap between maritime systems as they're designed and how they're actually used at sea. They discuss cognitive overload on modern bridges, alarm fatigue, shortcomings in competence-based training, and why culture, leadership, and teamwork matter far more than compliance alone. CHAPTERS 00:24 CEO departures continue across conta...

Nick and Raal discuss leadership change at Hafnia, falling costs for onboard vessel data collection, the continuing debate over software ecosystems versus single platforms, digital literacy and STCW reform, AI governance after Anthropic’s Fable withdrawal, and why preventative healthcare could reshape medical screening for seafarers and maritime professionals. CHAPTERS 00:52 Michael Skov steps dow...

Nick and Raal mark Undocked’s first live episode from Bergen with two competing visions for AI in maritime: scalable human expertise and the decline of middle management. The discussion explores performance data, adaptive learning, digital twins, shipboard roles, and why technical judgement may matter more as AI becomes operationally embedded. Chapters 00:28 Norway anniversary and the Bergen live...

Nick and Raal report from Bergen after Undocked’s first live stage appearance, capturing interviews with Michael Beckley, Sabrina Chao, Andreas Enger, Julian Bray, Pia Melling and Göran Persson. Across geopolitics, China, ammonia, ship management, market cycles and climate, the episode asks how shipping shifts from efficiency to resilience. Chapters 00:42 — Welcome back from Bergen 01:38 — Setting...

Stylianos Papageorgiou of Lomar Labs joins Nick and Raal to explain how a ship owner can help maritime startups move from promising prototypes to usable technology. The conversation covers the Compass programme, onboard testing, energy transition, autonomous systems, seafarer engagement, and why innovation only matters when it solves operational problems. Chapters 00:27 Introduction to Stylianos P...

This week,  Raal and Nick catch up as Posidonia 2026 gets into full swing. With Nick reporting live from Athens and Raal experiencing Posidonia FOMO from afar, the conversation explores what’s really happening beneath the headlines. From the explosion of AI messaging across the exhibition floor to the technologies that are quietly moving from concept to commercial reality, this episode separates h...

Nick and Raal reunite after weeks on the road to discuss the growing pressures reshaping shipping: geopolitical instability, seafarers operating in conflict zones, AI-driven decision-making, and the fragility of global supply chains. The conversation explores why resilience — operational, human, and digital — is rapidly overtaking efficiency as shipping’s defining priority. Chapters 00:00 A long-o...

Raal Harris speaks with Susanne Justesen of the Global Maritime Forum about the evolution of the All Aboard Alliance and a new industry effort to establish transparent, independently verified crew welfare standards. The conversation explores fatigue, psychological safety, data ownership, commercial incentives, and why shipping must move beyond minimum compliance toward measurable human sustainabil...

Zero44 founder Friederike Hesse joins Undocked to unpack the operational reality of maritime decarbonisation compliance. From FuelEU pooling and EU ETS accounting to the unintended consequences of CII, the discussion explores how regulation is reshaping commercial shipping — and why software is rapidly becoming essential infrastructure for managing complexity. 00:38 Introducing Friederike Hesse an...

Claire Georgeson joins UnDocked to discuss why shipping’s human element remains under-measured despite mounting operational pressures. From piracy-era chartering to founding PsyFyi, she argues the industry must treat seafarers as strategic assets rather than operational costs. The conversation explores crew benchmarking, paperwork fatigue, retention risks, and the growing commercial value of human...

Sixty days after the Hormuz closure, supply chains are straining in unexpected ways, from sulphur to food systems. The conversation shifts to maritime training, questioning whether regulation-led models can keep pace with AI, accelerating change, and highlighting persistent real-world competency gaps in new ECDIS performance data. 01:49 – 60 days after Hormuz: strain emerges 02:59 – Sulphur: the h...

Nick and Raal examine seafarer risk in conflict zones, the worsening shortage of cadet berths, and the industry’s misaligned incentives. The discussion expands into AI’s growing role in maritime operations, from performance data to decision support, before confronting wider questions around automation, labour displacement, and human accountability in increasingly machine-led environments. Chapters...

Tom Lister, CEO of NYSE-listed Global Ship Lease, explains how mid-size container ships underpin global trade through flexibility and optionality. The conversation explores shipping cycles, capital discipline, geopolitical disruption, and decarbonisation uncertainty, showing how leasing models and operational pragmatism help navigate volatility in an increasingly complex logistics environment. Cha...

Nick and Raal explore AI’s expanding role in maritime, from “meat layer” human task networks to personalised training and simulation. They examine operational gains, ethical tensions around digital twins, and governance challenges. The discussion highlights AI’s potential to augment judgment, reduce admin, and reshape seafarer support, decision-making, and system-wide efficiency. Chapters 00:00 Me...

Nick and Raal speak with technologist Peter Rossi about the rapid shift from chat-based AI to agentic workflows, exploring practical use cases, risks, and implications for maritime operations, SaaS models, and workforce structure. The discussion highlights governance, productivity gains, and how companies should start adopting AI while retaining human judgment. Chapters 00:00 Opening anecdote and...

Nick and Raal are joined by maritime veteran Steen Lund, CEO of RightShip, to explore how one of shipping’s most influential maritime supply chain risk management digital platforms and standards organisations is evolving as technology reshapes the maritime industry. Steen reflects on his wealth of experience through nearly four decades in shipping, from Maersk and global operational roles to leadi...

This week on UnDocked, Nick and Raal examine escalating risks to shipping in the Gulf, the market forces driving record tanker rates, and the tension between profit and seafarer safety. They also pay tribute to industry leader David Dearsley, the first Secretary General of the I nternational Maritime Employers’ Council and his legacy of transforming seafarer rights, welfare and as a key architect...

Nick and Raal open the episode in the middle of a rapidly evolving geopolitical crisis. Following airstrikes involving the US, Israel and Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, the critical chokepoint connecting the Arabian Gulf to global shipping lanes, has reportedly been closed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. With around 3,200 vessels trapped inside the Gulf, the hosts explore the immediate implicatio...

Chapters 01:30 Hapag-Lloyd and Zim’s $4.1bn deal 03:30 Defining distraction: BIMCO guidance and device risks 05:30 The Karen Høj collision and tablet use 14:40 Cognitive overload, multitasking myths, and Swiss cheese 17:30 Connectivity, alarms, and unintended consequences 29:45 Cruise industry “red zone” bridge culture 35:30 Zodiac’s in-house e-learning hire 41:00 The economics of content creation...

Episode Show Notes:  Nick shares a secret squirrel message from an executive post corporate Microsoft Copilot rollout – $1.4 million spent, almost no usage, and a board satisfied by a graph trending “up and to the right.” Nick and Raal debate whether it’s genuine or sharply observed satire, which sets the tone for a wider discussion about AI adoption theatre versus measurable operational impact. ...

Nick and Raal sit down with Mikael Skov , CEO of Hafnia and one of the most influential individuals in modern tanker shipping. Mikael outlines Hafnia’s evolution into one of the world’s largest product tanker operators, grounded in spot market exposure and global trading. He reflects on entering shipping by chance, why it quickly becomes a lifestyle, and how cycles hardwire behaviour, risk toleran...

In this episode, Raal and Nick turn to a sobering ITF report showing seafarer and vessel abandonment at its worst-ever levels. They unpack what abandonment actually means in practice, why Indian seafarers are disproportionately affected, and how ownership structures, sanctions, and flags of convenience leave crews with little protection or recourse. From there, the discussion broadens to transpare...

In this episode, Raal Harris and Nick Chubb look back on the dramatic turn of the last two week’s events and ask what rupture in the global rules based order could mean for shipping. They discuss how geopolitical volatility and tariffs are reshaping trade routes and operational risk, why global shipping has become harder to plan and manage. They discuss the need for energy security and the potenti...

Tabitha Logan shares her journey from lawyer to becoming a leading voice in the maritime industry, as Project Director for ship owner-operator Cetus Maritime and as co-founder of The Captain’s Table t he global pitch competition and venture platform for maritime startups . Tabitha shares her perspective on the challenges and opportunities in global shipping, the importance of mergers and acquisiti...

Raal and Nick discuss New Year reflections, M&A activity and V Group's acquisition of Nord. They delve into the importance of decarbonisation and fuel efficiency, the role of ship managers, and innovations in ship management services. The conversation also touches on behavioral changes for fuel efficiency, the challenges posed by the dark fleet, and the IMO's digitalisation strategy. Chapters...