Tor Svanes is a seasoned maritime technology professional who knows his subject better than most. With over three decades in the industry, he has founded and led ECDIS Consult since 1993 and has been managing director of Norwegian e-navigation specialist NAVTOR since 2012. His leadership roles at C-MAP Norway, Jeppesen, and Robertson Tritech, along with his time chairing the Norwegian Maritime Exporters association, give him a rare combination of technical expertise and strategic insight.
Discussing the role of AI with Maritime CEO, Svanes says it goes beyond feeding into existing solutions. “It may play a greater role in the actual development of products – and that could lead to exciting breakthroughs – while there’s also huge potential harnessing it to provide optimal quality service and response 24/7.”
He adds a note of caution. “Those that embrace AI must ensure operations aren’t just streamlined or less labour intensive, but also compliant with the ever-evolving raft of maritime regulations. Rules and standards must be adhered to, so shipping companies need suppliers that don’t just know tech but also excel at navigating the complexities of our industry. It’s wonderful to simplify tasks, but you can’t cut corners on compliance.”
NAVTOR is already putting AI into action through projects such as GASS (Green AI for Sustainable Shipping) and DYNAPORT. GASS combines digital twin technology with advanced AI algorithms to enable dynamic optimisation of vessel performance in real time. This helps shipowners cut energy consumption by about 20%, Svanes claims. Considering NAVTOR customers represent almost 30% of the SOLAS world fleet – over 18,000 vessels – the potential for accelerating decarbonisation across the industry is huge, Svanes reckons.
DYNAPORT, meanwhile, targets the long-sought goal of just-in-time arrivals. “This solution, tested with leading stakeholders, will help vessels, in cooperation with ports, optimise speed across entire voyages and make digital port calls with seamless transfer of all relevant data,” Svanes says, adding: “The impact on costs and energy efficiency is potentially breathtaking, not to mention the standardisation of processes and ease of compliance.”
Despite the potential, Svanes notes that shipping companies remain cautious. “They want to see industry development and access the benefits, but without extended costs. Unless they can identify savings – in time, personnel, products, or finances – they won’t spend.”
Every Wednesday, Splash brings readers a big Maritime CEO interview. Yarden Gross, CEO and co-founder of Orca AI, will be in the hot seat next week.
