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.

• 00:00 Opening anecdote and introduction to Peter Rossi
• 00:12 Rossi’s background: F1, SaaS, private equity, and M&A
• 02:19 Entry into maritime and Beluga origins
• 03:09 Building and integrating 20+ companies
• 06:48 Tech due diligence in the age of AI
• 09:00 From chatbots to agentic AI
• 13:33 Tiered AI evolution and real-world workflows
• 20:23 Building AI-powered personal productivity systems
• 23:04 Human-in-the-loop and risk management
• 30:13 Applications in ship management and operations
• 35:04 How companies should adopt AI
• 42:42 Administrative automation vs “moonshot” tech
• 48:29 Agentic AI and the future of software
• 54:30 The future of SaaS and data ownership
• 59:30 Decentralised AI and infrastructure shifts
• 01:04:17 What comes next: agentic systems
• 01:12:09 AI in education and learning
• 01:13:35 Beluga relaunch and closing thoughts

This episode begins with Peter Rossi’s unconventional journey through Formula One, venture capital, and SaaS into maritime, setting the stage for a grounded discussion on how technology actually gets deployed inside businesses.

The conversation quickly moves to AI’s recent evolution—from static chat interfaces to embedded, context-aware tools and now toward fully agentic systems. Rossi outlines a three-tier model of AI maturity and explains why many organisations are still stuck at the earliest stage. Practical workflows, including automated content creation and data analysis, illustrate how quickly productivity gains can be realised.

A central theme is the shift from tools to systems. The discussion explores how agentic AI can orchestrate tasks across multiple platforms, enabling “management by exception” and dramatically reducing administrative burden—particularly relevant in process-heavy maritime environments like ship management.

The episode also examines the implications for SaaS, arguing that value is shifting away from interfaces toward data ownership and orchestration. This raises fundamental questions about how maritime software businesses will compete in a world of commoditised intelligence.

Finally, the conversation addresses governance, workforce impact, and adoption challenges. The hosts and Rossi emphasise that human judgment remains critical, even as AI systems take on more execution. The episode closes with a look at what comes next—and why organisations that fail to engage risk being left behind.

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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 leading RightShip through a period of significant transformation. Over the past five years the organisation has been moving beyond its traditional roots in vessel inspections and vetting to become a technology-led platform focused on safety, sustainability and transparency across the maritime supply chain- with the ambition of raising collective standards towards zero harm.

The conversation looks at how RightShip has brought product development in-house, enabling closer collaboration between maritime experts and technologists, and accelerating the development of digital and AI-enabled tools for maritime risk intelligence.

They also discuss the future of vessel inspections. With thousands of ships inspected each year, RightShip is exploring how digital data from vessels could complement or replace parts of traditional inspections, reducing time onboard while improving insight sharing across the industry.

The discussion concludes on the role of industry standards and seafarer welfare, including how frameworks like RISQ are helping raise safety baselines and why improving transparency around crew welfare is becoming a growing focus for charterers and ship operators alike.

Chapters

00:00 Steen Lund’s maritime journey and career path
08:55 What RightShip is today and why it exists
16:10 Transforming from services to a technology platform
20:23 Bringing product development in-house
27:30 Managing internal and customer adoption of new technology
31:30 The future of vessel inspections and digital verification
36:20 RISQ and raising safety standards across shipping
45:40 Measuring and improving seafarer welfare
57:17 Permira investment and RightShip’s growth strategy
01:01:20 What’s next for RightShip and maritime AI

Links:

Join the priority list to get full acess to the Digital Ship summit agenda: https://thedigitalship.com/summit/

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 International Maritime Employers’ Council and his legacy of transforming seafarer rights, welfare and as a key architect of the Maritime Labour Convention. The launch of the Korean Registry’s new software hub sparks a discussion class societies entering the software race. The duo discuss a new maritime venture investment fund with a timely purpose and wind up asking whether anti-acid tablets for the ocean is a geo-engineering step too far.

Chapters

00:00 – Opening and the week in maritime

Conflict around the Gulf intensifies, with merchant ships hit and security risks rising.

02:00 – Crew mobility disruption

Flight disruptions and soaring travel costs complicate crew changes across Middle East hubs.

04:00 – Seafarers’ perspective in the news

Connectivity at sea is allowing seafarers to share frontline experiences during crises.

07:00 – Tanker markets surge

VLCC rates spike dramatically as geopolitical risk and supply constraints collide.

12:00 – The economics of tanker deployment

Why shipping supply is relatively fixed and how positioning vessels affects the market.

15:00 – Tribute: David Dearsley

Remembering the architect of key global seafarer welfare frameworks and the Maritime Labour Convention.

30:00 – Class societies enter the software race

The Korean Registry launches a new software hub, signalling deeper digital competition.

43:00 – Maritime venture capital

Mare Liberum’s new fund backs technologies supporting free trade and maritime security.

53:00 – Climate experiments at sea

Geoengineering ideas, ballast water lessons, and the unintended consequences of regulation.

57:30 – Wrap-up

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In this episode, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris are joined by Laurence Odfjell, Chairman of Odfjell SE, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, decarbonisation, and what it really takes to drive change in shipping.

Laurence reflects on his journey from architect and winemaker to shipowner, sharing how design thinking, pragmatism, and a deep respect for nature have shaped both his leadership style and Odfjell’s approach to sustainability. The discussion unpacks how a company founded in 1914 became one of the world’s leading chemical tanker operators — and how a culture of innovation and shared values continues to underpin its progress today.

The conversation turns to climate action and regulatory uncertainty following the recent deferral of the IMO’s Net Zero framework. Laurence shares his frustration with the postponement but argues that progress must continue regardless, underpinned by three principles: well-to-wake thinking, efficiency first, and fuel flexibility. He highlights Odfjell’s remarkable 54% reduction in carbon intensity since 2008 — achieved through operational discipline and smart investment rather than sacrifice.

They also explore the company’s near net-zero voyage of the Bow Olympus, a chemical tanker fitted with suction sails and powered by certified B100 biofuel. The voyage proved both the technical and economic viability of running ships on sustainable fuel, achieving near-zero emissions at just a 15% cost premium. Laurence credits the initiative to the company’s collaborative culture and a “common bottom line” where those making operational decisions are also accountable for the financial outcomes.

From there, the discussion moves into AI and innovation, as Laurence explains how artificial intelligence is already optimising weather routing and operational planning. He offers advice for maritime tech innovators: identify real problems, quantify the benefit, and build trust through data.

Finally, the conversation broadens to diversity, inclusion, and leadership. Laurence shares how Odfjell is actively recruiting women to sea to strengthen its future talent pipeline, and why diversity of gender, age, and thought is not just a moral imperative but a business advantage. His closing message to the industry is simple: act now with the tools we already have, because every year of delay costs more than we realise.

Episode Partner: OrbitMI

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In this episode, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris are joined by Bill Dobie, Founder and CEO of Sedna, to discuss the changing shape of maritime software and the forces driving consolidation across the industry. Bill shares his journey from building solutions to streamline shipping communications to leading one of the sector’s most recognisable digital platforms.

The conversation dives into the challenges and opportunities of digital workflows, exploring how tools like Sedna transform communication, collaboration, and decision-making for shipping companies. Bill reflects on lessons from scaling a technology business in a conservative industry, the importance of user-centred design, and why integration remains one of the hardest problems to solve.

They also examine industry consolidation, from private equity investments to M&A strategies and debate whether bigger platforms can deliver more value, or risk becoming too complex for end users. Bill stresses the need for maritime tech companies to stay focused on solving real problems rather than chasing trends, and highlights why AI and automation will be foundational in the next wave of shipping software.

Finally, Nick, Raal, and Bill consider the future of maritime software, discussing the cultural and organisational shifts needed for adoption, the role of patient capital, and what long-term success looks like in a cyclical and fragmented market.

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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 tolerance, and leadership mindset.

The conversation moves to Hafnia’s post–financial crisis founding, the non-negotiable importance of assembling a credible team early, and what changes when you build alongside professional investors.

Attention turns to growth, consolidation, and recent strategic moves, including the TORM stake, and counter-cyclical fleet investments. Skov discusses energy transition pragmatically, emphasising alignment with cargo owners, longer-term contracts, and learning through initiatives like Seascale Energy.

The episode closes with leadership and responsibility: managing volatility without paralysis, creating space for innovation inside large organisations, confronting the systemic risks of the dark fleet, and defending international regulation as the least-worst framework available in a fractured geopolitical world.

A rare conversation with one of shipping’s most consequential operators who has built scale through cycles, stayed disciplined when others chased narratives, and is clear-eyed about what actually works in shipping.

Chapters

• 02:21 Entering shipping and why it becomes a lifestyle

• 06:13 Cyclicality, spot markets, and competitive advantage

• 07:56 Founding Hafnia after TORM

• 09:31 Building a credible founding team for investors

• 13:36 Timing the cycle and learning capital discipline

• 20:47 Pooling, partnerships, and commercial scale

• 31:03 Culture, governance, and growing a global organisation

• 37:40 Buying ships at the bottom of the cycle

• 41:12 TORM stake and consolidation logic

• 44:06 Energy transition strategy and client alignment

• 57:07 Long-term thinking versus quarterly markets

• 1:01:38 Volatility, fleet age, and future supply

In this episode, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris catch up after a hectic few weeks of travel to unpack the latest shifts shaping the maritime industry. Nick shares insights from the Kaleris APAC Customer Summit in Singapore, where terminal operators and carriers came together to discuss collaboration in the container ecosystem. They explore the challenges of just-in-time arrival, berth optimisation, and why the container sector — despite being the backbone of global trade — still struggles with basic communication between terminals and carriers.

The conversation then turns to AI and competence, as Nick recounts a lively debate he took part in at the Saudi Maritime and Logistics Congress: Will artificial intelligence lead to less competence in the maritime industry? Together, they discuss what competence really means in a technology-augmented world, how AI can become an in-work enablement tool rather than a replacement, and why refusing to adapt could be the greater risk to future competence.

They also touch on AI’s organisational impact, from hiring freezes and shifting budgets to productivity expectations, and even Jeff Bezos’ vision for data centres in space. Raal connects these trends to the wider shifts in digital infrastructure, geopolitics, and sustainability, including how cloud capacity and satellite connectivity may reshape maritime operations.

From there, the discussion moves to training, storytelling, and transformation, as Raal reflects on his two-decade journey from Videotel to Ocean Technologies Group, and the launch of his new consultancy, Pitch Frame. The pair explore how brand, education, and enablement intersect, and why many groundbreaking maritime ideas fail not from poor technology, but from weak communication and internal alignment.

The episode closes with reflections from Maritime Cyprus, where uncertainty still surrounds future fuels and regulatory clarity. With the upcoming MEPC vote at the IMO, Nick and Raal debate whether the industry is ready to trade ambiguity for action — or risk losing momentum to regional fragmentation.

Episode Partner

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In this episode, Nick Chubb and Raal Harris sit down with Manish Singh to explore his journey through the maritime industry, from a third-generation seafaring background to leadership roles shaping some of the sector’s most influential businesses. They discuss the transformative changes driven by digitalization and decarbonization, and the role of private equity in providing not just capital but also strategic direction for maritime growth.

The conversation unpacks what it takes to build successful maritime technology companies, the challenges of integration, and why a clear and compelling purpose is essential for long-term success. Manish emphasizes the importance of convergence and collaboration across the industry, while also sharing insights on how AI is becoming foundational to maritime operations and decision-making.

Looking more broadly, they reflect on the cyclical nature of the maritime market, the need to embrace volatility in planning, and why patient capital is vital for fostering resilience and sustainable growth in an industry defined by long investment horizons.

Learn more about Manish:

Manish Singh on LinkedIn

Maris Investments website