In this episode of Chatting Ship, James, Maddie, Christian and Taz give a first look at Ceto's mid-year 2026 report. They reflect on a year nobody predicted, including the knock-on effects of the Middle East conflict, and explore how the industry and its crews have held up.

The team get into one of the biggest questions facing maritime: artificial intelligence. They discuss what it means for an industry built on hands-on expertise, and how operators can start using it without losing the human knowledge that keeps vessels running.

In this episode:

• The events shaping maritime in 2026, and why predicting stability is a losing game
• Resilience across the industry and the crews on board
• Why digitalisation doesn't mean replacing people
• Practical first steps for adopting AI across your business

An honest look at where maritime stands in 2026 and how AI fits in.

Tony and Taz sit down in Singapore to tackle one of the biggest conversations facing maritime today: AI adoption. 

AI is moving quickly, but shipping has traditionally been an industry built on experience, trust and proven results. So what does AI actually mean for shipowners and operators and where can it deliver genuine operational value rather than simply adding more technology?

We discuss why the industry needs to move beyond the AI hype, the importance of turning vessel data into actionable insight, and why companies that start building their capabilities now will be best positioned for what comes next.

In this episode:

Why maritime has been slower to adopt AI
Moving from data and dashboards to actionable intelligence
Building trust in AI-driven decision making
Where AI can deliver real operational and commercial value
Why waiting for the technology to become “perfect” could be the bigger risk

Welcome to Chatting Ship, conversations about technology, operations and the future of maritime.