In this episode, we speak to Norbert Kouwenhoven, who leads on blockchain for customs, immigration and border management across the EU at IBM. With blockchain rapidly becoming the technology of the moment in shipping, we sat down with Norbert at the Sea Traffic Management conference in Venice and began by asking him to give us a brief description of what blockchain is, and how it works.

So what is Norbert's role? And what are some of the projects and initiatives IBM is involved within the blockchain space?

While blockchain may have some killer applications, it isn't the solution to every problem. So are there particular use cases that leaders need to understand to help them evaluate whether it's a solution to their particular problem?

With the profile of blockchain so high does Norbert believe it's sometimes over-hyped? And what advice would he have for companies wanting to explore blockchain?

From a cybersecurity perspective, it's said that the distributed nature of the blockchain offers advantages. Does Norbert agree? And if so will it be enough to make it more secure than the current systems we're used to?

Thank you for joining us for this Executive Briefing podcast, brought to you by Intelsat. For more guidance on how to futureproof your maritime connectivity, visit Intelsat's Maritime Resource center.

We look forward to your company again soon. 

In this episode, we speak to Geir Isene, a writer, philosopher, artist, musician and serial entrepreneur who has coached everyone from high-performance Olympians to international artists. An expert in innovation and how to drive it Geir is now leading a new initiative from maritime communications company Dualog, the Dualog Garage. We spoke to Geir at the busy Shipping2030 conference in Singapore and began by asking him to explain what the Dualog Garage is, why it's important and what role he plays there.

Everyone in the shipping and maritime industry seems to recognise the value of innovation, but does Geir think most incumbent, legacy ship operators and supplier companies are structured correctly to drive innovation?

So what, in Geir's view, are some of the characteristics common to innovative companies or organisations? And how can shipping and maritime companies try to adopt them?

Is it fair to describe connectivity as the gateway to all digital transformation activities? And if so, does that give Dualog an advantage? Is a lack of connectivity hampering the industry more broadly in becoming more innovative?

In the shipping industry collaboration is becoming a hot topic. Does that start at a very basic level with enabling your own people to converse and contribute? How do you then scale that up to collaborate outside the company walls?

Thank you for joining us for this Executive Briefing podcast, brought to you by Intelsat. For more guidance on how to futureproof your maritime connectivity, visit Intelsat's Maritime Resource center. 

We look forward to your company again soon.

In this episode, we speak to Christopher Rex the Head of Research at Danish Ship Finance based in Copenhagen and began by asking him to explain what the company does, and his role within it.

Many ship operators seem to be waiting for the upturn in their respective markets. Some appear suspicious that the digital revolution, like eco-ships, might be a buzz word created by technology suppliers anxious to sell them connectivity and digital systems. Does Christopher believe that's the case?

Industry 4.0 is a phrase we're hearing more about in shipping, but what is it, and how, in Christopher's view, is it likely to impact shipping?

Access to finance is regularly cited alongside compliance as the top issues for ship operators. Is it fair to say that an operator who has invested in digital infrastructure and has a strategy for digital transformation has an advantage when it comes to accessing finance? For example, would that translate into ships more likely to have employment over the short- to medium term?

How major are the changes we can expect in shipping and how can ship operators leverage connectivity, Artificial Intelligence, analytics and other technologies to adapt and change their business models, work with lenders to protect the value of their assets, and perhaps create new kinds of value in the future?

Thank you for joining us for this Executive Briefing podcast, brought to you by Intelsat. For more guidance on how to futureproof your maritime connectivity, visit Intelsat's Maritime Resource center.

We look forward to your company again soon.

In this episode, we speak to Oskar Levander, Vice President of Marine Innovation at Rolls-Royce and a pioneering thinker on the subject of remote and autonomous vessels and intelligent ships. We began by asking about the Rolls-Royce Blue Ocean Team, what it does, and why it's important.

As someone so closely associated with the development of remote controlled and unmanned vessels we were interested in Oskar's view about how mature the technology is today, and how key the improvements in connectivity are to its development in the future.

People are talking about the Intelligent Transportation System, but what does that mean, and how might it provide better efficiency and productivity by connecting across the supply chain?

So, how do unmanned and autonomous vessels fit into that picture, together with things like sea traffic management?

Looking into the future, how might the combination of technologies like high-speed connectivity, Artificial Intelligence, and even blockchain change the way that ships are built, operated and deployed? What might the digital shipping business models of the future look like?

Thank you for joining us for this Executive Briefing podcast, brought to you by Intelsat. For more guidance on how to futureproof your maritime connectivity, visit Intelsat's Maritime Resource center.

We look forward to your company again soon.

In this episode, we speak to Andrew Faiola, Director of Mobility Solutions at Intelsat during a busy Shipping2030 conference in Singapore. We asked him first about the perception of connectivity within the shipping industry.

Is it fair to say that for many years ship operators have viewed connectivity as a necessary cost of compliance? Since the introduction of the Maritime Labour Convention or MLC, does that also extend to crew welfare?

The VSAT market really opened up with the introduction of TDMA VSAT solutions, although research still indicated the majority of operators spent less than 1% of their operating budget on connectivity. Has that attitude changed now? Are operators moving from a conversation about cost to a conversation about value as High Throughput Satellite services with lower costs and bigger bandwidth come online?

Is the shift from cost to value reflected in the type and range of applications being scoped and adopted? What do those applications tell us about the priorities of ship operators over the next 3 or so years?

According to the World Economic Forum fear of cyber attacks is beginning to act as a brake on technology adoption which could potentially cost the world economy $3trillion. Is shipping and maritime just waking up to these issues, and how can network operators like Intelsat help to be part of the solution for a resilient industry?

With technology and digital infrastructure moving so quickly how does a company like Intelsat identify the right way to create the physical and digital infrastructure its partners and end-customers need to create scalable, reliable, innovative solutions?

Thank you for joining us for this Executive Briefing podcast, brought to you by Intelsat. For more guidance on how to futureproof your maritime connectivity, visit Intelsat's Maritime Resource center. 

We look forward to your company again soon.

We began by asking Kate D Adamson, founder of the Futurenautics Group, to explain why she describes the world as entering a unique period in human history.

So how are those changes going to affect the shipping industry and its markets?

If that's the case what can ship operators do now to prepare for this new digital economy?

Does that mean every shipping company needs to become a technology company?

How important is connectivity to creating successful shipping companies of the future?

Listen to Intelsat Executive Briefing Podcast series asking industry visionaries to identify where digital technologies are impacting the shipping and maritime industry now, and where the opportunities lie to create value as part of intelligent transportation systems of the future.