Trusted data is essential for shipping to get the best from the AI revolution, argues Russ Hubbard, Chief Commercial Officer of Veson Nautical.

In this podcast, he explains why that is the case and considers the future impact of further AI implementation on maritime companies and their personnel.

IT’S now been two years since the EU Emissions Trading System was extended to shipping. But it hasn’t always been a happy relationship.

Shipowners are not necessarily keen paying extra taxes, especially the green variety. Meanwhile operators in Asia are not fond of having to create accounts in EU countries to report and pay their emissions bills, without seeing any of the revenue.

On the other side, greens don’t like the ETS because the extra cost per tonne — about €70 to €80 ($81 to $93) over the past year — isn’t enough to make switching to greener fuels worthwhile.

Shipping’s share of ETS credits is about sixty to eighty million a year – less than 10% of the market, so the price of those allowances is outside the industry’s control.

It’s considered a good regulation for emissions on land, but a poor one for emissions at sea.

But now, an opportunity for change is on the horizon.

To find out what changes shipping wants, Lloyd’s List senior reporter Declan Bush spoke to World Shipping Council vice president of environment and climate, Simon Bergulf.

This episode of the Lloyd’s List podcast is brought to you by Veson. Visit www.veson.com for more information

EVERY year, seafarers are held for months on end on suspicion of crimes that ultimately, there is little evidence they had anything to do with.

Whether its pollution events or, as is increasingly common, suspected drug smuggling, crew are often the only potential perpetrators investigators can lay their hands on.

So is there a lot the industry can do to stop this? Once seafarers do land themselves on the wrong side of the law, how can flag states intercede on their behalf?

Joining Joshua on the podcast this week are:

Ben Bailey, director of programme, Mission to Seafarers

Kiran Khosla, principal legal director, International Chamber of Shipping

Eleni Antoniadou, lawyer, Gard

Leo Bolivar, country manager, Marshall Islands Registry

ATTEND any one of the multiple receptions and parties thrown in Athens this week and you would not walk away necessarily thinking anyone in shipping is remotely worried.

A packed exhibition with the whole spectrum of industry stakeholders demonstrated shipping’s diversity and vibrance, but quietly, over coffees in corners, there was tangible concern.

Markets are good at the moment, ask any tanker owner, but the undercurrent of caution was palpable.

On this week’s episode of the podcast are:

• Joshua Minchin, senior reporter, Lloyd’s List

• Linton Nightingale, deputy editor, Lloyd’s List

• Declan Bush, senior reporter, Lloyd’s List

This episode of the Lloyd's List Podcast is brought to you by Veson

SHIPPING is resilient, and many will tell you it thrives on volatility, but the number of and frequency of crises is taking its toll.

It’s also preventing the industry from having honest conversations about other, equally meaningful and perhaps even more treacherous problems coming down the track.

Are we going to run out of seafarers? Do we really understand AI? Do regulators listen to shipowners and how long can we expect what some are calling the next supercycle to last?

Joining Joshua on this week’s podcast from Capital Link are:

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general, International Maritime Organization (IMO)

Costas Delaportas, chief executive, Drydel Shipping

Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, chief executive maritime, DNV

Andy McKeran, chief growth officer, Lloyd's Register

Joshua Divin, senior vice president maritime business development, American Bureau of Shipping

Polys Hajioannou, chief executive officer, Safe Bulkers

Sotiris Raptis, secretary general, European Shipowners

Speak to a shipowner about bunker supply at the moment, and you’ll find a spectrum of responses.

Some are remarkably calm: nothing to worry about, supply is healthy despite the still closed Strait of Hormuz. Yes you might have to pay a bit more, but that’s shipping and you can still operate effectively.

Others are decidedly less optimistic. For them, the Strait of Hormuz represents a real threat to bunker supply in major hubs around the world, and spiraling pricing could make some voyages unprofitable altogether.

So what’s the reality? Should you be worried about supply? Is quality suffering as a result of scarcity? And how has this latest geopolitical crisis affected how bunkering works as a sector?

Joining Joshua on the podcast are:

• Alexander Prokopakis, executive director, International Bunker Industry Association

• Kenneth Dam, executive director, TFG

• Peter Grünwaldt, head of bunkering, Hafnia

• Matthew Rajendra, senior reporter, Lloyd's List

Learn more about Lloyd’s List Intelligence here: https://www.lloydslistintelligence.com/

You can throw almost every outlook or prediction made for the tanker market in 2026 in the garbage, says Lloyd’s List senior reporter Greg Miller.

After all, the US-Iran war and ensuing Strait of Hormuz crisis is perhaps the black swan to end all black swans for the market.

More than two months later, the chokepoint remains closed: so what happens to tanker stocks now?

To find out, Greg spoke to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Robertson, who ran through the year so far for tanker stocks and offered some insight as to what might be in store if the crisis continues into late 2026.

THIS week’s edition of the Lloyd’s List podcast looks at the longer-term impacts of the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

How much damage to the energy market is already priced in? When are Asian companies expecting the strait to be reopened? And will other nations, such as Indonesia, look at chokepoints in their own waters and wonder whether they can turn them to their advantage?

To find out the answers to these questions and more, catch the full webinar on-demand here:

https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5348668/FDDE3719FFE364EEDA017BE4BAB3C4CC

Joining Lloyd’s List editor-in-chief Richard Meade on the podcast are:

Cichen Shen, Asia-Pacific editor, Lloyd’s List

Ian Ralby, chief executive, IR Consilium

LAST week, delegates once again met in London for the International maritime Organization’s marine environment protection committee.

The two editions in 2025, MEPC 83 in April and the extraordinary session in October, generated some of the biggest stories in shipping.

To the surprise of many, the net zero framework agreed in April’s meeting was not adopted in October, thanks to stiff opposition from the US and several oil-producing states.

Instead, a one-year postponement was agreed, and shipping’s green deal was left perhaps not dead, but certainly not healthy either.

So back we are again, this time at MEPC84, and what has changed?

Lloyd’s List senior reporter Declan Bush, who covers decarbonization for Lloyd’s List and attended every day of MEPC84, sat down to explain what happened last week and whether it gets shipping any closer to a decision on a net zero framework or not.

Learn more about Lloyd’s List Intelligence here: https://www.lloydslistintelligence.com/.

This episode of the Lloyd's List podcast is brought to you by Lloyd's Register

DECARBONISATION, changing trade lanes and concerns of seafarer shortages – there is no shortage of reasons for why shipping executives might be losing sleep.

But add to that the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the job of running a shipping company has become even more difficult.

Our outlook forums are usually a chance to hear from experts from within the shipping industry on what they think are the most important challenges the sector is likely to face over the next few years.

But before we get to the crisis in the strait and the fallout from it, Richard started by asking all of our guests a now-familiar question: what keeps you up at night?

Joining Richard on this week’s podcast are:

Nick Brown, chief executive, Lloyd’s Register

Joe Kramek, chief executive, World Shipping Council

Adam Kent, managing director, MSI

Gaby Bornheim, president, German Shipowners’ Association

Captain Raja Subramaniam, chief executive, Fleet Management

Martina Bozadzhieva, managing director macro forecasting, Oxford Economics