B. NO. 282

When artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalization are discussed in maritime, attention still gravitates toward autonomous ships. Yet the market is not about de-crewing but, rather, applying vessel and shore data to make operations safer, more fuel-efficient, and easier to maintain.As of 2024, the maritime AI market stood at $4.13 billion, with a projected five-year CAGR of 23%. Market-size estimates should be treated cautiously, but the direction is hard to miss – AI solutions have advanced from trials into voyage planning, machinery monitoring, bridge decision support, port coordination, and digital assurance.

Accelerating demand for subsea power and telecoms cable network construction is fuelling major expansion of the world fleet of purpose-designed cable laying, maintenance and repair vessels.Driven by the growth of the offshore renewables sector and its advance into deeper waters, as well as by widening investment in cables connecting electrical grids in different countries, emergent generations of cable ship are distinguished by scale, productivity, and technological intensity.  Ongoing geopolitical tensions are also giving a fillip to the development of subsea cable infrastructure

Norwegian maritime technology company Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled the Arctic Hunter USV, a new class of uncrewed surface vessels designed for rapid integration and deployment into Hybrid Fleets.In response to the UK Royal Navy’s development of its hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed assets, the Arctic Hunter USV combines commercial ship design with Kongsberg Maritime’s remote and autonomous technologies to deliver anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability in the High North.Kongsberg Maritime has selected one of its Arctic commercial vessel designs to adapt and optimize for the Royal Navy’s Type 92 ASW requirement.

Alfa Laval has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Norwegian maritime software company NAVTOR for $700 million in cash, expanding its digital fleet solutions business through one of its most significant transactions to date.The acquisition, valued at $700 million (SEK 6.85 billion), is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary regulatory approvals.NAVTOR provides e-navigation, vessel-performance solutions and integrated onboard workflows for shipowners and operators, with customers in more than 90 countries.

After its first year of transatlantic service, NEOLINE's wind-powered cargo ship demonstrates the potential for substantial fuel savings, while technical issues highlight the challenges of bringing sail propulsion into mainstream commercial shipping.For all the discussion surrounding shipping's decarbonization, the commercial equation for alternative propulsion technologies remains relatively straightforward: How much does the technology cost, how much fuel can it save, and how quickly can the investment be recovered?Wind Assisted Propulsion Systems (WAPS) remain a small fraction of the global commercial fleet