The rise of AI in the maritime industry
Artificial intelligence use continues to grow in the sector, with the maritime AI market nearly tripling in size between 2023 and 2024, according to a Thetius report.
AI continues its increasing contribution to the maritime sector, with one of the latest uses being ship condition monitoring. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help to test machinery and diagnose any potential problems on the ship.
But while it may offer positives, Condition Monitoring Technologies (CMT) has recently cautioned against placing too much reliance on AI in this field. Human involvement is still vital to make sure that maritime operations remain accurate and safe, it reports.
CMT’s Managing Director David Fuhlbrügge commented that while AI still has a role to play – for instance, in analysing huge data sets generated during operations – there are still “critical limitations in relying on technology alone”. In particular, CMT argues that human involvement is crucial when it comes to handling data – checking, interpreting and then dealing with information is especially important in the cases of automated vessels.
“A sensor can tell you a pressure reading or temperature value,” explained Mr Fuhlbrügge. “It cannot smell burning oil, feel excessive vibration or recognise an unusual sound in the engine room. That’s where human intuition, experience and judgement come in.”
A valid argument for human involvement is that AI lacks that gut instinct in the case of any issues. Professionals can draw upon years of training and experience to recognise if there is any cause for concern. Another problem with using AI for ship condition monitoring is the cost and logistics involved of placing sensors all around the ship – and in the event of these systems failing, this can only reinforce the need for a human presence.
“The shipboard engineer is effectively a multi-sensory detector,” added Fuhlbrügge. “They notice smells, vibrations, small changes in behaviour, things no current AI or sensor suite can reliably do. That kind of holistic insight is still uniquely human, and indispensable.”
AI working in other areas
While a cautious approach is advised with respect to human involvement, AI usage presses ahead in a number of maritime sectors. A collaboration between Lloyd's Register and Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service has seen the technology being used to enhance the regulatory process for nuclear technology.
Lloyd's Register Global Offshore Power To X Director, Mark Tipping, explained that AI can swiftly interrogate from a huge data source in order to “identify good practice and lessons learned”. Deputy Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Jeff Scott, added that AI can cut through the “red tape” to “fast-track the future of nuclear in maritime”.
In terms of protecting cargo, a March 2025 report from the International Union of Marine Insurance said that AI can help to optimise the fastest and safest transportation routes. Using predictive analytics and the study of weather conditions, AI can help to protect cargo by helping to plot the smoothest courses that eschew rough seas and thus, potential spillage of commodities such as foods, drinks and other perishable goods.
Meanwhile, research at Osaka Metropolitan University has resulted in a AI-driven fluid dynamics breakthrough. The researchers claim that their new machine learning-powered fluid simulation model can maintain accuracy while drastically lowering computation time rates – they say that this can boost industries such as offshore power, ship designing and real-time ocean monitoring.
However, Takefumi Higaki, Assistant Professor at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Engineering, added the caveat that: “AI can deliver exceptional results for specific problems but often struggles when applied to different conditions.”
CMT predicts that in the future, the set-up will be on the same lines as “today’s engine manufacturer service models”. Fuhlbrügge explained that sensors could be used to identify a fault mid-voyage, with a flying repair team meeting the vessel at the next port. “But without someone qualified to interpret those readings correctly, there's a serious risk of either false alarms or overlooked faults.”
Let’s not be blinded by the promise of the full autonomous ship. Human engineers are not a relic of the past. They’re the best safeguard we have for a safe and reliable future at sea.”
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Image: artificial intelligence in shipping concept. Credit: Shutterstock.