In the coming months ahead of the inaugural Geneva Dry event organised by Splash, we will be sitting down with key names attending the dry bulk mega summit. In the hot seat today: Jens Poulsen from Marcura.
At Geneva Dry next May, an entire afternoon will be spent discussing the digital impact on dry bulk shipping with sessions on digital efficiency drivers, a workshop on making data actionable and an entertaining hour on the future of fixing.
Attending the show as a sponsor will be Jens Poulsen, group CEO of Marcura, a company with a host of solutions helping maritime to streamline many processes.
“The characterisation of the shipping industry as being digitally backward is, in my opinion, somewhat unfair,” says Poulsen, a man who has been involved in the tech space for more than 40 years. He argues that it’s important to acknowledge the complexities and fragmentation within the shipping industry, something that will be firmly under the microscope at Geneva Dry on May 2.
There’s platform fatigue among users
Poulsen sees a significant but realistic role for artificial intelligence and machine learning as one of the key maritime trends to watch out for next year, moving beyond the current hype.
“Its value, in my view, is tied to measurable impacts, especially in optimising turnaround times for vessels and cargoes, and in enhancing predictive capabilities through extensive data sets,” he says.
Additionally, Poulsen anticipates improved communications with vessels due to increased satellite bandwidth and technologies like Starlink.
The maritime tech space in 2023 has experienced consolidation, a trend Poulsen believes is set to continue.
“The past few years have seen an over-saturation of platforms and applications, primarily due to the easy availability of investment,” he says. “This has led to a situation of platform fatigue among users. In my view, consolidation is a necessary response to this, driven by the natural economic cycle and a user demand for simplicity and efficiency.”
Poulsen sees an ultimate move to ecosystems rather than a plethora of solutions.
Senior executives from shipowners including Bahri, Cetus Maritime, Lauritzen Bulkers and Oldendorff Carriers are all confirmed as speakers for Geneva Dry’s packed digital afternoon as part of a two-day summit held at the President Hotel Wilson on the shore of Lake Geneva designed to get every rung of the dry bulk supply chain involved.
Panels will bring together analysts, miners, traders and shipowners to discuss where the markets are headed. Other sessions include minor bulks, agri-commodities, coal, iron ore and decarbonisation.
To find out more about Geneva Dry, click here.
