Christoffer Svärd is well aware of shipping’s frustration at the fragmented nature of maritime tech. Clients are faced with a huge, confusing array of often repetitive solutions with little in the way of standardisation or actual holistic offerings. When he heads to Switzerland for Geneva Dry, Svärd, the Swedish chief commercial officer at freight fixing platform Sea, will be carrying a simple message.
“For us, the key is simplifying and bringing standardisation to traditionally siloed and cumbersome processes in pre-fixture processes,” Svärd says. “Customers don’t want 10 different vendors for 10 different processes, which adds complexity and creates data silos across operations.”
Instead, he says customers need solutions that support integrated workflows that can help drive greater operational efficiencies, data standardisation, promote collaboration, and encourage stronger governance.
Sea’s platform streamlines chartering workflows both pre-and at-fixture, helping charterers, brokers, and owners – and Splash journalists – boost their productivity, governance, and compliance efforts all in one place.
Customers don’t want 10 different vendors for 10 different processes
At Geneva Dry, the world’s premier commodities shipping summit, there will be an entire afternoon devoted to digital, kicking off with an hour on digital efficiency drivers with top names from Oldendorff Carriers and Cetus Maritime among the speakers followed by a workshop on making data actionable and finishing with what promises to be a lively debate on the future of fixing, moderated by Mandarin Shipping’s Tim Huxley with well known names from the likes of Bahri, Lauritzen Bulkers and Arrow as panellists.
“It’s no secret that our industry’s workflows and data are currently fragmented, and we’re in need of better tools that enable collaboration and better productivity,” says Svärd who describes the forthcoming Geneva Dry event as the “ideal platform” to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the dry bulk shipping sector. Sea is one of 13 tech providers sponsoring the Swiss summit.
“I’m excited to join my peers to discuss the future for fixing freight, and how brokers, owners, and charterers can use the power of data to adapt to this period of change and innovation,” Svärd says.
Designed to be the annual global summit for the dry bulk shipping community, the event now boasts an extraordinary mix of shipowners, trading companies, miners and tech providers, all due to convene at the Hotel President Wilson on the shores of Lake Geneva on May 2 and 3 this year.
The high-level summit is split into relevant sectors to make delegates’ time more targeted and rewarding. Sessions also include minor bulks; agri-commodities; coal; iron ore; and decarbonisation.
The full Geneva Dry agenda can be accessed here.
Geneva Dry registration, at just $650, can be accessed here.
Special Geneva Dry rates at the President Wilson Hotel can be found here.
