MARITIME

WHAT ARE THE KEY TAKEAWAYS?

Digital tools – AI, analytics, digital twins, IoT – are becoming central to daily maritime operations, driving performance, safety, and emissions reduction
Data‑driven systems are key to decarbonisation and compliance, connecting vessels and shoreside operations to improve monitoring, reporting, and lifecycle management
Innovation is accelerating through collaboration, with emerging solutions in swarm robotics, AI navigation, and autonomous electric propulsion reshaping how fleets are maintained and operated

What are the experts saying?

About Lloyd’s Register

Lloyd’s Register is a global leader in engineering and technology services, focused on advancing safety, performance, and sustainability across maritime and other critical industries. Our heritage of technical leadership is matched by a clear commitment to digital transformation. We work with clients to navigate the complexity of decarbonisation, regulatory change, and operational risk through advanced analytics, digital assurance, and applied innovation. Our focus is on delivering real impact through practical, scalable solutions. By combining deep expertise with emerging technologies, we help shape the future of maritime operations in a way that is safe, efficient, and ready for what comes next.

Chakib Abi Saab Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Lloyd's Register

What themes will be important in maritime innovation in 2026?

Technology is no longer just supporting maritime operations. It is now defining them. In 2026, the most important shifts will be led by how well digital tools are integrated into day-to-day decision-making across fleets, supply chains, and infrastructure.

AI and advanced analytics are now embedded in how the best operators manage performance. From fuel optimisation to predictive maintenance, the value lies in speed, accuracy, and visibility. Digital twins are moving beyond simulation into active operational control. This is allowing teams to anticipate issues, optimise routes, and reduce emissions in real time.

Alternative fuels are only part of the decarbonisation story. The real enabler is technology that connects systems across the vessel and shoreside operations. From emissions monitoring to fuel traceability and reporting, data is becoming the key to compliance and commercial performance.

IoT and automation are creating more adaptive, responsive vessels. These systems are helping crews operate with greater precision and safety, especially under pressure from tighter timelines and climate volatility.

Innovation in materials and lifecycle management is also gaining momentum. With the right data and modular design, assets can be built and maintained with far less waste and better reuse, aligning operational needs with circularity goals.

Finally, the real power is in how we collaborate. Digital platforms are bringing together operators, startups, and regulators in new ways. This is accelerating innovation and making adoption faster and more practical.

What will set leaders apart in 2026 is not just having the right technology. It will be the ability to connect that technology to strategy and execute at scale.

Three Innovations to keep an eye on

INNOVATION ONE:

Can swarm robotics deliver continuous ship maintenance?

Marine organisms accumulating on ship hulls, known as biofouling, can increase fuel use by between 20 and 85 per cent, depending on how heavy the deposits are. This quiet drag on efficiency costs the shipping industry billions each year in fuel and adds significantly to the sector’s emissions.

A network of autonomous underwater robots continuously clean, inspect, and maintain a vessel’s hull.”

Now, Swiss startup Nautica Technologies has developed a network of autonomous underwater robots that continuously clean, inspect, and maintain a vessel’s hull while it’s in operation. Rather than waiting for fouling to reach damaging levels, the robots act preventatively, keeping surfaces clean at all times. The system works as a ‘swarm’, with robots coordinating to cover large areas efficiently.

Backed by $4 million in seed funding, Nautica is now gearing up for its first commercial deployments. The recent funding round was led by b2venture, with additional backing from climate-focused investors and maritime experts.

INNOVATION TWO:

Will AI improve safety at sea and limit unnecessary fuel use?

In addition to tackling rising emissions, the maritime industry continues to grapple with the perennial issue of safety, with a total of 26,071 collisions and other incidents recorded between 2010 and 2019.

To help optimise shipping operations, UK startup Orca AI has created two key product offerings: Seapod and Fleetview. Seapod, operating directly from the vessel, functions as a fully automated look-out system. It consistently gathers information within a dynamic maritime environment to reduce the likelihood of collisions and enhance decision-making.

Fleetview, on the other hand, provides fleet managers with extensive insights by collecting and supplying navigational data, which can then inform operational feedback and improve future performance.

Fleetview provides fleet managers with extensive insights by collecting and supplying navigational data.”

By implementing Orca AI’s technology, early adopters have seen notable improvements in crew workload reduction, safety enhancement, and ultimately, cost efficiency. With a client roster that includes major shipping industry players, Orca AI is making significant strides, recently raising $72.5 million in a series B funding round, spearheaded by US-based investor Brighton Park Capital.

INNOVATION THREE:

Could fleets of autonomous electric ships change the shipping paradigm?

US startup Fleetzero is developing a modular propulsion system for ships based on a lithium iron phosphate battery pack stored in a shipping container.

The system, called ‘Leviathan’, can be applied in an all-electric or hybrid configuration (where it complements existing fossil fuel engines), and is designed to lower the total cost of ownership of large vessels through fuel and maintenance savings.

In addition to electric propulsion, the company is also working to develop unmanned cargo vessel technology based on camera vision. Both its propulsion and automation technology were successfully trialled on a test vessel named Pacific Joule, and in March 2025, Fleetzero revealed the signing of an agreement with maritime operator AET to retrofit one of the latter’s vessels with a plug-in hybrid system.

Both its propulsion and automation technology were successfully trialled on a test vessel named Pacific Joule.”

In January 2026, the startup announced completion of a series A funding round and the opening of a new manufacturing and R&D facility in Houston, Texas. This new HQ is equipped with a production line with an initial capacity of 300 megawatt-hours per year of marine energy storage systems.