Greywing | Source: grey-wing.com

The maritime industry today is at a pivotal juncture, grappling with rising operational complexities, environmental pressures, and the need for optimized efficiency. In response to these challenges and in line with the times, digitalization has become a key initiative for shipping companies large and small. 

As companies in the maritime sector embrace digitalization across their operations, they not only face the challenge of managing massive volumes of data related to cargo, routing, costs, and emissions, but also of how to interpret their data in order to identify key insights that will help them optimize their operational efficiency. 

Often companies will have their data stored across multiple systems, leaving data siloed by department. Even with enterprise wide platforms, the data may be limited to only certain functions for security reasons or simply not to overwhelm a user with data that is not pertinent to their daily tasks. Not to mention, new IT vendors knocking on doors daily with a new product that if adopted means adding yet another system and workflow to the IT stack. Getting company-wide insights by tabulating cross-departmental data is therefore not a given and a key pain point for management.

To address these challenges, shipping companies are increasingly looking for unified platforms that integrate across various tools to churn out insights from company-wide data pools. In the age of AI, interaction with these platforms can also take place in natural language which enables management and key stakeholders to ask the questions they have and get instant answers. 

Having seen the need for exactly such a tool, start-up Greywing is looking to take the lead in this space. Its ChatGPT-like interface known as Proteus allows users to ask questions like “Give me a table of my Cargo handling costs in 2023?”. The system will then pull the data from the various relevant databases and return an answer in the format requested, in this case, a table but a chart could have as easily been churned out. Proteus supports multi-language, real-time queries, allowing users to quickly extract and share key information across teams. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the platform provides a seamless interface for users to interact with their data whether it’s managing crew information, tracking vessel movements, or identifying missing documents. 

One function the company has dedicated a lot of resources to is crewing. Building on the need for efficiency in crew management, Greywing developed SeaGPT as an AI solution designed to streamline crew change processes in the maritime industry. By using conversational AI, SeaGPT helps crew managers efficiently navigate challenges such as port regulations, crew availability, and logistics, offering real-time updates and actionable insights. The tool aims to simplify decision-making, reduce manual workload and enhance operational efficiency in managing crew rotations. In 2022, it partnered with IINO Lines to further refine its Crew Matrix Planning solution aimed at automating repetitive tasks so that ship managers could focus on high-value tasks. This collaboration was essential in building a planning engine by integrating IINO’s expertise into Greywing’s crew allocation model.

Greywing was founded in 2019 by Nicholas Clarke and Hrishi Olickel. Clarke, who serves as CEO, has a background as a former Royal Marine Commando with experience in security, while Olickel, the CTO, is a full-stack engineer with expertise in building tech for various markets. The company secured $2.5 million in seed funding with backing from several prominent investors, including Flexport, Transmedia Capital, Signal Ventures, Motion Ventures, Rebel Ventures, Entrepreneur First , and Y Combinator (where Greywing was part of the Winter 2021 intake).

By combining comprehensive data integration with the user-friendliness of conversational AI, Greywing’s AI platform is simplifying data navigation for maritime companies and transforming raw data into actionable strategies on cargo trends, voyage details, and costs. 

Expect to see an inflow of companies moving into this space as integrated data access and insights emerges as a priority for shipping companies. Maybe the only question is, when will these systems move beyond insights and be able to take actions. 

Source:

Barua, A. Conflict and climate cast a shadow on maritime trade. (2024, March 29). Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/economy/spotlight/conflict-climate-among-current-issues-in-maritime-industry.html 

 Entrepreneur First. Greywing | Portfolio | Entrepreneur First. (2023, September 5). https://www.joinef.com/companies/greywing/ 

Greywing. Your Copilot to Master Maritime Data. https://www.grey-wing.com/ 

Mann, J. (2023, April 27). What trends do maritime industry experts predict for 2023? Ship Technology. https://www.ship-technology.com/features/2023-predictions-shipping-trends/ 

Contributor  : Vanisa Andienisara
Reviewer     : Imam Buchari