For much of its modern history, shipping has relied on experience, instinct and relationships as much as data. Decisions were \u2013 and in many cases still are \u2013 informed by spreadsheets, phone calls, intuition and experience built over decades. Today, that foundation is being reshaped by digital tools designed to bring clarity, visibility and confidence to some of the industry\u2019s most complex challenges.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Few companies sit more squarely at the intersection of shipping expertise and digital innovation than Klaveness Digital<\/strong>, part of the Torvald Klaveness Group<\/strong>. Born out of the operational DNA of the Klaveness Group, the Oslo-based technology company has spent nearly a decade translating maritime know-how into digital platforms built for real-world users. Under the leadership of Managing Director Ingrid Kylstad, Klaveness Digital<\/strong> is helping move the industry beyond pilots and proof-of-concept projects and into what she describes as shipping\u2019s \u201cearly adulthood\u201d in digital maturity.<\/p>\n The Crossroads of Policy, Tech & Shipping Kylstad joined Klaveness in 2021, initially as sustainability lead within an innovation unit focused on decarbonization. Her path into maritime, however, was anything but accidental. Prior roles placed her at the intersection of maritime policy, sustainability, technology investment and innovation, including work with the Norwegian Shipowners\u2019 Association and an investment firm focused on impact startups in ocean industries. That perspective continues to shape how Klaveness Digital approaches its role today: grounded in operational reality, but focused firmly on what comes next.<\/p>\n Digital Solutions Rooted in Operational Experience Klaveness Digital did not begin as a typical shipping software startup. Its origins lie in a simple but powerful realization: the Klaveness Group had accumulated decades of insight from operating in physical shipping markets \u2014 dry bulk and combination carriers \u2014 and that knowledge could be translated into scalable digital products.<\/p>\n Rather than starting with vessel-focused tools, the company initially looked upstream, asking a different question: What problems do industrial cargo owners face?<\/p>\n The answer led Klaveness Digital into supply chain decision support, not traditional shipping software. Its flagship product, CargoValue, was designed to give industrial charterers a digital twin of their seaborne supply chain, connecting shipments, inventories, planning and decision-making into a single, collaborative platform.<\/p>\n Today, the scale of that platform is significant. CargoValue has processed nearly 50,000 shipments, managing approximately 1.4 billion metric tons of cargo. It serves industrial customers with complex maritime supply chains\u2014companies for whom running out of inventory is not an option. \u201cDecarbonization used to be hype-driven,\u201d she notes. \u201cNow it\u2019s operational. Companies want emissions data they can trust, and eventually, data they can use directly in decision-making.\u201d From Emissions to Pre-Vetting<\/strong><\/p>\n While supply chain solutions remain Klaveness Digital\u2019s primary revenue driver, the company has steadily expanded its product portfolio. \u201cDecarbonization used to be hype-driven,\u201d she notes. \u201cNow it\u2019s operational. Companies want emissions data they can trust, and eventually, data they can use directly in decision-making.\u201d Shipping Digital Maturity<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite this progress, Kylstad is careful not to overstate where the industry stands. Asked to place maritime digitalization on a maturity scale, her answer is nuanced.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely moved past proof of concept,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are real investments, real platforms, and strong investor interest. But the industry is still fragmented.\u201d Shipping is, by nature, experience-driven, and while data is increasingly valued, it has not yet replaced intuition. Many innovations remain internal, developed as point solutions that struggle to scale across organizations. For companies still early in their digital journey, Kylstad points to data hygiene as the most critical first step. Clean, structured and accessible data unlocks nearly every downstream benefit digitalization promises.<\/p>\n Equally important is identifying repetitive, non-value-adding tasks, areas where automation and AI can free people to apply judgment rather than chase information. \u201cThe threshold for building tools today is very low,\u201d she notes. \u201cOrganizations can empower teams to build and adapt solutions themselves, if the data foundation is right.\u201d<\/p>\n The return on investment, she argues, is often immediate: fewer manual processes, faster decisions and reduced operational friction.<\/p>\n Where AI Excels\u2014and Where It Doesn\u2019t<\/strong><\/p>\n At Klaveness Digital, AI is viewed as an enabler rather than a replacement. Internally, it accelerates prototyping, experimentation and product development, dramatically reducing the cost and time required to test new ideas.<\/p>\n Externally, AI\u2019s strength lies in its ability to extract insight from messy, multi-source datasets, flagging anomalies, summarizing trends and highlighting changes that would otherwise go unnoticed.<\/p>\n What AI cannot yet do is replace domain judgment. Complex contractual decisions, risk assessments and accountability still require human oversight. \u201cAI can prepare decisions,\u201d Kylstad explains, \u201cbut explaining and standing by those decisions still belongs with people.\u201d<\/p>\n Broadening the Talent Pool<\/strong><\/p>\n Digitalization is also reshaping who can lead and succeed in shipping. As data, analytics and technology become core competencies, industry experience, while still of value is no longer the sole qualifier for leadership.<\/p>\n \u201cA modern shipping company needs developers as much as it needs traditional maritime roles,\u201d Kylstad says. At the same time, strong digital tools lower barriers for newcomers by providing clearer, explainable decision support that does not rely on decades of personal networks. More importantly, digital efficiency offers something increasingly valued: time. Shipping remains a demanding, global, around-the-clock industry. Done right, digital tools can reduce pressure on operational roles and support healthier work-life balance.<\/p>\n \u201cEfficiency has to translate into something meaningful for people,\u201d Kylstad says. Companies that succeed in doing so, she believes, will gain a lasting competitive edge in attracting talent.<\/p>\n Looking ahead, Klaveness Digital is investing heavily in future-proofing its platforms. A next-generation version of CargoValue is currently rolling out, designed to be more modular, more customizable and fully AI-ready, without compromising SaaS scalability.<\/p>\n At the same time, the company continues to strengthen its engineering capabilities and invest in innovation, ensuring it remains ahead of evolving customer expectations.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building software that recognizes every customer has a unique context,\u201d Kylstad says. \u201cThat balance\u2014between standardization and flexibility\u2014is where the industry is heading.\u201d<\/p>\n While shipping remains a business steeped in a prevalence of smaller operators and tradition, its digital revolution is no longer theoretical. It is operational, commercial and increasingly unavoidable. Companies like Klaveness Digital \u2014 grounded in maritime reality yet focused on technological possibility \u2014 are helping guide the industry through this transition.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n maritime professional<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For much of its modern history, shipping has relied on experience, instinct and relationships as much as data. Decisions were \u2013 and in many cases still are \u2013 informed by spreadsheets, phone calls, intuition and experience built over decades. Today, that foundation is being reshaped by digital tools designed to bring clarity, visibility and confidence …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":78546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[64],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-maritime-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/78546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.al-sindbad.net\/rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/strong><\/p>\n
It was during her time working directly with shipowners and regulators that shipping\u2019s broader significance became clear. \u201cShipping is really where policy, technology and global trade come together,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s also a sector where you can genuinely have an impact, where change matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we build for are the supply chain planners,\u201d Kylstad says. \u201cThe people who need visibility, real-time insight and decision support across shipments, inventory and multiple variables \u2014 all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n
-Ingrid Kylstad, Managing Director Klaveness Digital
Image courtesy Klaveness Digital<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
One key offering is Emissions, a tool designed to calculate and visualize the CO\u2082 footprint of maritime supply chains\u2014often Scope 3 emissions for cargo owners. What began as a response to regulatory and sustainability pressure is increasingly becoming, in Kylstad\u2019s words, a \u201chygiene factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
More recently, Klaveness Digital has moved into commercial shipping decision support with its Pre-Vetting solution. The platform addresses a longstanding industry challenge: vessel over-description. By supporting charterers with clearer, more structured vessel assessments before selection, Pre-Vetting brings transparency to a process traditionally shaped by fragmented information. To date, the platform has supported 14,000 to 15,000 vessel vettings, and adoption continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Trust remains a defining issue.<\/p>\n
A particular contradiction defines the current moment: widespread enthusiasm for artificial intelligence paired with deep reluctance around data sharing. \u201cEveryone wants AI,\u201d Kylstad observes, \u201cbut nobody wants their data to contribute to AI.\u201d
That tension places digital solution providers in a delicate position, balancing innovation with governance, transparency and customer trust.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/imagesedit.marinelink.com\/images\/storage\/w800h600\/klavenessdigitalofficeimage1-7c93.jpg\"\/)
Image courtesy Klaveness Digital<\/span><\/span><\/span>Data Hygiene and Efficiency<\/strong><\/p>\n
Digitalization\u2019s influence extends beyond operations into recruitment and retention. For younger professionals, investment in digital tools is not optional, it is expected.<\/p>\n