Norway-based maritime technology company, Shipnet, has introduced its AI service just ahead of Sea Asia in Singapore with the aim to transform decision-making in the shipping industry through advanced data analysis.
Launched at Posidonia in 2024, Shipnet’s platform Helix provides a digital representation of a shipping business, enabling seamless integration and analysis of data from various sources, such as safety, pricing, and procurement. By leveraging these diverse data inputs, Helix uncovers actionable insights to optimize business operations.
Announcing the launch of Helix AI, Niall Jack, Director of Product Management, explained: “Our vision for Helix always included AI as a core component, and we’ve been working diligently on training our AI models. After thorough testing and validation, we now have enough historical data to deploy accurate models.”
As explained, Helix serves as a data warehouse, with Shipnet’s machine learning capabilities enhancing the insights they can provide to their customers, helping them optimize their operations. The AI models they are developing use the data on the Helix platform to offer real-time validations, recommendations, and optimizations, continuously improving the quality of information through feedback loops.
What sets Shipnet’s AI apart is that it offers these validations and optimizations in real time, without requiring customers to configure complex rule sets or algorithms. The AI uses historical behaviors to ensure future actions stay aligned with best practices.
As the shipping industry grapples with increasing cost control pressures, Shipnet understands that customers are looking for solutions that reduce manpower and alleviate the workload on shore teams. While software plays a key role in handling these challenges, AI allows Helix to take on even more responsibility by automating workflows, populating orders, requisitions, and commercial documents with high-quality information, all without human intervention.
Niall continued: “Our focus is now on using Helix and AI models to drive customer service. As AI tools evolve, we anticipate the ability to query Helix using natural language. For example, you could ask Helix to generate a summary of safety-related incidents across the fleet, and within seconds, the AI will produce a structured report complete with graphs, diagrams, and quotations.”
In the shipping industry, many businesses struggle due to insufficient data. John Wills, Head of Customer Experience at Shipnet, explained that their service aims to provide simplicity, transparency, and a connection between different areas of the business, empowering more informed decision-making.
