Episode 99: Navigating the Future of Maritime Training with Capt. Pradeep Chawla
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Release Date: 02/18/2025
Episode 136: Translating Maritime Innovation – From Shipyards to Startups with Caitlin Hardy
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 136: Translating Maritime Innovation – From Shipyards to Startups with Caitlin Hardy Guest: , Founder & Managing Director, Episode Overview: Caitlin Hardy joins The Last Dinosaur to break down what it really takes to bring technology into maritime, from shipbuilding and subsea systems to startups trying to find product-market fit. Drawing on her experience across naval architecture, Kongsberg, and now Ness Sea, Caitlin offers a clear-eyed view of why adoption is hard, who drives innovation, and why the industry still struggles to tell its story. This conversation touches on...
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Episode 135: Beyond Compliance – The Reality of Seafarer Wellbeing with Meei Wong
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode Overview: A conversation that challenges how the industry defines “wellbeing.” Founder and CEO of , breaks down why compliance-driven metrics miss the real picture onboard—and why trust, culture, and incentives are the real barriers to improving life at sea. Timestamps: 00:05 – Introduction and Meei’s journey into seafarer welfare 02:23 – A broken system: industry value vs reliance on charities 05:20 – What wellbeing actually looks like onboard vs compliance metrics 10:36 – Why self-reported data misses the reality 13:08 – Health gaps, underreporting, and life...
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Episode 134: Why Maritime Still Isn’t Connected – And What It Will Take to Fix It
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Guest: , Principal Engineer at Chair, Episode Overview: Maritime has no shortage of digital tools. What it lacks is connection. In this episode, speaks with Tim Morris about why shipping still operates in silos while other transport sectors have evolved into fully connected systems. They explore what intelligent transport systems (ITS) really mean in a maritime context, where the industry is falling short, and how better coordination across ports, vessels, and landside logistics could unlock efficiency, resilience, and sustainability. Key Moments 00:05 – Introduction Chris sets the...
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Episode 133: The Human Side of Shipping: Seafarer Welfare in a Connected World
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 133: The Human Side of Shipping: Seafarer Welfare in a Connected World Episode Overview Recorded live at , this roundtable pulls back the curtain on seafarers’ welfare in modern shipping. Chris sits down with , , and to explore how digital transformation is reshaping life for crews when ships come into port. From Starlink and onboard connectivity to WhatsApp communication, e-commerce logistics, and social media visibility, this conversation highlights how seafarer welfare has evolved into a critical part of the maritime ecosystem. It also brings into focus a more immediate reality....
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Episode 132: How Cargill Thinks About Decarbonization, Risk, and the Future of Shipping with Jan Dieleman
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 132: How Cargill Thinks About Decarbonization, Risk, and the Future of Shipping with Jan Dieleman Guest: Jan Dieleman President, Ocean Transportation — Cargill Chair, Global Maritime Forum Episode Overview In this episode of The Last Dinosaur, Chris Aversano speaks with , President of Ocean Transportation at and Chair of the . Cargill charters hundreds of vessels across global trades at any given time, moving grains, energy products, and raw materials around the world. From that vantage point, Jan offers a unique charterer perspective on how shipping decisions are made. Hint: it is...
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Episode 131: Driving Change in Maritime, and Why Port Calls Still Feel Like Orchestrated Chaos
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 131: Driving Change in Maritime, and Why Port Calls Still Feel Like Orchestrated Chaos Guest: , CEO and Co-Founder, Also: Host of the vodcast Special Note: This is a co-produced episode and will be released on both The Last Dinosaur and Teqplay’s vodcast Driving Change in Maritime with Teqplay Episode Overview: This one is a true back and forth. Léon and Chris co-host a joint episode that moves from the reality of port call complexity to why “visibility” is still surprisingly hard, and how digital twins can make maritime data usable in the moments that matter. They also dig...
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Episode 130: Risk Is Changing, Lets Talk P&I Clubs, Digitalization, and the New Reality of Maritime Insurance
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Guest: CEO, Episode Overview Shipping has always been about risk. But the nature of that risk is shifting. In this episode, I sit down with Thomas Nordberg, CEO of The Swedish Club, to explore how maritime risk has evolved from vessel-centric, event-driven incidents to complex systemic exposures shaped by geopolitics, regulation, cyber threats, and digital transformation. This is not a conversation about premiums and policies. It is a practical look at how insurers are adapting, how shipowners should be thinking differently, and why the P&I club model may be more relevant today than...
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Episode 129: Decarbonization That Actually Works; Founder Lessons with Gordana Ilic, PhD of BetterSea
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Guest: — Co-Founder & Co-CEO, and host of Episode Overview: Gordana Ilic didn’t come up through shipping. Gordana’s path was through sustainability, entrepreneurship, corporate innovation, then into Maersk’s decarbonization work before returning to entrepreneurship. In this episode, we go beyond regulation talk and into what’s really happening in the market: how FuelEU is being received, why smaller owners moved faster than some of the giants, what pooling is changing culturally and commercially, and what founders learn the hard way about building in an industry that’s...
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Episode 128: Bridge to Boardroom: Class Society Reality, Tech Adoption, and the Ship–Shore Gap
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Guest: , Global Market Leader, Commercial at Episode Overview: Capt. Ankur Arora has lived shipping from all sides. Years at sea, senior roles with shipowners, and now inside a leading class society. In this episode, he breaks down what changes when innovation stops being a slide deck and starts living onboard: design choices that affect daily work, the role of modeling and verification, how connectivity reshapes crew life, and why talent pipelines depend on telling the real story of seafaring. Key Points: Why he chose sea life (and what he learned fast): Early responsibility, rapid...
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Episode 127 — Starting 2026 with the Right Mindset with Akanksha Batura Pai PD
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Guest: , PD Executive Director, Shipping Agency Pte Ltd | IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador (Emerita) | #1 Top 100 Women in Shipping Episode Overview: We kick off 2026 with a grounded, practical conversation with Akanksha Batura Pai PD, one of my favorite interviews to date. We talk about what digital transformation actually looks like inside a ship agency, why incremental change beats big-bang initiatives, how mindset drives successful adoption, and why clean data still matters more than AI hype. This episode is part of our ongoing partnership with and for the second year in a...
info_outlineEpisode 99: Navigating the Future of Maritime Training with Capt. Pradeep Chawla
Guest: Capt. Pradeep Chawla, Chairman of GlobalMET and Founder of MarinePALS
Episode Overview: Capt. Chawla shares insights from his 50-year maritime career, transitioning from sea to leadership at Anglo Eastern, and now pioneering digital training at MarinePALS. We explore the evolution of maritime education, the role of technology, and the changing landscape of seafarer training.
Key Points:
- The Shift to Digital Learning
- "Nobody likes reading anymore. Most learning now happens via YouTube, not textbooks."
- Microlearning, gamification, and VR are reshaping how seafarers acquire critical skills.
- Why VR and Gamification Matter
- First-time experiences, like entering a ship’s forpeak tank, can be simulated to build confidence.
- "A senior master once crashed a Cape-size bulk carrier in a simulator, but after seven attempts, he got it right—he never forgot that lesson."
- Adapting to Alternative Fuels
- LNG, ammonia, and methanol are the future—but require specialized training.
- MarinePALS developed VR training for LNG bunkering, helping crew adapt before stepping on board.
- Technology and Training Evolution
- "A second mate’s passage planning once took 12 hours—now it’s automated in two."
- Digitalization is reshaping navigation and ship operations, requiring new skill sets.
- The Power of Social Media in Shipping
- Shipping has traditionally operated in the shadows, but platforms like YouTube and Instagram can help highlight the industry’s importance.
- "In my previous company, we went from 20,000 to 100,000 followers by sharing crew-generated content—seafarers love seeing their own work showcased."
- The Seafarer Shortage and Industry Future
- Despite concerns, Capt. Chawla is optimistic: "The sea still attracts the brave."
- To appeal to the next generation, highlight responsibility: "By 22, you’ll be in charge of a $400M asset. Where else does that happen?"
- Advice for the Next Generation
- "Forget the idea that maritime is an outdated industry—it's evolving fast, and there’s no better time to join."
- Training needs to reflect modern learning habits: short, engaging, and interactive.
Learn More:
- Related episode: Episode 85: Wind-Assisted Propulsion with Cristina Aleixendri Muñoz
- MarinePALS website: marinepals.com
Tune in Now: Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more! Watch the episode on YouTube.
Music by: Peg and The Rejected 'King of SKA'
Art Work By: GA Design
Produced by: Chris Aversano
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Special Mention: Christopher Aversano’s podcast is proud to be a media sponsor of London International Shipping Week, coming in September 2025.