Episode 126: Maritime Digitalization Year in Review 2025 with Evan Efstathiou
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Release Date: 12/16/2025
Episode 138: Weather, Risk & Maritime Decision Making with Amy Buhl of Weathernews
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 138: Weather, Risk & Maritime Decision Making with Amy Buhl of Weathernews Guest: l, Service Operations Leader at Episode Overview Weather impacts every voyage, every day, yet it often operates quietly in the background of maritime decision-making. In this episode of The Last Dinosaur, Chris sits down with Amy Buhl, Service Operations Leader at Weathernews, to discuss how weather intelligence, vessel operations, connectivity, vessel performance, and voyage optimization are becoming increasingly interconnected. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Amy explains how voyage...
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Episode 137: Fuel, Data, and Real Margins – Building a Modern Bunkering Business with Daniel Rose of Shipergy
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Episode 137: Fuel, Data, and Real Margins – Building a Modern Bunkering Business with Daniel Rose of Shipergy Guest: , Co-Founder, Episode Overview: What does it take to build a modern trading business in one of shipping’s oldest markets? In Episode 137, Daniel Rose shares how he co-founded Shipergy and scaled it from zero to over $200M in revenue, all while building data-driven tools that challenge how fuel is bought and valued. From early-stage chaos to AI-enabled operations, this is a grounded look at where technology really works and where it doesn’t. Key Moments 00:10...
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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...
info_outlineGuest: Evan Efstathiou, CEO of Burmester & Vogel and Founder of SkySail Advisors
Episode Overview:
For the fourth year in a row, Evan joins The Last Dinosaur to unpack the big storylines in maritime tech. From AI hype vs. reality and sector consolidation, to decarbonization, hardware innovation, and the next wave of corporate venture investing, this episode is your annual “state of the union” for digital shipping. Chris and Evan revisit last year’s predictions, look at what played out in 2025, and lay out what to watch closely in 2026.
Key Points:
- AI Moves From Hype to “Show Me the Money”:
AI has shifted from novelty add-on to table stakes. Vendors can’t just say “AI” anymore—customers want real productivity gains and measurable ROI, not marketing gimmicks. - Roll-Ups, Acqui-Hires, and the Looming “Big Five” Question:
2025 saw continued M&A among larger players and classic roll-ups plus AI acqui-hires. Evan talks about Kpler, Marcura, Sedna and others—and what it might look like if some of the “big five” platform players eventually combine. - Decarbonization Tech Is Here to Stay (Even If Policy Pauses):
Despite IMO’s slower tempo, tools for ETS, FuelEU and emissions accounting are now baked into contracts and day-to-day operations. Tech and digital remain the “low-hanging fruit” for compliance, risk reduction, and cost savings. - VC & Corporate Venture Capital Double Down on Maritime:
Dedicated maritime funds and shipowner-backed CVC arms are becoming core capital sources for seed and early-stage innovation, especially where AI, optimization and decarb intersect. - Hardware + Software Stacks Gain Momentum:
From robotic hull cleaning to onboard sensor platforms and wind-assisted propulsion, Evan highlights how digital twins and AI-enhanced analytics are making hardware projects more bankable and easier to scale across fleets. - The Future of Work: Smaller Teams, Bigger Tools:
Claims departments, chartering desks, and brokers aren’t going away—but their toolkits are changing. The real future is smaller, highly experienced teams amplified by AI, not full automation replacing human judgment and relationships. - 2026: The Year of the AI Shakeout:
With spending at “epic levels” for AI - boards, investors, and customers will all be asking the same thing: did it pay off? Evan predicts 2026 will be a defining year where resilient, commercially viable AI products pull ahead and weaker offerings fall away.
Learn More:
If you enjoy this episode, go back to our earlier Year in Review with Evan:
- Episode 94 – “Maritime Digitalization Year in Review 2024 with Evan Efstathiou”
Tune in Now:
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and all major platforms.
Music by: Peg and The Rejected – “King of SKA”
Artwork by: GA Design
Produced by: Chris Aversano
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