Episode 136: Translating Maritime Innovation – From Shipyards to Startups with Caitlin Hardy
The Last Dinosaur - Maritime Shipping In The Digital Age
Release Date: 05/12/2026
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_outlineEpisode 136: Translating Maritime Innovation – From Shipyards to Startups with Caitlin Hardy
Guest: Caitlin Hardy, Founder & Managing Director, Ness Sea
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 the realities of commercial vs defense innovation, the role of capital in driving change, and the growing need for “translators” who can bridge engineering, operations, and business.
Key Points
- Bridging Ship and Shore: The disconnect between design, operations, and crews continues to create friction and opportunity
- Commercial vs Defense Reality: Speed vs process and why commercial maritime moves faster than government-led innovation
- Innovation is Owned by Risk-Takers: Progress happens when someone is willing to fund and trial new technology
- Startups in Maritime: Execution under real-world constraints is far harder than building the idea
- Autonomy vs Practical Automation: The industry may see more impact from incremental automation than full autonomy
- The Translator Gap: Maritime needs more professionals who can connect technical, operational, and commercial perspectives
- A Branding Problem: The industry struggles to tell its story and attract the next generation of talent
Timestamps
- 00:50 – Introduction to Caitlin Hardy
- 01:40 – Early maritime roots and Naval Academy background
- 04:00 – Transition from Navy to commercial maritime
- 07:20 – Procurement complexity and shipbuilding challenges
- 12:53 – Subsea technology and autonomy: reality vs hype
- 17:15 – Who owns innovation in maritime
- 22:15 – The rise of maritime tech startups
- 24:35 – What founders get wrong
- 26:55 – What operators get wrong
- 33:18 – Social media and maritime’s branding problem
- 40:20 – Wrap-up and final thoughts
Learn More:
For more on how capital and strategy are shaping maritime innovation, check out Episode 112 with Kenji Togasaki, as well as past conversations with Jan Dieleman and Evan Efstathiou.
Tune in Now:
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more. Watch the episode on YouTube.
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