How Smart Ship Hub Cuts Costs and Connects Fleets Like Never Before

During Singapore Maritime Week, I had an informative conversation with Joy Basu, CEO of Smart Ship Hub. Since its founding in 2018, this company has been addressing the maritime industry’s significant challenges. Rising operational costs, limited ship-to-shore connectivity, and declining interest among young seafarers – these are the problems Smart Ship Hub is working to solve with its digital platform. For more details about their approach, the full interview video provides a comprehensive look at their maritime solutions.

 

Basu recognized an opportunity in an industry traditionally reliant on family-run fleets, Excel spreadsheets, and legacy systems. Smart Ship Hub collects live sensor data and integrates with existing ship systems – without requiring retrofitting – to create a unified source of information. This consolidated data gives ship owners, operators, charterers and insurers immediate insights that help reduce inefficiencies and improve decision-making. With fewer than 10% of the world’s 65,000 merchant vessels currently using smart technology, there’s substantial room for improvement across the industry.

 

Smart Ship Hub offers a comprehensive approach rather than focusing on isolated issues. The platform provides practical intelligence for fuel and hull performance monitoring, condition-based maintenance, and other key operational areas that directly affect costs. For example, it helps prevent equipment failures and optimizes voyage routes based on weather conditions. During our discussion, Basu described their partnership with DNV that streamlines emissions reporting, saving resources while ensuring compliance. Their collaboration with Navarino brings improved connectivity to vessels, enabling video feeds and remote management that strengthen ship-to-shore communication.

 

Particularly noteworthy is Smart Ship Hub’s effect on recruiting new seafarers. By involving younger crew members in data collection and analytics – and providing them with competency certificates – the platform makes seafaring more appealing as a technically advanced career. Basu explained how a cadet might connect gateways, monitor data flowing to the cloud, and observe analytics in action. This hands-on experience with modern technology helps attract interest and updates perceptions of maritime careers.

 

Rising costs, connectivity challenges, and workforce concerns are all being addressed by Smart Ship Hub through data-driven solutions. For a more detailed understanding of how they’re improving maritime operations, I recommend watching the complete interview with Joy Basu from Singapore Maritime Week – it provides valuable insights into the industry’s digital development.