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Smart Ship Hub: Digitalisation now a necessity, not a choice
Smart Ship Hub: Digitalisation now a necessity, not a choice
11 May 2026
The maritime sector has spent years talking about digitalisation, but progress remains uneven. For Smart Ship Hub, the pitch is straightforward: bring everything into one place and make the data usable.
Joy Basu, the company’s chief executive, frames it as a shift away from fragmented systems toward a single operational layer. “Smart Ship Hub (SSH), headquartered in Singapore, is an all-in-one, cyber-secured maritime digital platform designed for shipowners, operators, charterers, marine insurers, and ports,” he says. “It brings together multiple operational functions into a single ecosystem, creating a ‘single source of truth’ that delivers rich, reliable data across the entire maritime supply chain.”
The platform leans heavily on onboard data. “The platform leverages high-frequency sensor data deployed onboard vessels to provide a highly customised user experience,” Basu says, noting that users can tailor dashboards to suit their operations. Data is pulled from across the vessel, from machinery and navigation systems to cargo consoles and camera feeds, feeding into real-time monitoring and performance tracking.
He positions the system as a full operational layer rather than a niche tool. “SSH is among the first platforms to deliver true end-to-end digitalisation in maritime operations,” he says, pointing to coverage across technical management, chartering, voyage performance, routing and maintenance.
That all-in-one approach is central to the pitch. “By consolidating multiple functions into a single platform, SSH eliminates the inefficiencies of using disparate software systems,” Basu says, comparing the model to consumer platforms that bundle services into one interface.
Still, shipowners have heard similar promises before, especially around integrating fleet data without heavy upgrades. Basu argues the difference this time is execution. “While the industry has heard similar claims before, what differentiates Smart Ship Hub is the practicality and flexibility of its approach,” he says. The system uses an onboard gateway to tap into existing equipment, avoiding large-scale retrofits.
“At its core, Smart Ship Hub uses a simple onboard gateway that enables data logging by tapping directly into existing vessel systems,” he explains, adding that the platform connects to systems already in place, from alarm monitoring to power management. Where data gaps exist, selective upgrades can be added. “For older vessels where data availability may be more limited, SSH also offers the option to retrofit selected components,” he says.
Standardisation is another part of the argument. Basu points to ISO frameworks as a way to normalise data across fleets built in different yards and eras, allowing like-for-like comparisons. “What ultimately makes the SSH model stick is the combination of standardised, high-frequency vessel data, continuous telemetry, and a robust digital platform underpinned by built-in data models,” he says.
The integration challenge runs deeper than hardware. Shipping has long been weighed down by standalone systems that do not talk to each other. Basu says the industry is now moving past that phase. “The maritime industry has long struggled with fragmented, standalone technologies that add complexity rather than solving it,” he says.
Partnerships are part of the solution, but only if they do not add another layer. “Partnerships such as the one with ORBYT are a natural extension of this vision, not an additional layer of complexity,” he says, pointing to a growing list of integrations with equipment makers and class societies.
“What makes this approach different is that Smart Ship Hub is not just another application layered on top of existing systems,” Basu adds. “It is a unified platform where the ecosystem naturally integrates, allowing multiple functions to work together seamlessly.”
Despite the progress, the numbers show how early the industry still is. Fewer than one in ten vessels can be considered fully “smart.” Basu does not see cost as the main hurdle. “Maritime digitalisation is still in its early stages there is no real shortcut to that evolution,” he says, arguing that the issue is as much organisational as technical.
“One of the most critical differentiators is leadership,” he says, pointing to the gap between companies with clear digital strategies and those without. Data itself is another constraint. “In many ways, the real blocker is not cost but the availability and effective use of information,” he says.
There is also a cultural element. “As with any legacy industry, there is also a natural hesitation to fully trust digital systems,” Basu says, adding that successful adopters tend to link investment to clear milestones and outcomes.
Regulation is starting to force the issue. With carbon intensity targets and emissions trading schemes tightening, digital tools are becoming harder to ignore. “Increasing regulatory pressure is making digitalisation less of a choice and more of a necessity,” he says.
Many companies still rely on manual processes, often dedicating months of manpower to compliance work. “For some, this is seen as manageable because manpower is treated as a flexible resource,” Basu says, but he argues that approach is inefficient and increasingly outdated.
“In contrast, investing in digital systems represents a more sustainable, long-term solution,” he says, pointing to automation and real-time data as a way to cut recurring workload and improve decision-making. “Delaying digitalisation does not eliminate the cost; it simply postpones it while increasing inefficiencies.”
Looking ahead, the focus is on scale. “In the short term, we are focused on harmonising maritime data at scale by onboarding thousands of vessels equipped with high-frequency sensor data capabilities,” Basu says. The aim is to standardise key datasets and build what he describes as a centralised repository of maritime intelligence.
Further out, the vision shifts to connectivity. “In the mid-term, the vision is to enable a fully connected maritime ecosystem, where vessels continuously exchange data not only with shore but also with each other,” he says, pointing to early adoption in parts of Asia and wider rollout in the next few years.
On the technology front, Basu expects data to remain the foundation. “One of the most significant developments will be the growing investment in high-frequency sensor data,” he says, alongside a push toward unified platforms rather than multiple standalone tools.
Artificial intelligence is also set to evolve. “Artificial intelligence will also evolve rapidly from individual, experimental use cases to enterprise-level, outcome-driven implementations,” he says, highlighting the development of maritime-specific models and more autonomous systems.
The endgame, in his view, is a more centralised way of running fleets. “Finally, we will see the rise of digital command centres or ‘control towers,’ operating as network operations centres for fleet management,” Basu says. “These will enable real-time monitoring of assets and play a critical role in driving efficiency, compliance, and operational excellence.”
For an industry often slow to change, the direction of travel is becoming clearer — even if the pace still varies widely from one owner to the next.
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