Sailing into the future: The digital course of the shipping industry

Athens, June 2025 – Under the warm Greek sun, the two-day shipping event "Sailing into the Future" took place, organized by Cegeka Business Solutions in collaboration with Microsoft. The central message of this event was clear: the future of the maritime sector is digital, sustainable, and driven by collaboration. The event brought together leading experts, technology partners, and maritime companies to explore how these aspects shape the future of shipping. 

The key insights from this event? We outline them in this blog article. And good news, we also highlight Microsoft's vision in two additional blog articles about Agentic ERP and how to strategically deploy AI within the shipping industry.

An industry in transition 

The maritime sector faces significant challenges: stricter regulations, increasing sustainability pressures, complex supply chains, and the necessity for digitalization. During the event, it became clear that technology is no longer an option but a necessity to remain competitive and future-proof. 

Agentic ERP: The AI Revolution According to Microsoft 

In the session by Harry Kambanis, AI & Business Solution Lead at Microsoft, it became clear how Microsoft envisions the future of business applications: as an AI-first organization where technology not only supports but actively thinks and works along employees. 

Central to this is the concept of Agentic ERP, a new generation of ERP systems that use AI-driven copilots and agents. Together, they ensure a fundamental reorganization of ERP systems. Add tools like Copilot Studio and Dynamics 365, and shipping companies can automate, optimize, and future-proof their processes. 

"AI takes over repetitive tasks so that people can focus on creativity and strategy. That's where the real value lies," said Kambanis. 

According to Microsoft, we are currently in a double revolution: 

• On the one hand, the way we handle data is changing; from "data in, data out" to "data in, answers out." 

• On the other hand, the user interface is fundamentally changing through natural language processing and context understanding. 

Curious about more insights from his session?  Then read our in-depth blog 'Agentic ERP: Microsoft's vision for an AI-first future for the shipping industry’.

The future of the shipping industry: Strategically deploying AI 

But how do you practically deploy AI and get started? Simon Waelchli, Industry Advisor at Microsoft, explained this during our shipping event. His session seamlessly connected to Harry's session on Microsoft's vision and provided participants with practical inspiration to start using AI. In his session, he explained the broader strategic impact of technology in the shipping industry and outlined a future where autonomous ships, smart ports, and digital twins become the norm - supported by AI, IoT, and cloud technology. His message: AI is not a hype, but a horizontal technology that affects every aspect of the organization: from maintenance and compliance to customer experience and new revenue models. 

In his session, Simon provided practical tools for shipping companies to successfully implement AI, focusing on data quality, change management and the importance of starting small. Curious about more insights from Simon on the shipping industry's digital horizon? Then read our blog article "Navigating to the future: Microsoft on the digital horizon of the shipping industry’.

From Copilot to autonomous ERP: the next step in AI transformation 

In their joint session, Marco Smits (Global Black Belt, Microsoft) and Gizem Cetin (Technology Sales, Microsoft) showed how Microsoft's vision of Agentic AI and Autonomous ERP translates to practical applications within Dynamics 365. They introduced a growth model in which organizations evolve from “humans with assistants” to “agent-operated, human-directed” processes, a paradigm shift that leads to more strategic focus and less repetitive work. 

With Copilot Studio and a growing ecosystem of pre-built agents, shipping companies can automate processes, accelerate insights, and act proactively based on signals from their systems. These agents are not only reactive, but also capable of making decisions independently within defined frameworks. 

“Business outcomes first, technology second,” was the core message of the session; a call to see AI not as an end but as a means to create business value.

Digital transformation in shipping 

Besides AI, digitalization of the supply chain also took center stage. Amy Yu, Partnership Director at the Digital Container Shipping Association (DCSA), emphasized how crucial collaboration and standardization are to accelerating digital transformation in the industry. DCSA now represents 75% of global container shipping and is developing open, vendor-neutral standards that promote interoperability and efficiency. 

A key example is the electronic Bill of Lading (eBL). According to McKinsey, a universal eBL can save annually: 

• Save 28,000 trees, 

• reduce $6.5 billion in documentation costs, 

• and unlock $30-40 billion in global trade growth. 

DCSA's standards cover the entire logistics chain; from Track & Trace to Just-in-Time Port Calls and Arrival Notices, and are developed in collaboration with shipping lines, terminals, ports, technology partners and governments. “By working together on open standards, we accelerate innovation and create a level playing field for all players in the chain,” Yu said.

Sustainability as a strategic lever 

The future of the shipping industry? It has to be sustainable. That's why Petra Cicek, Sustainability Lead at Microsoft, presented a session on how ESG data and AI can contribute to more sustainable shipping. The industry is under pressure from regulations (such as CSRD and IMO), societal expectations, and the need for operational efficiency. At the same time, sustainability also offers opportunities for innovation and growth. 

Microsoft is positioning sustainability as a strategic business driver, supported by technology. With solutions such as Microsoft Sustainability Manager, Power BI, Copilot and Microsoft Fabric, shipping companies can: 

• Centralize and visualize ESG data, 

• Calculate and reduce emissions, 

• Gain real-time insights through IoT and AI, 

• And meet reporting requirements such as CSRD. 

“You can't manage what you don't measure,” Cicek emphasized. By unlocking data and linking it to AI, companies can not only report, but proactively manage for sustainability. 

Tangible applications include: 

• Route optimization and predictive maintenance to reduce fuel consumption, 

• AI-driven ESG reporting and what-if analysis, 

• setting up an ESG datalake to accelerate decarbonization.

A partner in innovation for the martime sector 

How do you respond to all these challenges and opportunities? At Cegeka, we are more than happy to brainstorm those topics with you. During the event, we shared more about our integrated solution for shipping companies, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and supported by our project framework. 

"We combine in-depth industry knowledge with a pragmatic, process-oriented approach, in which co-creation with the customer is central. Together we build solutions that really add value," said Ernest Baldacchino, Solution Architect at Cegeka. 

The solution for Shipping & Vessel Management includes: 

• Voyage management, crewing, compliance, and ESG reporting, 

• Real-time insights via IoT and Power BI, 

• Offline on-board support, essential for operations at sea,
  
  
• And comprehensive modules for finance, supply chain, asset management, and maintenance.
   

Dynamics 365: The platform for the shipping industry

This allows us to truly provide a platform ready for tomorrow's challenges for the shipping industry. With over 500 best practice processes, a process library in BPMN, and an incremental delivery approach in waves and sprints, we ensure rapid adoption and high quality. Thereby we use the standard Dynamics functionalities, with customization only where needed, supported by tools like Copilot Studio, Power Platform and Dataverse.

Want to know more? 
Are you curious to know more about how Cegeka helps shipping companies with their digital and sustainable transformation? Get in contact with us and let's talk about the posibilities.