Seaways All hands on tech - July 2026
The humans at the centre
by Katerina Sfaellou MNI, Communications Manager, The Nautical Institute
June has been a busy month for the STEER Project team, attending the maritime industry’s major biennial event Posidonia, working on our first major report and releasing our #ListeningToSeafarers survey.
Posidonia was focused on the future of the maritime industry; digitalisation, automation, smarter ships, new fuels and technologies. At the trade fair itself, we had the chance to talk directly with manufacturers about the importance of timely feedback from end users when developing new systems. We engaged with educators and trainers about how we can enable maritime professionals not just to comply with industry standards, but to understand the systems they are using. Most importantly, we had the opportunity to have one-to-one conversations with people from all stages and sectors of the maritime industry; engineers, officers, Masters, deck and engine cadets, software developers, ship managers, educators, and flag state representatives; asking them about the biggest challenge that technology poses for them.
The common denominator in all these discussions was that the maritime industry remains human centred at its core, despite technological advances. Seafarers around the world bring years of experience, practical and local knowledge and professional skills that cannot be replicated or replaced by technology. Instead, we need technology that complements these skills by providing tools that are designed with day-to-day operational realities in mind.
The STEER project’s first survey aims to help identify those tools and get the perspective of seafarers and maritime professionals on how we can better support them. When these perspectives are combined and analysed, they will provide a clearer picture of how technology really impacts work and life at sea, and how we can better support our maritime community and improve operational safety.
What we know so far is that it is not enough for humans to adapt to new systems and technologies. Systems should be adapted to the real operational needs of the professionals using them. That is essential if we want seafarers to thrive and operational excellence to be achieved.
Take part in our survey, engage and encourage your colleagues to share their views too. Your views will help us better support your maritime career. It only takes five minutes.
