The market is as tough as anyone can remember, and there’s no end in sight to that. The last significant innovation in the maritime sector was the introduction of the ISO container – in the 1950s. For too long we have opted to wait out the storm, navel gazing while nervously glancing toward any movement the competition might make. Cathartic change is needed.

While facilitating 90 percent of global trade, shipping remains a remarkably inefficient business model, with hugely expensive assets and massive running costs. Owners and operators aim to achieve a modest return, yet their long-term success is almost entirely dependent on world economic trends. The industry is frustrated with cost inefficiencies and leakages throughout the value chain.

In a sector steeped in history, we still retain centuries old processes and practices. Despite the market risks, and the knife-edge economics wrought by significant vessel oversupply, many owners, operators, and charterers are working without access to essential information. Not least they need a complete understanding of trading patterns, cargoes and the position of all vessels regardless of owner.

Nisomar is founded on the belief that the use of technology in shipping is woefully inadequate. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions may have been around for decades, ship-to-shore communications have advanced, but adoption of new technologies and the use of Big Data in the sector is poor. We believe that there is now a demonstrable opportunity to leapfrog evolutions
in other sectors, to make innovative use of global shipping data, and to bring about wholescale reform in shipping.

Imagine an easier way to gain an understanding of the key levers in global trade flows – a world of better transparency. Envisage being able to achieve a more accurate picture of key deliverables to your fleet, and the potential to benchmark your performance against that of most other ships in your sector. Picture an increased knowledge of cargo movements around the world without having to trail through age old data.

By optimising your strategic decision making to reduce steaming “for order” only to realise that if you had improved knowledge of possible “open cargo” you could have saved important time and cost in lost steaming. Better “pre-port call information” will enable you to make decisions that will vastly improve your ability to schedule your voyage, as opposed to four days before arrival when it is all too late and impossible to maximise the return from the voyage in question. The airlines do it, why don’t we?