World Oceans Day reminds maritime leaders that the industry's environmental footprint extends far beyond carbon emissions. This year's theme, "Reimagine: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean", challenges industries to rethink how operational decisions affect marine ecosystems.

Whale strikes and underwater noise are increasingly recognised as environmental impacts that shipping operators can now measure and manage more effectively than before. New digital tools are giving shipowners greater visibility into these impacts, whether through whale-safe voyage optimisation or AIS-powered underwater noise mapping.

The next chapter of maritime sustainability may be defined by how effectively operational data is turned into decisions that protect both business performance and ocean health.

— Arnel Murga

Globally, an estimated 20,000 whales are killed each year by ship strikes, making them the leading human-caused threat to great whales. However, voyage planning systems have rarely incorporated whale protection data. Accelleron and Whale Guardians aim to change that by integrating routing recommendations, speed profiles, and environmental intelligence into voyage optimisation, helping operators reduce collision risk while supporting marine conservation and sustainability reporting.

As vessel connectivity increases and cyber threats become more sophisticated, the question of accountability has never been more important.

At the Digital Ship Summit 2026, four maritime technology leaders will debate whether operators are taking sufficient ownership of cyber governance, where vendor responsibility should begin and end, and how fleets can strengthen resilience in increasingly complex IT and OT environments.

Panelists:
• Konstantinos Stais, Delia Shipping
• Ioannis Rizos, Dynagas Ltd
• Zenon Oratis, Intermaritime Shipmanagement
• Konstantinos Sakellakos, Navarone SA

This conversation will provide practical perspectives on regulation, operational risk, connectivity and cyber resilience from the shipowner's viewpoint.

Secure your delegate pass today and join the discussion.

Commercial shipping is one of the largest sources of underwater noise. But most operators have had limited visibility into its impact on marine ecosystems. A new platform called ShipEcho uses AIS data, environmental information and acoustic modelling to map vessel noise in near real time, giving shipowners a practical tool to assess mitigation measures and support marine conservation efforts.

The UK Hydrographic Office has transformed traditional Sailing Directions into an interactive digital platform designed to simplify passage planning and improve situational awareness. With 91% of mariners reporting easier understanding and 88% reporting time savings, the project offers insight into how digital publications can improve decision-making on the bridge.

Compliance has become one of the most demanding aspects of decarbonisation. Anglo-Eastern and OceanScore are building digital processes for emissions reporting, cost allocation and regulatory management, giving an example of how large fleets are preparing for EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime requirements.

A major Indian Ocean port and a container vessel operating in the Red Sea are using the same digital platform to manage maintenance, compliance and emissions monitoring. The deployments show how operational digitalisation and sustainability objectives can be managed through a single workflow across both port and vessel operations.

Reliable connectivity is now a business requirement for digital shipping. A new agreement gives maritime operators access to Eutelsat's LEO constellation of more than 600 satellites, supporting real-time communications, vessel performance monitoring and ship-to-shore connectivity.