AI is now part of routine work across maritime companies, yet Thetius and Marcura’s 2026 research finds a wide gap between daily use and organisational readiness. For shipowners and managers, the report puts greater attention on verification, accountability and knowing where human judgement must remain.
AI has entered the daily workflows of maritime companies, with 63% of respondents to the 2026 Thetius and Marcura survey saying they use AI every day. Yet only 8% described their organisation as mature and governed in its use of AI, according to Earning Trust: AI in Maritime.
The report draws on responses from 60 maritime professionals, including owner-operators and ship managers, with 78% working at middle management, senior management or C-suite level. It found that 72% see AI as a growing operational tool, while 42% said their organisation is implementing AI in some areas or has reached a mature and governed stage.
The gap matters at ship management level because AI is reaching commercial decisions. Charter party review, procurement, claims preparation and voyage planning are among the workflows covered in the report. In procurement, Saurish Nandi, Head of AI-Driven Procurement Innovation & Sustainability at Marcura, said, “The decision-making stays with the buyer. We’ve kept humans in the loop from the start because confidence in AI recommendations has to be earned before you hand over more of the decision.”
The report calls the time spent checking AI-generated work the “verification tax”. Some checking is necessary when errors could affect contracts, sanctions, procurement or operational decisions. The concern is repeated checking caused by uncertainty about the system or its data.
That cost has not erased the gains reported by users. While 55% spend at least an hour each week checking or correcting AI outputs, 85% still say AI saves them more time overall.
Agentic AI raises the stakes further. Some 72% said their organisation is using, piloting or planning to use AI agents, yet only 15% said governance is ready for systems that can take action.
The report’s central message is this: measure the complete workflow, assign responsibility before deployment and match human review to the consequences of an error.
Download the report: Earning Trust: AI In Maritime.
