Maritime technology solutions provider ZeroNorth on Tuesday (4 August) introduced Propel by ZeroNorth, a new agentic AI partner for maritime operations. 

Propel uses AI agents to take action on repetitive manual tasks in operations, freeing operators to focus on decisions that require their judgement.

The launch comes as shipping faces growing operational complexity from geopolitical disruption, regulatory change and volatile fuel prices. Operators coordinate decisions across multiple vessels and disconnected systems, and better coordination can compound into meaningful time and fuel savings across a fleet.

At the same time, agentic AI is now making it possible for software to move beyond insight and recommendation. It can understand intent, respond to changing conditions and help carry out work across complex operational processes. Propel is designed to do exactly that.

Today, Propel takes on repetitive manual tasks related to voyage optimisation that were previously handled by operators. It generates a voyage plan, manages the communication with the master, incorporates feedback into the plan and updates it, while keeping the operator in the loop throughout.

It is always on duty and responds as conditions change, helping operators act sooner on voyage opportunities while saving hours of manual coordination across organisations’ operations teams and fleets.

The voyage optimisation agent has been in use by ZeroNorth’s Professional Services team over the past three months and ZeroNorth is now giving early-access to key customers Cargill, Ultrabulk and CMB.TECH.

New agents will be released on an ongoing basis. ZeroNorth is testing each new capability with its partners so Propel is shaped by real operational conditions across different shipping segments from the start. Propel will ultimately operate across voyage, vessel and fuel workflows, monitoring operations continuously, and handling actions within the boundaries operators define. Wider commercial availability is planned for later in 2026.

Søren Andersen, CEO of ZeroNorth, said: “Our ambition with Propel is to help change the way shipping works by changing what technology can do inside maritime operations. There is immense potential to move towards operations that are more connected, continuous and precise, where technology takes on more of the coordination work and people can focus their judgement where it creates the greatest value.”

“Cargill, Ultrabulk and CMB.TECH were among our very first customers and helped build ZeroNorth from the beginning. Now, they are partnering with us again to shape what comes next for shipping. Their experience will be invaluable in ensuring that Propel is grounded in the realities of the industry today, while helping transform how maritime operations work tomorrow.”

Photo credit: ZeroNorth
Published: 5 August, 2026

Shipergy, the technology-led marine fuels trading company, on Thursday (30 July) announced that it has signed what it believes to be the marine fuel industry’s first energy-adjusted procurement contract. 

Under the multi-year agreement, signed with a European operator, Shipergy procures and supplies marine fuels across the client’s fleet, with its performance formally benchmarked on the cost per unit of energy delivered, measured in dollars per gigajoule ($/GJ), rather than the industry’s traditional cost per tonne.

Shipergy said marine fuel has been bought and sold by the tonne since the industry began, but not all tonnes are equal. The energy content of fuel varies materially between suppliers in the same port, by as much as 5 to 7 per cent for VLSFO, meaning a cargo that looks cheaper on the headline market index can in fact cost more per unit of usable energy. Vessels bunkering lower energy fuel burn more of it to complete the same voyage, with direct consequences for cost, carbon emissions and regulatory compliance.

The new contract addresses this directly. For each covered port, a reference energy value is established from Energy Beacon data and agreed between the parties. Each quarter, Shipergy’s achieved cost of energy delivered, calculated from actual invoice values and laboratory-measured Net Calorific Value on every delivery, is compared against the energy-adjusted market benchmark. Where Shipergy delivers a demonstrated saving, the benefit is shared between the parties under a gain-share mechanism, fully aligning the interests of buyer and supplier for the first time in bunker procurement.

Supplier selection under the contract is driven by Energy Beacon, Shipergy’s proprietary analytics platform that predicts the energy content of marine fuel by supplier and port before purchase, and ranks firm offers on effective cost per megajoule rather than headline price per tonne. 

The platform has been independently validated by an external data scientist across more than 10,000 real production predictions spanning over 1,300 ports, demonstrating a 95 per cent confidence interval of just ±0.024 MJ/kg, equivalent to less than $0.30 per tonne of pricing uncertainty. Every prediction carries a confidence score, and the model is retrained monthly to stay calibrated as bio-blend prevalence and market conditions evolve.

The first stem under the contract, a marine gasoil delivery at a major North West European bunkering hub, was completed in July 2026. The delivery was covered by an independent survey verifying both quantity and quality, including laboratory testing of Net Calorific Value, allowing Energy Beacon’s predicted energy content to be validated directly against measured results. Supplier selection for the stem ran through the full Energy Beacon process: quality screening, energy content prediction by supplier, and ranking of firm offers on effective $/GJ.

Energy-based procurement aligns with where maritime regulation is already heading. FuelEU Maritime accounts for greenhouse gas intensity in energy terms (gCO2eq/MJ), the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator rewards lower consumption, and the EU Emissions Trading System penalises excess carbon. Buying fuel on energy content rather than weight moves procurement onto the same basis as the compliance frameworks shipowners must now answer to.

Daniel Rose, Chief Executive Officer of Shipergy, said: “The market prices fuel in dollars per tonne, but ships do not run on tonnes, they run on energy. Two cargoes at the same price can differ by five per cent or more in the energy they actually deliver, and until now no procurement contract has recognised that.

“This agreement changes the basis on which marine fuel is bought. We are measured, and rewarded, on the true cost of energy delivered to the ship. We believe every fleet will buy this way within a decade.”

Photo credit: Shipergy
Published: 31 July, 2026

Technology-led marine fuels trading company Shipergy on Tuesday (21 July) announced a series of appointments and promotions across its commercial team.

Lina Molfetas has been appointed Trading Manager, based in London. In this senior commercial role, Lina leads trading activity across the desk, oversees and develops trading activities, and continues to build on the client relationships she has cultivated since the firm’s earliest days. Lina has been with Shipergy from the outset and has been central to its growth.

Tasos Aliferis has been promoted to Head of Trading – Greece, taking responsibility for Shipergy’s trading and client relationships in Greece. Tasos has consistently been one of the firm’s standout performers, and the promotion reflects both his results and the leadership he already shows within the team.

Sotirios Tsesmelis has been promoted to Senior Trader, in recognition of his strong performance and his growing contribution to the business over the last two years.

Daniel Rose, Chief Executive Officer of Shipergy, said: “These appointments reflect the depth of talent we have built at Shipergy and the ambition we have for the years ahead. Lina, Tasos and Sotirios have each been central to what we have achieved, and I am delighted to see them take on these roles as we continue to grow. 

“Backing our people and rewarding their contribution has always been at the heart of how we operate.”

Photo credit: Shipergy
Published: 23 July, 2026