ShipPalm: Simplifying vessel operations through better data

In an increasingly dynamic maritime sector, shipping companies are navigating the urgent need to reduce emissions while simultaneously driving growth and profitability. This is a challenge of complexity and scale, requiring technology that offers both deep expertise and simple, actionable guidance. At the centre of this complex transformation lies ShipPalm– a comprehensive maritime data management platform that provides the secure, unified data foundation necessary for modern, sustainable vessel operations.

ShipPalm functions as the central repository for all critical vessel data, from fuel consumption and voyage parameters to maintenance schedules and emissions tracking. Unlike traditional, siloed systems that fragment information across departments, ShipPalm establishes a unified data ecosystem. Here, real-time performance metrics, historical voyage data, and predictive analytics converge to create a single source of truth for operational decision-making. 

Clarity and simplicity: How ShipPalm makes the complex clear

The platform’s architecture is specifically designed to meet the unique and complex demands of the maritime industry. We believe that while the underlying data ecosystem is complex, our purpose and the user's understanding must remain simple. By collecting, standardising, and analysing data from numerous sources– including onboard sensors, manual crew inputs, and external feeds– ShipPalm transforms raw information into actionable intelligence. This enables operators to make informed decisions about route planning, fuel consumption, maintenance, and regulatory compliance, ensuring deep knowledge is delivered without clouding simple understanding.

Making the complex clear is a core principle of how we communicate and operate. ShipPalm achieves this by delivering deep knowledge and data through a layered approach, ensuring that the final, simple understanding of the concept is never clouded. This commitment to clarity is what distinguishes ShipPalm: from the boardroom to the bridge, every stakeholder relies on the platform’s data integrity to drive both strategic planning and daily operations.

Overcoming data quality challenges with advanced analytics

The reliability of any optimisation effort is fundamentally linked to the quality of the data feeding it. ShipPalm’s architecture addresses common maritime data challenges, such as:

• Inconsistent voyage reporting: Short voyages often result in data gaps or mismatched data, undermining confidence in analysis.
• Physically impossible metrics: Anomalies like reported negative access power signal fundamental measurement or calculation errors.
• Inaccurate propulsion efficiency: Faulty slip percentage calculations can mask serious propulsion issues, leading to flawed speed and route suggestions.

ShipPalm’s sophisticated data validation architecture tackles these issues through multi-layered verification protocols. The system automatically flags physically impossible values and applies statistical analysis to identify outliers that may indicate sensor malfunctions or reporting errors. By establishing baseline performance profiles for each vessel, ShipPalm quickly identifies deviations that require investigation, creating a continuous improvement cycle for data quality.

The platform's reconciliation algorithms are particularly effective at resolving data inconsistencies. When faced with conflicting information from different sources (e.g., manual reports versus sensor readings), ShipPalm applies weighted confidence scores based on historical reliability, ensuring the most trustworthy data is used for analysis and optimisation.

Collaborative security: building trust in your data

In today’s digitally driven industry, the security of operational platforms is as critical as the physical security of a vessel. ShipPalm acknowledges this, and recent developments within the ecosystem have prioritised a rigorous security framework. This approach aligns with our value of being confident yet humble, showcasing our expertise while remaining open and trustworthy.

For example, a comprehensive security questionnaire is a mandatory part of any system implementation and integration. This is not a mere procedural hurdle, but a foundational element that ensures data integrity and operational resilience. The process involves a detailed assessment of data handling protocols, access controls, and encryption standards, positioning ShipPalm as a secure foundation upon which critical business decisions can be confidently based.

Best practices for maritime data security now being implemented within the ShipPalm framework include:

• Layered security architecture: Implementing multiple security barriers to protect core data.
• Role-based access controls: Ensuring personnel can only access information relevant to their specific roles, protecting sensitive data.
• Secure integration protocols: Establishing standardised security requirements for all third-party integrations, such as a Veson integration, to prevent security compromises through connected systems.

By establishing these rigorous security standards and approval processes, ShipPalm positions itself not only as a tool for efficiency, but as a secure, trusted platform that encourages dialogue and fosters strong partnerships.

Driving profit, people, and planet through optimisation

ShipPalm's robust data infrastructure is the critical foundation that powers ZeroNorth's sophisticated voyage optimisation capabilities. This synergy of data foundation and optimisation algorithms allows us to shape the dialogue and inspire action towards a more sustainable future.

We actively seek and value the perspectives of our customers, partners, and the wider industry, which is why ShipPalm is designed to draw out benefits across three dimensions: profit, people, and planet.

Profit: quantified savings and commercial excellence

The platform enables a sophisticated comparative analysis across four distinct voyage scenarios:

• Vessel's intended route without ETA constraints: The baseline plan.
• ZeroNorth's recommended route without ETA constraints: Maximising efficiency when schedule flexibility exists.
• Vessel's intended route with ETA constraints: Evaluating performance against real-world schedule adherence.
• ZeroNorth's recommended route with ETA constraints: The most sophisticated analysis, finding the optimal balance between cost savings and schedule adherence.

People: empowering the crew with commercial context

The effectiveness of optimisation depends on the decisions made by the crew at sea. Our customer-centric approach means the system needs to empower these teams. Currently, vessel crews often lack visibility to commercial data (like market hire rates) within the system, seeing only bunker prices. This information asymmetry constrains their decision-making.

ShipPalm’s architecture supports nuanced role-based permission structures to strategically share selected commercial data with key vessel personnel. This does not require full commercial transparency, but rather provides "Vessel Commercial Context" with simplified market indicators.

This approach gives shipboard teams the commercial context they need to make informed decisions, transforming them from mere recipients of shore-side instructions into active, informed participants in the optimisation process. Vessels with access to this contextual data consistently achieve better adherence to optimised voyage plans, resulting in a more collaborative and effective operational cycle.

Planet: precise emissions reporting for compliance

ShipPalm's data architecture is uniquely positioned to address the mounting regulatory pressure for granular emissions reporting. Requirements from the IMO's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating system, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) expansion to maritime transport, and the FuelEU Maritime initiative all demand precise environmental accounting. We must keep climate in context in all communications and solutions.

ShipPalm’s ability to capture timestamp-specific consumption data is key. Rather than relying on daily noon reports or voyage averages, operators can generate reports showing exact fuel consumption between any two specific timestamps. This capability transforms environmental reporting from a retrospective obligation into a proactive management tool and is critical for:

• Group-wide reporting: Meeting large-scale corporate environmental requirements.
• Short-term charters: Ensuring accurate allocation of environmental costs when a vessel transitions between charterers, eliminating disputes and ensuring accurate cost allocation.

By making consumption patterns visible with such granular detail, operators can identify optimisation opportunities that may be obscured in aggregated data. This allows for targeted interventions to reduce fuel consumption and deliver real emission reductions, directly supporting our vision to make global trade green.

A strategic asset for fleet-wide digital transformation

ShipPalm is more than a technical system– it is a strategic asset that directly impacts the bottom line. By connecting seamlessly with enterprise systems like Veson IMOS, it creates a unified data ecosystem that eliminates duplicate data entry, enhances decision velocity, and streamlines compliance reporting. This integration is crucial for creating a cohesive digital infrastructure.

The journey toward full fleet optimisation begins with recognising the unique characteristics of each vessel. ShipPalm’s modular design and standardised collection protocols allow for a phased implementation roadmap:

• Assessment and preparation: Evaluating existing systems, identifying technology gaps, and establishing fleet-wide data governance policies.
• Pilot implementation: Deploying ShipPalm on a small number of vessels to establish baseline metrics and validate optimisation algorithms.
• Controlled expansion and full integration: Staged rollout across the remaining fleet, developing vessel-specific optimisation parameters, and transitioning from parallel operations to primary system use.

The benefits of fleet-wide ShipPalm implementation grow exponentially:

• Cross-vessel benchmarking: Identifying best practices from top-performing vessels and applying them across the fleet.
• Optimised fleet deployment: Making data-driven decisions about which vessels are best suited for specific routes or cargo types.
• Consolidated emissions reporting: Streamlining regulatory compliance through unified reporting systems.
• Improved maintenance scheduling: Coordinating downtime across the fleet based on performance data rather than arbitrary schedules.

The industry is moving forward, and embracing new technology is essential for operating in better and more sustainable ways. ShipPalm brings the guidance and clarity needed to navigate the dynamic green transition. By harnessing our expertise, technology, and trusted data at scale, we confidently continue to drive our purpose: to make global trade green.

Conclusion

ShipPalm stands as a critical enabler of the maritime industry’s green transition, offering the secure, trusted, and unified data foundation required to operate with clarity and confidence. By transforming fragmented vessel information into a reliable single source of truth, ShipPalm empowers operators, crews, and decision-makers to take meaningful action—whether that’s reducing fuel consumption, improving commercial performance, or meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

With its robust validation architecture, rigorous security standards, and deep integration capabilities, ShipPalm moves far beyond a traditional data system. It becomes a strategic asset that strengthens fleet-wide optimisation, accelerates digital transformation, and ensures that every operational decision is grounded in accurate, transparent, and actionable data.

As the maritime sector navigates the complexities of decarbonisation, ShipPalm provides the clarity needed to move forward with purpose. By combining ZeroNorth’s expertise, trusted technology, and commitment to sustainable progress, ShipPalm helps the global shipping industry operate smarter, safer, and greener—today and for the future of global trade.

Frequently asked questions

1. What is ShipPalm?
ShipPalm is a secure maritime data management platform that unifies vessel, voyage, and operational data into a single, trusted source of truth.

2. How does ShipPalm support voyage optimisation?
It provides the accurate, timestamp-specific data needed for ZeroNorth’s optimisation algorithms to generate fuel-saving, cost-efficient, and compliant recommendations.

3. What makes ShipPalm’s security approach robust?
A mandatory security assessment, role-based access controls, encryption standards, and a layered security architecture ensure data integrity and operational resilience.

4. How does ShipPalm empower vessel crews?
Its permission-based design allows selective sharing of key commercial insights, enabling crew to make informed, confident decisions at sea.

5. Can ShipPalm help with emissions reporting requirements?
Yes. Its granular data capture supports precise reporting for CII, EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, and wider corporate environmental obligations.