AI is reshaping shipping across the entire value chain—from route planning and port operations to logistics decision-making. The industry faces mounting decarbonization and compliance demands, including IMO’s 2030 CO2 reduction target and the EU’s FuelEU Maritime rules beginning 1 January 2025. This page also covers the technology behind the shift, plus how governance, cybersecurity, and risk management help keep AI deployments safe.
Key Takeaways
- 3.5%–4.0% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributed to international shipping
- 2030: IMO’s target for total CO2 emissions from shipping to fall by at least 20% by 2030 versus 2008 levels
- 2024: The EU’s FuelEU Maritime rules start applying to ships for emissions intensity reduction requirements from 1 January 2025
- 2023: 96% of global trade by volume is carried by sea
- 2023: The world fleet comprised about 100,000 merchant ships (by number of vessels)
- 2023: The global maritime cybersecurity market is forecast to reach $10.0 billion by 2027
- 2024: The global predictive maintenance market is expected to grow from $6.9 billion in 2023 to $18.6 billion by 2030
- 2023: The global maritime digitalization market is expected to reach $20.0 billion by 2027
- 2024: The maritime AIS market is projected to reach $4.6 billion by 2030
- 20%: AI-assisted voyage optimization can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% in reported optimization studies (varies by route and weather)
- 2019–2020: In a study of ship traffic prediction, AI models achieved mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) below 10% for selected ports
- 2021: A machine-learning study reported reducing ship energy consumption prediction error by 15% versus baseline regression models
- 40%: IBM reported AI can reduce case-handling time by up to 40%
- 2024: Gartner predicted that by 2026, 80% of enterprise organizations that use AI will have implemented governance to mitigate risk
- 2023: The OECD reported that AI systems can increase productivity while also increasing risk exposure without proper governance
International shipping is under growing emissions and compliance pressure, driving rapid AI adoption for efficiency, safety, and governance.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
2024: The global predictive maintenance market is expected to grow from $6.9 billion in 2023 to $18.6 billion by 2030https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/predictive-maintenance-market-104786
02
2023: The global maritime digitalization market is expected to reach $20.0 billion by 2027https://www.imarcgroup.com/maritime-digitalization-market
03
2024: The maritime AIS market is projected to reach $4.6 billion by 2030https://www.imarcgroup.com/maritime-ais-market
04
2024: The global IoT in shipping market is projected to reach $3.1 billion by 2028https://www.precedenceresearch.com/iot-in-shipping-market
05
2025: Forecasts estimate the global supply chain AI market at $15.0 billion by 2027https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/supply-chain-ai-market-112316650.html
06
2024: The global shipping analytics software market is projected to reach $3.2 billion by 2028https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/shipping-analytics-market-105100
07
2023: The global maritime IoT market is forecast to reach $9.0 billion by 2028https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/maritime-iot-market-102825741.html
08
2023: The global ship management software market is expected to reach $2.8 billion by 2027https://www.precedenceresearch.com/ship-management-software-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Across the shipping industry, AI related solutions are poised for rapid market expansion as the predictive maintenance market rises from $6.9 billion in 2023 to $18.6 billion by 2030 and other segments like maritime digitalization are projected to reach $20.0 billion by 2027, signaling strong growth momentum for the Market Size category.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics6 stats
01
20%: AI-assisted voyage optimization can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20% in reported optimization studies (varies by route and weather)https://www.dnv.com/news/20-percent-fuel-savings-with-ai-powered-voyage-planning
02
2019–2020: In a study of ship traffic prediction, AI models achieved mean absolute percentage errors (MAPE) below 10% for selected portshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352146519311113
03
2021: A machine-learning study reported reducing ship energy consumption prediction error by 15% versus baseline regression modelshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X21007000
04
1.0–2.5%: AI-based hull fouling detection studies report potential speed-loss reductions equivalent to 1.0%–2.5% fuel-efficiency improvement (depending on interventions)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673622004379
05
2023: A study found that AI-based anomaly detection reduced false alarms by 30% in maritime surveillance datasetshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925231223001255
06
2021: AI-based predictive maintenance can reduce downtime by 30%–50% (industry benchmark across sectors)https://www.ibm.com/services/predictive-maintenance
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, AI is showing measurable gains in shipping operations, including up to a 20% reduction in fuel use from voyage optimization and 30% to 50% lower downtime from predictive maintenance, with accuracy improvements like under 10% MAPE in ship traffic prediction strengthening the case for AI-driven efficiency.
03 · Category
Regulatory Impact5 stats
01
3.5%–4.0% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are attributed to international shippinghttps://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/
02
2030: IMO’s target for total CO2 emissions from shipping to fall by at least 20% by 2030 versus 2008 levelshttps://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-ships.aspx
03
2024: The EU’s FuelEU Maritime rules start applying to ships for emissions intensity reduction requirements from 1 January 2025https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_23_6806
04
January 2023: The US Coast Guard amended requirements for Vessel Response Plans and related oil spill preparedness plans under the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) frameworkhttps://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/01/09/2023-00156/requirements-for-oil-spill-response-plans-under-the-oil-pollution-act-of-1990
05
2023: The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) reported 2,900 maritime occurrences in the EU in 2023https://www.emsa.europa.eu/newsroom/latest-news/item/4683-emsa-publishes-2023-annual-report-on-marine-occurrences
Interpretation
Regulatory Impact Interpretation
Under regulatory impact, shipping is being pushed to cut emissions and tighten compliance as international rules tighten, with IMO targeting at least a 20% CO2 reduction by 2030 versus 2008 and EU FuelEU Maritime starting for emissions-intensity requirements in 2025 as the sector already accounts for about 3.5% to 4.0% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
2023: 96% of global trade by volume is carried by seahttps://unctad.org/news/96-cent-global-trade-sea-transport-unctad
02
2023: The world fleet comprised about 100,000 merchant ships (by number of vessels)https://unctadstat.unctad.org/EN/Classifications.html
03
2023: The global maritime cybersecurity market is forecast to reach $10.0 billion by 2027https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/07/10/2700264/0/en/Maritime-Cybersecurity-Market-to-Reach-USD-10-0-Billion-by-2027-Forecasts-by-Research-and-Markets.html
04
2024: The container terminal automation market is expected to grow to $11.0 billion by 2030https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/15/2825937/0/en/Container-Terminal-Automation-Market-Size-Worth-USD-11-0-Billion-by-2030-Research-and-Markets.html
05
2024: By 2026, Gartner forecasts 30% of supply chain organizations will use AI-enabled decision intelligence for planninghttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-17-gartner-supply-chain-decision-intelligence
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
As AI adoption accelerates in the shipping industry, Gartner’s forecast that 30% of supply chain organizations will use AI-enabled decision intelligence by 2026 signals a shift toward smarter planning across a maritime sector that still moves 96% of global trade by volume.
05 · Category
Risk & Governance4 stats
01
2024: Gartner predicted that by 2026, 80% of enterprise organizations that use AI will have implemented governance to mitigate riskhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-16-gartner-predicts-the-majority-of-enterprises-using-ai-will-adopt-governance-to-mitigate-risk
02
2023: The OECD reported that AI systems can increase productivity while also increasing risk exposure without proper governancehttps://www.oecd.org/going-digital/ai/principles/
03
2024: NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) provides a framework for managing AI risks using Govern-Map-Measure-Manage functionshttps://www.nist.gov/itl/ai-risk-management-framework
04
2023: The EU AI Act requires prohibited AI practices to be banned (entry into force in 2024 with phased application thereafter)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/summary/ai-act.html
Interpretation
Risk & Governance Interpretation
Risk and governance is becoming a fast-moving requirement as Gartner’s forecast that 80% of enterprise organizations using AI will implement governance by 2026 reflects growing recognition, highlighted by OECD findings, that AI can raise risk exposure without proper oversight.
06 · Category
Overview4 stats
01
2024: By 2025, Gartner forecasts that 75% of supply chain organizations will use AI for demand forecasting, planning, or optimizationhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-09-17-gartner-supply-chain-organization-ai-adoption
02
2022: UNCTAD reported that 50% of shipping-related firms have adopted at least one digital technology in port and shipping operationshttps://unctad.org/publication/digitalization-maritime-transport
03
2023: AI adoption in shipping for port operations is expected to increase as real-time systems mature (vendor report indicates >50% adoption among leading ports)https://www.porttechnology.org/port-automation-using-ai-real-time-optimization/
04
40%: IBM reported AI can reduce case-handling time by up to 40%https://www.ibm.com/think/technology/ai-for-customer-service
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
From an Industry Overview perspective, AI and digital adoption in shipping is accelerating fast, with Gartner forecasting that by 2025 75% of supply chain organizations will use AI for demand forecasting, planning, or optimization and IBM noting AI can cut case-handling time by up to 40%.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). AI In The Shipping Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-shipping-industry-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "AI In The Shipping Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-shipping-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "AI In The Shipping Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ai-in-the-shipping-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report
+12 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)