How AI is modernising maritime procurement

Maritime has traditionally been one of the slower industries to digitalise, but that is changing rapidly, and procurement is proving to be an unlikely indicator for how quickly.

According to a survey of nearly 2,800 organisations by Achilles, marine transport recorded a 56% AI adoption rate for procurement, supplier risk, and sustainability management. It is second only to the technology sector, and well above all-sector average of 37%.

That shift is seen across Asia Pacific. In EY's 2025 Global CPO survey, generative AI adoption for procurement automation ranked as a top priority among Asia Pacific CPOs. Globally, 80% of CPOs surveyed said they plan to deploy generative AI in some capacity over the next three years. The scale of investment behind that adoption is significant, with research firm IDC highlighting that AI and generative AI investment in Asia Pacific is expected to reach US$175 billion by 2028.

Change for maritime procurement

Maritime procurement has long been bogged down by manual, email-driven processes and outdated legacy systems, both prone to human error. For an industry moving thousands of vessels and billions of dollars in cargo daily, procurement has often remained a back-office function.

That is beginning to change. A growing number of shipping companies across Asia Pacific are turning to e-procurement platforms to modernise how they buy and manage everything, from spare parts to compliance documentation.

Adoption, though, is not purely a technology issue, but also a change management one.

Many users of legacy procurement management systems (PMS) are comfortable with their existing ways of working, but there is growing interest in solutions that solve problems with outdated systems, data, and processes. Greater exposure to more advanced digital solutions is needed across today's shipping market – tools that are designed to solve modern pain points with these legacy systems.

In procurement, that means solutions through which shipping professionals can work smarter, faster, and with greater confidence in a quickly evolving industry.

AI in practice

For modern ship owners and managers, this move towards AI-driven procurement shows up in practical applications being used today.

Automated invoice matching cross-checks incoming invoices against original purchase orders and delivery records. What were once manual, time-consuming process, can now be resolved automatically.

Hazardous material compliance tracking helps shipping companies keep abreast of regulatory inventories as equipment and materials are purchased and replaced over a vessel's lifetime. In this way, compliance gaps can be addressed as they arise, rather than surfacing later during an inspection.

Scope 3 emissions – the indirect emissions generated by the purchase of goods and services – are another area of change. Improved AI-driven supply chain emissions visibility now gives procurement teams a clearer picture of these emissions at the point of purchase, rather than through retrospective estimates, allowing them to be monitored continuously.

These are the kinds of problems where AI delivers immediate and measurable value, and are the exact reasons why they are gaining traction within the commercial maritime industry.

AI adoption is not just a technology problem

Resistance to AI and automation is not only about the technology, but also a human resource issue tied to training, management and broader confidence in integrating AI with everyday work processes.   

No matter how good today's procurement systems are, working across two systems is not something people want to do. Getting ship owners, operators and managers to adopt more advanced platforms that use Machine Learning and automation more effectively is seen as a change management process more than anything else. Users need to be brought to a level of comfort with the technology and its capabilities at a pace that works for them.

This is where e-procurement platforms like Procureship play an important role in bridging the gap between the traditional way of thinking and the modern way of working.

AI ambition is high across the region, but real, lasting progress hinges on building trust, proper training, and demonstrating value incrementally.

One of the core challenges of the marine procurement sector is deciding how much decision making should be handled by algorithms, and how much should remain with industry professionals who understand their own operational needs, and whether automation is the right end goal.

Each shipping company needs to make this decision for itself, and it is one that should be made bottom-up rather than from the top. Requirements need to be identified by procurement professionals first, with the right technology applied thereafter. Forcing an AI solution onto teams without first establishing its value risks the kind of resistance that stalls adoption altogether.  

Data quality as the foundation for AI

Before AI can make meaningful improvements to procurement decisions, the data being used needs to be reliable. This is a challenge that is easy to underestimate with thousands of suppliers and constantly changing product specifications.  

Products change, and what is true today might not be the case tomorrow – a product is upgraded or discontinued, and the data describing it suddenly becomes obsolete. Aligning data, keeping it clean, and keeping it flowing is where e-procurement platforms can find their true value in today's market.

What procurement reveals about broader AI adoption

Although the procurement sector is modest in comparison to the rest of the maritime industry, it offers insights into how conservative, slow-moving sectors approach AI.

AI adoption has not been about mandating new technology top-down or replacing legacy systems overnight. It has come from solving specific problems that are facing modern maritime professionals, from invoice matching to compliance tracking to emissions visibility. Trust has followed as each of these issues have been solved, built on reliable for procurement teams to depend on.  

The approach is likely to be useful beyond shipping as other conservative industries across Asia Pacific bring AI into their own operations.