Artificial Intelligence, Decarbonization and the Dark Fleet Dominate LISW25 Agenda

London International Shipping Week 2025 captured the industry at a crossroads. More than 30,000 delegates gathered across hundreds of events, confronting a sector caught between technology’s promise, climate ambition, and the hard edge of geopolitics.

Three themes dominated the week: artificial intelligence, decarbonization, and the rise of the dark fleet. But the common thread was clear: global politics is steering the maritime agenda faster than technology or climate policy alone.

Geopolitics as the Backdrop

From Washington’s tariffs to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, geopolitical shocks are rearranging the map of global trade. The tightening web of sanctions on Russia, Iran, and Venezuela has already pushed thousands of voyages into legal gray zones, while regulators race to keep pace.

The International Maritime Organization’s October vote on a net-zero framework added further complexity. Climate regulation is now an integral part of the same geopolitical calculus driving the economics of global trade.

AI’s Promise in a Volatile World

If geopolitics is driving volatility, artificial intelligence is emerging as the industry’s stabilizer. Windward’s Co-Founder and CEO Ami Daniel told attendees that within 18 months, generative AI will fundamentally reshape decision-making in shipping.

The technology is already here. AI-powered systems are reducing idle time, enabling predictive maintenance, cutting emissions, and lowering costs. More strategically, AI is exposing risks that traditional methods miss. Windward’s MAI Expert™, for example, can deliver comprehensive vessel insights and anomaly detection in seconds, helping operators, traders, and insurers stay one step ahead.

AI-Automated Document Validation, combined with behavioral vessel analytics, is already enabling Windward users to uncover fraudulent trade and shipping practices that once slipped through the cracks.

Rather than talk about AI in passing, LISW25 conversations leaned on it as the framework for tackling geopolitical uncertainty.

The Expanding Dark Fleet

The darker side of these geopolitical shifts is the growth of the so-called dark fleet: more than 1,000 aging tankers and gas carriers moving sanctioned oil. Nearly one-fifth of the global crude fleet is now tied to sanctioned trade. In just 18 months, the EU and UK have sanctioned more than 500 Russia-linked vessels.

At Windward Academy’s panel, regulators from OFAC, OFSI, the EU, and the U.S. Treasury delivered stark warnings: fraudulent flagging, hidden ownership, and mounting environmental risks are on the rise. While cooperation is advancing, enforcement gaps remain wide.

For legitimate operators, insurers, and financiers, the dark fleet has evolved into a market distortion, undermining freight rates and introducing systemic risks into global energy supply.

Decarbonization Meets Realpolitik

The industry’s decarbonization journey, long a centerpiece of global shipping debates, was recast at LISW25 as another geopolitical battleground. Shipowners voiced concerns about the feasibility of IMO’s pending net-zero rules, pointing to limited infrastructure and immature supply chains for green fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen.

Many argued that transitional fuels, particularly liquefied natural gas, are being sidelined unfairly. Shifts in U.S. energy policy added to uncertainty, raising fears of regulatory fragmentation. While governments and ports announced new investment programs during the week, sentiment among operators was cautious. The refrain was simple: ambition is not execution.

The Prevailing Narrative

By the close of LISW25, the story had crystallized. Artificial intelligence is moving from theory to practice. Decarbonization remains aspirational but politically fragile. The dark fleet continues to expand, distorting both compliance and safety norms.

Yet across every discussion, the constant was geopolitics. Tariffs, sanctions, and conflict are rewriting the rules of trade and forcing the industry to adapt at unprecedented speed. Technology may transform operations, and climate policy may redefine costs, but geopolitics will determine how, and how fast, these forces converge.