This May we hosted a webinar, “How to eliminate manual file transfer”, where our colleagues Marco Meyer, Mark Lim, and Kristian Olsen walked through what modern ship-shore data exchange looks like. Here are the five insights that resonated most with our audience of maritime IT and operations professionals.
1. Manual file transfer is still the biggest hidden cost in fleet IT
Physical media, port-call handovers, and endless email chasing remain common. Yet the cost is measurable. MOL Chemical Tankers calculated a saving of 186 man-hours per month after automating their transfers with Drive. When you multiply that across departments and fleets, the ROI case writes itself.
2. Shipping data exchange is not the same as office file sharing
Ships operate in remote locations with unreliable satcom links. Company IT and vessel IT are loosely integrated. Fleets constantly change as vessels join or leave. Generic tools like OneDrive and Dropbox were built for shore offices with stable broadband, not for the operational realities of a global fleet.
Read the full comparison of maritime and generic file transfer tools
3. Maritime-aware transfer protocols make a real difference
Three capabilities set purpose-built data exchange apart:
- Deduplication: only changed blocks travel, not the whole file
- Breakpoint resume: transfers pick up exactly where they stopped after a dropout
- Carrier-aware routing: assign each job to VSAT, Starlink, 4G, or FBB based on priority and cost
Together they turn unpredictable maritime connectivity into a manageable, controllable process.
4. Cybersecurity and IMO compliance are now part of file transfer
IMO MSC.428(98) put cyber risk into every Safety Management System. IACS UR E26 and E27 added prescriptive technical requirements for new builds from July 2024. Modern data exchange has to respond to this. That means no USB workarounds, no open ports, pre-delivery malware scanning, and a full audit trail. As Marlow Navigation put it, files should be checked before they reach the endpoint, not after.
Learn how identity management helps you comply with maritime regulations
5. Drive complements SharePoint rather than replacing it
The most common question in the Q&A was whether Drive replaces OneDrive or SharePoint. The answer is no. Drive extends SharePoint to your ships. Your team keeps working in the SharePoint environment they know, while Drive handles the maritime-specific distribution, syncing, and monitoring across the fleet. Eletson uses this approach to keep more than 70% of their data transfers running automatically.
Wrapping up
The webinar confirmed what customers like Minerva, Eletson, Marlow, and MOL are already proving: purpose-built maritime data exchange saves hours, secures data, and supports compliance in ways generic tools cannot match. Combined with Starlink and other high-throughput carriers, it gives shipping companies a foundation for further digitalisation.
If you missed the live session, you can start a free Drive trial on your ships at dualog.com/drive.
