The Power of PartnerShips: Building digital ecosystems for the maritime industry

The maritime industry operates at the intersection of global trade, technology, and regulation. Our landscape is deeply complex, spanning oceans, borders, and regulatory regimes. Maritime companies are compelled to rethink workflows, data sharing, and collaboration across the entire supply chain. 

In this environment, digitalisation is no longer optional, and building connected digital ecosystems isn’t just a competitive advantage, it’s a necessity. To thrive, maritime companies are turning to digital ecosystems: integrated networks of technology, data, and partnerships that allow them to navigate change, improve efficiency, and collaborate across an intricate web of stakeholders.

An Explosion of Data

Maritime organisations have to deal with an explosion of data from diverse sources: cargo manifests, container tracking, vessel movements via Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), port operations, bills of lading, bunker fuel consumption, weather reports, and more. Information is often fragmented across siloed systems, from legacy enterprise platforms to emails, spreadsheets, and isolated reporting tools. This makes it challenging to extract insights quickly and also to coordinate decisions across stakeholders. 

Data that is Trusted and Actionable

Trusted and actionable data enables companies to mitigate risk, optimise performance, drive growth, and adapt to an increasingly dynamic and interconnected supply chain ecosystem. Without a single source of truth, operational teams struggle to anticipate delays, manage risk, comply with regulatory requirements, and identify opportunities for efficiency and revenue growth. 

It is critical that decision makers can leverage integrated and real-time data. We need to be able to act confidently, respond to disruption, and maintain visibility across the entire maritime ecosystem.

The New Wave of Maritime Tech Tools

Few of us would dispute that we need technology to significantly reduce paper-based processes, minimise manual tasks, and to streamline the ocean freight supply chain. The past decade, in particular, has seen a surge of maritime start-ups and new entrants introducing a wide array of maritime-targeted digital tools and data services (everything from advanced safety and security platforms to AI-enabled voyage optimisation solutions, and tools that help resolve operational inefficiencies like demurrage claims).

Each tech solution undoubtedly brings its own benefits. However, the sheer variety of tech options forces us to reflect on selecting the most appropriate tools so that we can leverage digital automation effectively for our unique operational needs.

Navigating Complex Information Flows

We now have a virtual ocean of software solutions, enabling us to build customised technology “stacks” that (purportedly) enhance competitiveness, efficiency, and insight. The abundance of these ‘solutions’ introduces a serious new challenge: how do we both manage and act on the increasing volumes of data spread across multiple and disparate platforms?

A survey of large organisations found that companies use an average of 367 software apps and systems! Employees - understandably - often feel disengaged as switching between tools makes it difficult to locate the information needed to do their jobs. 

In maritime, this (volume of data across systems) challenge is magnified: a single shipment requires input from numerous sources, and operational visibility relies on data from chartering platforms, voyage management systems, vessel tracking, port authorities, email correspondence, and more.

When Connecting the Dots Makes us Seasick

The result? Most of us are more than a little familiar with the constant struggle to connect the dots, ensure critical information isn’t missed, and to accelerate decision-making without adding extra operational overhead. 

It’s not just about adopting more new tools. 

Our message to companies is this: Tools must be INTEGRATED into cohesive ecosystems that turn data into actionable insights, enabling smarter, faster, and more efficient operations.

How to Minimise Information Silos? 

At Sedna, we believe that the answer to this lies in an OPEN TECHNOLOGY ECOSYSTEM and in BUSINESS COLLABORATION. 

By partnering with both established industry leaders and innovative start-ups, we support data exchange that:

• Is completely secure
• Is controlled by the customer 
• Provides maximum value by reducing the noise (noise from increased information overflow)
• Delivers exactly the data people need to make their daily decisions faster and more accurately.

Read how we keep data privacy at the heart of our open partner ecosystem

Read our Case Studies on how we’ve helped companies transform and thrive

How Do We Do It?

At Sedna, we believe true efficiency comes from CONNECTING SYSTEMS, not just adding more of them. That’s why we champion open APIs (technology bridges that allow software platforms to “talk” to each other and share data seamlessly). 

Open APIs break down silos by making it easy to integrate Sedna with both industry-agnostic tools such as Salesforce, SAP, and Google Workspace, as well as with specialised maritime platforms including ABRAXA, AXSMarine, Dataloy, GAT-Ship, OrbitMI, Q88, Veson, Voyager (and more!)

This integration-first approach means data flows freely between the tools you already rely on. What is the impact of this?

This integration:

• Reduces manual data entry
• Improves accuracy
• Ensures that your teams always have a single source of truth. 

Instead of switching between dozens of disconnected apps, maritime professionals get a UNIFIED VIEW of their operations thus streamlining workflows, accelerating decisions, and unlocking new opportunities to optimise performance across the supply chain.

Our Open Philosophy

This open philosophy is at the heart of Sedna and its advanced email platform, designed to serve as a central hub for maritime communication and data. By embracing openness, Sedna’s Stream doesn’t just manage email, it transforms it into a powerful source of actionable intelligence, connecting messages, documents, and workflows across your entire tech stack. 

What does this actually mean for people in our industry? 

This approach: 

• Eliminates silos
• Creates a single source of truth
• Empowers maritime teams to work faster, smarter, and more collaboratively.

We know, without a doubt, that the real value comes from the ability to bring together and create an organised view of information flows from across platforms (tools such as Salesforce, SAP, and Google Workspace, as well as with specialised maritime platforms including ABRAXA, AXSMarine, Dataloy, GAT-Ship, OrbitMI, Q88, Veson, Voyager).

‍Integrations to Increase Performance -  OrbitMI Example:
The integration with our partner OrbitMI enables users to pull vessel performance information and also deviation alerts to ETA, speed, and consumption, from the dashboard and display it directly in the email view.

“Our collaboration with SEDNA has helped our customers eliminate silos and prevent the need to log in and out of multiple platforms and solutions through what we call ‘intelligent connected workflows."

‍Ali Raza, CEO, OrbitMI

‍Integrations to Increase Performance -  Veson Example:

We also work with Veson and their Voyage Management System to display data alongside the email, completely removing the need for users to jump between screens and presenting users with an expanded, centralised hub of data.
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With our recently launched enhanced integration with the Veson IMOS Platform, it not only offers more useful data points but also calculates if there are changes in the estimated times of arrival and departure to provide a visual cue if there are delays – all while viewing a relevant email an operator needs to action.

"By breaking down barriers between our clients’ critical systems, we can create a more streamlined and contextual experience.”

John Veson, CEO and Co-Founder, Veson Nautical

Our partnership with Voyager, allows vessel owners, operators, and charter teams to easily view, and exchange voyage documents via Sedna to Voyager. Through having data in one space, the integration saves significant time and reduces the risk of human error that could otherwise occur when uploading and downloading documents.

“The interface between operations software and your inbox has been a major technology gap for teams in the shipping space. With this integration I am excited to see a true plug & play integration come alive where data and documents can move seamlessly between the email platform and operations platform.”

‍Matthew Costello, CEO, Voyager

‍Integrations to Increase Performance -  ABRAXA Example:

Port agents can also benefit from the flow of relevant information into their inbox through our partnership with ABRAXA. While port agency operations are typically data-intensive and time sensitive, users can extract, manage and use their port call data between ABRAXA and Sedna.

“This integration brings significant time and cost benefits to our mutual customers."

‍Peter Balchev, Founder and CEO, ABRAXA

‍Integrations to Increase Performance -  Dataloy Example:

The Sedna-Dataloy integration, a voyage management system, provides similar benefits.

"Together, we are reshaping the maritime industry by seamlessly enabling the flow of critical information, optimising operational efficiency, and fostering robust connections among stakeholders. Our valued customers benefit directly from our strong relationship, characterised by trust, open communication, and a shared drive to achieve mutual success in our collective endeavours."

Hege Jacobsen, Head of Partner Relations, Dataloy

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‍A Partner Network: A PartnerShip
At Sedna, we believe that innovation in maritime shipping thrives when customers have freedom, not lock-in. Rather than forcing companies into a single, consolidated ecosystem, we’ve built a network of partnerships designed to give customers choice, flexibility, and full control over their workflows.

Our approach is simple: every organisation should be able to design a tech stack that meets its own needs (today and in the future)  without being constrained by a single vendor’s roadmap. By focusing on true partnerships over consolidation, we’re helping the industry stay agile, competitive, and open to emerging technologies.

We actively invest in building and supporting open APIs, so customers and partners alike can create integrations that move data securely between systems and connect workflows end-to-end. Our goal is to remove barriers to collaboration, not create them.

This commitment to integration transparency means customers can bring their proprietary solutions into Sedna, easily swap tools as the market evolves, and never lose the connectivity and intelligence they’ve built. The shipping industry doesn’t stand still, and neither should your software ecosystem.

We carefully select partners based on customer needs, market research, and emerging innovations, ensuring every integration adds measurable value. Through Connected Apps, launched in 2024, customers (including global leaders such as Ardmore Shipping, NORDEN, and Bunge) can view, request, and connect integrations directly inside Sedna. 

This puts control firmly in the hands of our users, empowering them to choose the tools that work best for their business.

In short, Sedna isn’t building a walled garden; we’re building bridges. Our ecosystem is designed for openness, collaboration, and innovation. Why? Because your technology stack should work for you, not the other way around.

‍The Future of PartnerShips
At Sedna, we prioritise our partnerships to solve customer problems and to drive our mission to make the maritime industry more digitised. We go way beyond reducing email volumes (which is critical in and of itself), we collaborate as widely as possible for the benefit of all.

The key to succeeding in a complex and interconnected space such as maritime shipping is COLLABORATION. Our network of partners extends beyond just integrations, it speaks to alliances and business services. 

Read more about us here.

Interested? 

We’d love for you to get in touch with us by requesting a no-obligation demo. Alternatively, feel free to send us an email.