What Successful Maritime Modernization Actually Looks Like: A Conversation with Sam Chambers

Maritime's centre of gravity is shifting. While Geneva and London remain crucial hubs for shipowner decisions, Singapore is rapidly emerging as a maritime capital where Asia's dominance in crewing, shipbuilding, and cargo flows meets cutting-edge fintech infrastructure.

Sam Chambers recognised this shift early. After establishing Geneva Dry as one of the industry's most respected executive gatherings, he's now launching Splash Singapore to create space for the conversations shaping the region's, and the industry's, future.

As sponsors of both Geneva Dry 2025 and Splash Singapore, we spoke with Sam about what's driving maritime's geographic evolution, how companies can improve financial operations and cost control, and what separates successful modernisation from expensive digital theatre.

1. Geneva Dry has a reputation for attracting shipowners and executives who are actually implementing change, not just talking about it. What’s the difference between companies that successfully modernise their operations and those that get stuck in “digital transformation” theatre?

Mindsets, hiring the right people, and being willing to try and fail, but remembering what the original goals were when pursuing any digital initiative.
 

2. You’re launching Splash Singapore, which is rapidly becoming a maritime decision-making hub rivalling traditional European centres. What’s driving that geographic shift, and what does it mean for how the industry operates?

Singapore has been crowned the world’s greatest maritime hub repeatedly for more than a decade by multiple organisations. Its awards trophy needs a very strong and large mantlepiece. This transformation did not happen overnight. Singapore, Inc has been working to become the global maritime champion for more than 30 years, providing incentives for the world’s top shipowners and charterers to set up shop in the Lion City and thrive there. 
 

3. CFOs and finance directors in shipping are under constant pressure to reduce operational costs and improve financial visibility. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for companies to improve how they manage expenses, vendor payments, and financial operations across their fleets?

Put simply, by ensuring paper is a thing of the past. 
 

4. There’s a noticeable generation gap emerging in maritime leadership - established owners who built businesses on relationships and experience, and younger executives who expect data-driven decisions and modern financial tools. How is that tension playing out at your events?

I actually think we are in the midst of a very significant, arguably much needed changing of the guard at the top of shipping - there’s a new generation taking the top jobs who combine the essential human relationships importance along with grasping the importance of data. 
 

5. Maritime has historically run on gut instinct and relationships, but more companies are demanding real-time data for fleet performance, financial management, and operational decisions. What’s driving that shift, and where is data actually improving outcomes versus just creating noise?

The ones who will succeed tomorrow are the companies who have the experience/gut feel with concrete data supporting these instincts. It’s not for nothing that we are seeing these huge platform mergers - Signal Ocean and AXSMarine being the latest - data is king, no doubt, but the old gut instinct still has a role to play. 
 

6. Freight rates fluctuate dramatically, but operational costs keep rising. How are the most successful owners and operators managing cost control without compromising safety, quality, or competitiveness?

By taking out the silos that have traditionally held shipping back. 
 

ShipMoney is proud to sponsor both Geneva Dry 2026 (April 27-30, Geneva, Switzerland) and Splash Singapore 2026 (September 24, Singapore). Both events bring together shipowners, operators, and maritime executives for focused discussions on the strategic and operational challenges shaping the industry's future.