The maritime industry is racing toward a future shaped by autonomy, AI, and digitalisation, but a critical question lingers: how does this technological storm impact the people who keep ships running? The Nautical Institute and Lloyd’s Register Foundation are tackling that question head-on with the Seafarer Technology Engagement, Empowerment and Resilience (STEER) project. This isn’t just another research initiative—it’s a global call to arms, rallying the industry to ensure innovation doesn’t leave seafarers behind.
The STEER project is about listening to the front line. While individual technologies undergo rigorous testing, their combined effect on seafarers’ operational effectiveness, mental and physical health remains largely unknown. The Nautical Institute, with its extensive international network, will gather real-world insights from seafarers, shipowners, equipment manufacturers, regulators, and trainers. The goal? To create a practical toolbox that ensures technology strengthens, rather than undermines, human competence, knowledge, and expertise.
Captain David Patraiko, Director of Projects at The Nautical Institute, puts it bluntly: “Seafarers are at the heart of shipping, yet their lived experience is often overlooked due to commercial pressures and the rush to innovate.” The STEER Project is about changing that. It’s about developing the right tools to make technology work for people, not the other way around.
The project’s ambition doesn’t stop at gathering data. By 2028, it aims to equip the industry with tools that allow innovation and seamanship to thrive in a technologically advanced but human-centered maritime industry. This means addressing skills gaps, ensuring equitable access to training, and fostering a culture where technology enhances, rather than replaces, human expertise.
Tim Slingsby, Director of Skills and Education at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, highlights the urgency: “Maritime education and training need to evolve quickly to keep pace with the rate of technological innovation, whilst also being aware of the risks of creating skills gaps between seafarers in comparatively wealthy or poorer regions.” The STEER Project is a step towards bridging that gap, ensuring seafarers have the capacity, capability, and understanding to adopt new technologies safely.
The collaboration between The Nautical Institute and Lloyd’s Register Foundation is a powerful one. With members in 153 countries and a reputation for promoting professionalism and safety, The Nautical Institute is uniquely positioned to bring the maritime community together. Combined with Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s mission to engineer a safer world, the project’s findings will reach decision-makers at every level.
This project is a wake-up call for the industry. It’s a reminder that technology should serve people, not the other way around. It’s a challenge to the status quo, urging us to think critically about how we integrate new systems and working practices. And it’s an opportunity to shape a future where innovation and human expertise go hand in hand.
The STEER Project is more than a research initiative—it’s a movement. It’s a call to action for the maritime industry to put seafarers at the heart of technological change. It’s about ensuring that as we sail into the future, we don’t leave the people who keep our ships running behind. The future of shipping is already here, but it’s up to us to make sure it’s a future that works for everyone.