Interview with Peter Mantel, Chief Commercial Officer at Theyr: The Next Evolution of Voyage Optimisation
Artificial intelligence is becoming an increasingly important part of shipping, but according to Peter Mantel, Chief Commercial Officer at Theyr, the industry’s biggest challenge is not the technology itself. It is building trust in the systems, improving the quality of operational data and giving crews and operators the confidence to make better-informed decisions.
In the latest episode of CN Talks, Antonia Saratsopoulou, Managing Editor of Container News, spoke with Mantel about the evolution of voyage optimisation, the limitations of traditional noon reporting, the growing importance of high-frequency vessel data and why the future of voyage planning lies in balancing operational, commercial and environmental priorities through explainable technology.
Trust, not technology is the biggest challenge
Mantel sees strong parallels between today’s adoption of AI-powered voyage optimisation and the maritime industry’s transition from paper charts to Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS).
Although ECDIS offered clear operational and safety benefits, its adoption was gradual because mariners first needed to trust the technology.
He believes voyage optimisation is following a similar path.
Bridge teams are unlikely to accept a recommendation simply because an algorithm says it is the best option. They want to understand why a route has been proposed, what assumptions have been made and what trade-offs have been considered.
“If technology behaves like a black box, officers will quite rightly be sceptical,” Mantel said.
For that reason, he does not see AI replacing masters or bridge teams. Instead, it should enhance the quality and speed of the information available to them.
Rather than producing a single “best” route, Theyr’s technology presents a set of viable options. Operators can compare fuel consumption, arrival times, weather exposure, emissions and charter-party implications before deciding which route best suits the voyage.
“The crew and the shore-based teams should always remain in control of the final decision,” he said.
Mantel believes trust will grow as operators gain greater visibility into how recommendations are produced and retain responsibility for the final operational decision.
Better data creates better decisions
While artificial intelligence attracts much of the industry’s attention, Mantel believes the quality of operational data remains just as important.
Many shipping companies still rely on manual noon reports, despite the availability of high-frequency onboard data collection for more than a decade.
He describes a noon report as a summary of the previous 24 hours. During that period, however, weather conditions, engine load, vessel speed, currents and propulsion performance may all change. Manual reporting can also introduce delays, inconsistencies and human error.
High-frequency data offers a different picture.
It allows operators to monitor vessel performance in near real time, identify speed losses, detect hull fouling or propulsion issues, improve ETA predictions and produce more accurate emissions reporting.
Mantel summarised the difference simply:
“A noon report tells you what happened during the last 24 hours. High-frequency data helps you decide what to do next.”
The same principle applies to voyage optimisation itself.
Weather routing has served shipping for decades by helping vessels avoid adverse weather. However, Mantel argues that weather routing is fundamentally a single-objective exercise.
Modern voyage optimisation has become something much broader.
Instead of focusing only on weather, it simultaneously evaluates fuel consumption, emissions, arrival windows, vessel performance, commercial priorities and charter-party requirements before recommending the most suitable operational options.
For container shipping, where schedule reliability directly affects commercial performance, these factors cannot be managed independently.
“They need to be integrated and optimised together,” Mantel said.
The process must also remain dynamic. Rather than relying entirely on a voyage plan created before departure, optimisation should continuously respond to changing weather forecasts, vessel performance and operational conditions throughout the voyage.
The same multi-objective approach now extends to charter-party compliance.
Instead of assessing contractual performance only after a voyage has finished, Theyr incorporates charter-party clauses, consumption warranties, weather thresholds and financial implications into the planning process itself. This allows owners and charterers to identify potential commercial exposure before departure and adjust operational decisions while the voyage is still underway.
For Mantel, voyage optimisation is therefore evolving beyond weather routing into what he describes as a commercial decision platform.
Integration will define the next phase of digitalisation
Mantel also believes the shipping industry does not need more standalone software.
“The industry doesn’t suffer from a shortage of dashboards,” he said. “It suffers from fragmented decision-making.”
Theyr delivers its technology through APIs that integrate directly into existing navigation, fleet management and commercial systems.
This enables companies to enhance existing workflows instead of creating additional digital silos for crews and shore-based teams.
The interview also addressed the growing challenges posed by GPS spoofing, AIS manipulation and electronic warfare.
Mantel stressed that voyage optimisation should never replace certified navigation equipment. Instead, it relies on trusted inputs from integrated bridge systems and complements the vessel’s approved navigational infrastructure.
Looking ahead, he expects carbon emissions to become as significant a commercial consideration as fuel costs. Regulations, carbon pricing and customer reporting requirements will increasingly influence voyage planning, while artificial intelligence will continuously evaluate routes, speed, weather, emissions, schedules and contractual obligations before presenting decision-makers with a range of explainable options.
Importantly, Mantel does not believe AI will replace human judgement.
Instead, he expects masters and shore-based teams to take on an even more strategic role, setting operational priorities, questioning recommendations where necessary and remaining accountable for every decision.
Drawing another comparison with the industry’s transition to ECDIS, Mantel said he believes voyage optimisation will eventually become a standard part of fleet operations. While he is not suggesting such systems are close to becoming mandatory, he hopes the International Maritime Organization will one day establish minimum performance standards for voyage-optimisation technology, weather-data quality and digital vessel models, helping ensure reliable and consistent decision support across the industry.
For Mantel, the direction of travel is becoming increasingly clear.
Voyage optimisation is no longer simply about selecting the safest or most fuel-efficient route. It is evolving into explainable commercial decision intelligence, where operational, environmental and contractual factors are evaluated together to help shipping companies make better decisions before and throughout every voyage.
Watch the full CN Talks interview with Peter Mantel, Chief Commercial Officer at Theyr, to hear his full insights into the future of voyage optimisation, maritime digitalisation and AI-enabled decision-making.
The post Interview with Peter Mantel, Chief Commercial Officer at Theyr: The Next Evolution of Voyage Optimisation appeared first on Container News.
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