Grant Rowles

A year in the making, next week’s Geneva Dry summit promises to be this year’s first major event to address the major stress points for shipping. From the Hormuz fallout to the green transition via plenty of frank conversations on all things maritime and digital, delegates attending Geneva Dry, the world’s premier commodities shipping conference, will gain unparalleled insights and advice on how to navigate the choppy waters of 2026.

Russ Hubbard has a clear-eyed view of where maritime technology stands – and where it falls short. As chief commercial officer of Veson Nautical, one of shipping’s most established commercial management platforms, he watches the industry’s relationship with technology closely. His verdict on the AI moment? Promising, but dangerously prone to the wrong shortcuts. “Maritime is a highly nuanced, technical industry reliant on complex contracts, execution, and compliance requirements,” he says.