“Tototheo Maritime specializes in maritime technologies and services with the goal of optimizing vessel and fleet performance. Our services include innovative, efficient and functional solutions in the fields of satellite communication, navigation systems and digitalization services starting from pre-sales consultancy all through onboard installation and maintenance and after sales support. Our extensive experience in the maritime sector pro- vides us with in depth understanding of our customers’ needs and allows us to adopt a dynamic approach towards innovative solutions, enabling long term sustainability for all stakeholders of the maritime ecosystem.” An interesting interview with Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou *CEO at Tototheo Maritime & President at WISTA International, follows:

NAFS: Is it true that the future of shipping is in knowledge sharing and keeping an open mind to new ideas, business models and structures? What does it mean in practice?
D.P.TH.: These two principles (knowledge sharing and openness to new ideas) are strategies that would benefit many organisations in any industrial sector. But they certainly apply to shipping because shipping has, of course, this history of introversion, along with a belief in a status-quo that can no longer work in modern business. With the growth of fast communication speeds and rapid computer processing, we
see considerable strides in the ability to generate insight through data and data analysis. This is not something that is achieved by and gives benefits to any single company in itself, particularly in an industry as fragmented and multi-layered as shipping. The benefits are realised when a company and its partners collectively use the technology.
This also opens up the ability to search for new business models and rethink how businesses share information; we now see companies that were competitors becoming more collaborative, particularly with regards to sustainability issues. So what does this mean in practice?
It means we see new companies emerge and non-maritime suppliers see potential in
shipping. And we see opportunity. Things will change, but if you are positioned properly, this is an opportunity, not a risk. The success comes by looking at where you can develop your organisation, often internally, to make the most of these opportunities.
NAFS: How crucial is the exchange of know-how and the creation of synergies between businesses and research organisations for the growth of the maritime industry?


D.P.TH.: Businesses and research organisations form two of the five main pillars for a thriving, innovative cluster. Research establishments, notably universities, established corporate businesses, financial institutions, forward thinking government agencies and dynamic entrepreneurs make up the five areas needed to have a successful, for- ward-leaning maritime cluster. Research , funding to develop and test ideas, companies willing to use those ideas, and governments willing to create the framework for them to collaborate and create value are important. Then you need entrepreneurs to have the drive and belief, the agility and the appetite to try something new.
NAFS: Tell us about Tototheo’s contribution to green shipping and in shipping in general. Do you believe that 2021 will be a greener year regarding the footprint of the industry on the environment?
D.P.TH.: Yes, we have a growing green impetus ahead of us. Shipping is certainly a cleaner form of transport than air freight, road haulage and train freight simply due to the mass volume each ship can trans- port. Shipping is also getting greener and more sustainable. We have increased legislation, that is for sure, but we see other efforts within finance, within the cargo owners and from technology research and development. These growing efforts mean that the risk will not be in moving forward with sustainability, but quite the opposite - businesses that do not adopt a greener agenda, will be pulled down that road and the risk will be in remaining with the current status quo. Regarding Tototheo Maritime, we are a technology service provider, and we believe in the principles within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We are responsible for our own efforts within the company which we take seriously. We believe that digitalisation, a core transformation of shipping and something we support, is a clear tool towards a greener shipping industry.
NAFS: How difficult is to support your customers in managing their assets and optimizing every aspect of their operations? How do you approach fleet and voyage optimization?
D.P.TH.: The answer to that question lies in looking at the years before 2020, when we saw communication technology, data analytics capabilities, and sensor accuracy all increase considerably. It has now got to the point that we can offer cloud-based software-as-a-service to our clients, and their vessels can have sensors and communication tools that are nothing short of miraculous when compared to just a decade ago.The coronavirus, and particularly the ongoing travel restrictions, makes things difficult at times (especially the lack of ability to visit some vessels easily), but it is far from impossible. We co-operate closely with our customers, whom we see as partners, and we offer or create solutions that drive forward fleet and vessel efficiencies despite the difficulties.
NAFS: Your strength lies in your people who apply their experience, know-how and willingness to listen, towards offering the right solutions. How difficult is to find the right people for shipping industry?
D.P.TH.: There are many skilled and experienced people in our industry, so I think it comes down to finding the right people for the company and its culture. Indeed, that is one of the most important aspects in our hiring process. Firstly, we see ourselves as a family company with family values which is very important when looking for the right people to recruit. Secondly, we can find enthusiastic people who are well trained because we are in a maritime cluster growing with new talent. Thirdly, we ensure that knowledge and skill can be learned on the job. We have some wonderfully experienced engineers, for example, and we encourage them to share their knowledge to enable that experience and know-how to be transferred to the next generation. While we talk about a transforming shipping industry, these skills are still needed.
NAFS: Tototheo Maritime offers its products and services through direct and indirect channels to ship operators within merchant ship- ping, the offshore, yachting as well as the fishing industries. What are your aims for 2021?
D.P.TH.: We have been busy during 2020 with the development of our range of digital solutions, including our SaaS platform called TM Synergia and cybersecurity solutions. We will continue to develop our tools because that is what is being asked of us. We work with our partners and long-term customers to ensure they have the right tools for the journeys they are on, and in doing so, we also will be on a similar voyage.
NAFS: Do you believe that cyber security will be one of the main topics for the industry the years to come? What are the modern threat detection techniques and appropriate methods of reaction to this threat?
D.P.TH.: Cybersecurity is a key topic, yes, but I prefer to think of it in connection with a complete digital structure of a business. We try and get our partners and clients to look at security right from the start. Cyber threats are a lot more sophisticated, and unfortunately, more personal in their nature. This means there are many techniques available and needed, from personal awareness (some call it cyber hygiene) to even using artificial intelligence to search for threats and incidents. We are in a situation where it is AI vs AI, with criminals designing AI to find weaknesses in corporations and cybersecurity firms developing AI to detect and stop them.
NAFS: Regarding the outbreak of the pandemic. How much was the shipping industry affected form Covid-19? Do you think that the world will never be the same again even after the end of the pandemic?
D.P.TH.: We know about the problems that ships’ crews are facing. Many are unable to leave their ships after a tour of duty and have been left stranded and unable to get home for almost a year longer than they should have been. It is a moral problem, and one with huge welfare questions attached to it. Some crews have of course been able
to get home after continued international pressure from the IMO and other bodies, but I fear that the long-term impact has not been properly considered. Crews may now consider other careers outside the industry, and school leavers may be dissuaded from joining the shipping industry if they understand how badly they could be treated. In terms of the world, I am sure we will recover from this pandemic. Things will change, and we will adjust to it, but I hope we can also learn a lot from what has happened and not turn it into a political excuse for focusing on national agendas and not global issues.
NAFS: What do you think will be the biggest opportunities and the biggest threats for shipping in the coming years?
D.P.TH.: One of the difficulties with this question is being able to talk about all of shipping. Shipping is such a diverse industry. A vessel operating in the Baltic moving cargo from Finland to the Baltics, has different demands and challenges to say an ultra-large container vessel operated by a conglomerate, or a research vessel performing scientific work in the Sargasso Sea.
However, there are some key factors they may all need to think about: Who do they want on these ships operating them in the future, and will they find them? If we do not, insurance companies will put pressure on, with greater premiums due to perceived safety risks. Also, they need to be aware of the changing focus on emissions. Regulatory compliance is not the same as being sustainable or green. Greenwashing is a big issue, and people are becoming aware of this. So, image will be a big challenge. And on the same note, a very big issue is the pressure to find new fuels. This, I think, is more important today for any operator and owner wanting to replace tonnage. Ships need to be built with an eye to what will be asked of them as we approach 2030 and 2050.
NAFS: Although the world has increasingly embraced the contribution women make to the shipping industry, though the way has still difficulties. Would you like to end this interview with your opinion regarding the opportunities for women across shipping industry? What will be the next steps of WISTA to consolidate what it has achieved so far but also to avoid setbacks?
D.P.TH.: We have indeed made considerable strides in enhancing the awareness of diversity in our industries- I say industries in the plural as the shipping, maritime and ports sectors have so many industries involved in them beyond the more obvious waterborne ones. However, we do indeed, need to keep pushing on. I have read unfortunate reports on how the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the diversity advancements of the last years because women’s employment has been affected at a relatively greater degree. However, I think there is a silver lining because the ability to work remotely and the wider acceptance of how work and family life have been entwined is leading to greater awareness. We need to keep the pressure on internationally and up and down corporate hierarchies. So, for 2021, we will indeed be more active, and more vocal. We have a consultative status position within the IMO since 2018, and this is an important position to have and one we will continue to use to strengthen the diversity message within the other maritime debates.