Listen to This Week’s Episode Here:
AI is fundamentally changing the game for maritime shipping and supply chain management, especially when global disruptions and unstructured data make traditional approaches less effective. Victoria Meyer sits down with Josh Luby, Director of Product Management at Veson Nautical, to discuss how artificial intelligence, through tools like Veson’s Co Captain, is helping companies move from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making. Josh sheds light on the complexity of chemical shipping, the challenges of harmonizing communications, and how Veson’s AI leverages decades of domain knowledge to tackle real-world business needs.
Their conversation explores the impact of geopolitical shocks, the critical importance of data governance and trust in connected systems, and the measurable ROI chemical companies are already seeing from smarter, more predictive supply chain tools. Whether it’s optimizing demurrage claims or enabling faster response to global disruptions, AI is unlocking new levels of reliability and strategic advantage across the industry.
Key topics addressed this week:
- The expanding role of AI in chemical and maritime shipping
- Challenges and lessons learned from rolling out enterprise-scale AI
- Reducing complexity in demurrage claims and supply chain communication
- Applying technology during supply chain shocks
- Strategies for governing data and building user trust with connected platforms
- The shift from reactive to proactive decision-making across the shipping lifecycle
Killer Quote: “You can throw AI terms on top of anything, but it really matters how the data is that’s feeding into that AI and what knowledge that AI is given. Without historical knowledge and logic, you’re not going to be able to get the right answer.” — Josh Luby
Other links:
- Per Osman – Episode 228
Watch This Week’s Episode With Josh Luby on Youtube Here:
How AI Is Transforming Chemical Shipping and Supply Chains with Josh Luby of Veson Nautical
In an industry where so much depends on the safe, timely, and cost-effective movement of goods, few sectors compete with the chemical and maritime shipping space for complexity. Recent disruptions, from geopolitical shocks to evolving digital tools, have forced leaders to rethink every assumption about how business gets done. In this episode, Victoria Meyer sat down with Josh Luby, Director of Product Management at Veson Nautical, to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and smart data practices are not just supporting but redefining the future of chemical supply chains.
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Maritime and Chemicals: More Than Moving Goods
At first glance, shipping chemicals might seem simple, but as Josh points out, every sector shipping touches comes with its own set of nuances and nowhere is this more evident than in chemicals. Hundreds of different payloads can travel on a single vessel, each with unique requirements for handling, cleaning, and compliance. Small delays ripple downstream, impacting everything from consumer goods to corporate profits. The real work is in orchestrating an intricate web of contracts, insurance, port logistics, and communication across a fragmented industry.
AI’s Role: From Complexity to Clarity
The so-called “golden age of AI” offers new ways to address old challenges. Josh describes Veson’s journey with their own AI tool, CoCaptain, which started with a narrow focus: processing and resolving demurrage claims, a persistent and costly problem for chemical shippers. Over time, they realized that true value required AI to extend across workflows and communication methods, from emails and contracts to WhatsApp messages and reports.
One core lesson stands out: AI doesn’t function in a vacuum. The quality of its output depends entirely on the data and expertise feeding it. A model trained on two decades of Veson’s domain knowledge can quickly read, interpret, and categorize unstructured information, giving users reliable, confidential answers faster and more accurately than before.
Adoption: Balancing Skepticism with Results
Bringing AI to an industry with deep traditions is not just about launching new features. Many maritime professionals are justifiably cautious, they need to see clear value and maintain control over how much or how little to adopt at once. Veson’s approach has been to let customers move at their own pace, ensuring that advanced features supplement rather than replace human experience.
Josh explains that effective change management means not forcing adoption, but allowing users to experience incremental progress, helping the eager get started quickly while giving skeptics time to build trust. The open structure allows each organization to tailor the technology to their needs.
Turning Disruption into Opportunity
Every year seems to bring a new shock to global supply chains. The closure of critical routes like the Strait of Hormuz had immediate and dramatic effects, making old processes instantly obsolete. In response, tools like CoCaptain can synthesize structured shipping data and real-time communications, helping companies adapt routes, identify new business opportunities, and maintain operational continuity.
More than just crisis management, AI-powered workflows are moving companies from reactive to proactive: surfacing actionable insights, supporting scenario analysis, and helping operators seize emerging market opportunities before competitors can.
The Confidence Equation: Governance and Trust
But with great power comes great responsibility. Both individual users and enterprises worry about who can access their data, how it’s secured, and whether the AI can be trusted. Veson has met this with strong governance, security certifications, and by embedding existing user permissions into AI interactions: ensuring no one sees data or makes decisions without the right authority.
Ultimately, any technology is only as good as the confidence users place in it. Josh emphasizes that trust is earned through transparency, robust data protection, and a strong track record of enterprise-level security.
What’s Next: Building for the Future
Looking ahead, the convergence of domain expertise, data intelligence, and adaptive AI promises even more transformation. With new trade routes emerging and regulations evolving, AI will help companies not only comply but anticipate and navigate change.
Still, the fundamentals matter: Josh advises young professionals to learn the business from the ground up, leveraging technology but never losing sight of the basics. The real winners will be those who pair technical fluency with industry insight, bringing fresh ideas to old challenges.
The chemical and maritime industries live at the intersection of physical assets and digital innovation. As global disruptions become more frequent, the ability to harness complexity, build confidence in every decision, and empower people with trustworthy technology has never been more vital. The journey is ongoing—but as this conversation makes clear, the roadmap is already unfolding.
About Josh Luby:
Josh Luby is Director of Product Management at Veson Nautical, where he leads the product strategy for building AI directly into Veson’s solutions, including the Veson Platform and CoCaptain. With more than a decade of experience at Veson, Josh has driven product work across pre-fixture workflows, risk management, and market analysis, and now focuses on product strategy to help teams navigate market complexity and volatility with embedded, contextualized AI.
Josh has worked in the software and consulting space for nearly two decades and holds a BS in Economics from Northeastern University.