Outside looking in: a call for change in shipping

In a fast-paced world, it often feels as though we are racing toward the bottom, constantly seeking the cheapest input for the fastest output. Growth becomes harder to navigate under such circumstances, and one cannot help but wonder:

Innovation doesn’t come from policies alone. It comes from people, those who keep the global chain of commerce alive, those who create and consume.

Coming from an industry that powers the everyday life we all take for granted, I have found that stepping outside offers a sharper perspective. When you zoom out of the trenches and look in, the patterns are undeniable. While carriers are shaping tomorrow’s industries and economies by connecting markets, navigating trade lanes and offering end-to-end shipping solutions, there are cracks in the hull that can no longer be ignored.

The industry often moves like the ships it operates: massive, essential, but painfully slow to change course. Anyone who has ever watched a cargo ship berthing knows how long it takes to turn. It is a powerful metaphor for the mindset of shipping lines today. The danger lies in their inability to pivot, to accelerate, to look beyond the surface.

Too many carriers speak with the same voice, offer the same product and face the same problems, only to treat the symptoms rather than the cause. The crises we have seen – the Suez Canal blockage, Red Sea risks or port congestions – are compounded by outdated imagery, lack of branding, automated, yet ineffective customer tools (digital quoting platforms, automated-tracking systems, chatbots), silent employees and inconsistent ESG narratives reduced to a PDF.

And yet, outside this industry, customers are evolving fast. The world is increasingly conscious of sustainability, transparency and human values. Data is everywhere and with it comes scrutiny. How can carriers present themselves as innovators if they continue to hide behind policies and process?

The missed human story

Shipping has long celebrated size and scale ‘look at the ship, look how big it is!’. More than 40 years ago, an average ship would hold 1500 containers, now we are looking at 12000-container ships or larger. The same goes for the number of employees behind the scenes, supporting this ever-evolving business, employees that currently have little to no voice. Rarely do we talk about the people, the innovators, the crew of each ship, metaphorically speaking. The real beauty of this industry is not the steel, but the hands and minds behind it.

Automation is brilliant when it works, but when it fails, accountability still falls on people and it is still a human problem. Shipping’s storytelling has lost that human focus while heavily relying on the future of automation and the promises it brings.

What needs to change

From the outside, it is clear that this industry needs to humanise its brand by celebrating the people, not just the automation. Carriers must also go beyond ESG as a checkbox exercise, communicating sustainability with authenticity: not as compliance, but as a story. The most compelling initiatives are those that speak clearly, not those buried in a PDF.

Across the board, the industry continues to rely on decades-old imagery. To modernise its representation, shipping must embrace new formats: from 3D and Cinema4D to animation and updated, deliberate visual storytelling. These tools can engage today’s customer and communicate the scale, relevance, human impact of what the industry really does and how many humans it connects all across the globe.

Technology should empower people, not replace them. Carriers who invest more in technology that enhances expertise, as opposed to obscure it, can give voice to the minds behind change. When automation is used to build trust and resilience, not distance, it becomes a strength.

Ports, technology and the turning point ahead

Ports will become the stage for this next chapter. As automation accelerates, carriers must ensure that ports do not simply become faster, but smarter and more humane. The next frontier is one where technology works in harmony with human decision-making, where a ship’s slow pivot is matched by a company’s ability to anticipate and adjust in real time. 

This is shipping’s turning point. Those who continue to chase scale alone risk irrelevance. Those who choose to focus on people, sustainability and brand authenticity will be the ones who set a new course.

How we can help

We understand why change in shipping can feel slow. When you operate vessels the size of cities and manage global trades worth billions, every decision carries weight. Legacy systems, regulatory pressure and global complexity make it hard to pivot quickly. And that is not a weakness – it is the reality of scale.

At Within, we bring the human touch, a diverse, insight-driven team with a creative process rooted in cleverness, not complication. Here, there are no hard lines between ‘creative’ and ‘analytical’, there are only challenges and the solutions we co-create alongside our clients. We don’t zoom out to admire the magnitude of the industry, we zoom in on the overlooked: the minutiae, the human, the real because that’s where brand differentiation lies.

Branding, marketing and advisory – built for the shipping world

We help carriers, NVOs, and ports step confidently into the future by offering Advisory Support on communications strategy, ESG alignment, audience positioning and competitor analysis, Brand Development that elevates legacy companies with relevance, not reinvention, Marketing Strategy & Execution tailored to B2B and global supply chain environments, Campaigns & Representation that humanise and modernise your message and Employee Voices that turn internal culture into external value. Whether you’re stuck with outdated imagery, unclear messaging, problematic digital tools or a story that hasn’t evolved with your clients, we help you move.

Tech-enabled, people-led

We integrate cutting-edge tools such as AR collaboration spaces through our Enter Agora platform that connect global offices and clients to ensure sustainable practices are measured, visible, and felt, but at our core, it’s still all about the people.

We help you move faster without losing control. We help you evolve without losing your identity. We help you lead by showing the human side of what you do. We are the human touch behind transformation. We bring the advisory and branding strategies that differentiate our clients.

Ending notes

A ship takes miles to turn, so do companies. Those who choose to pivot, to put people, sustainability, and authenticity at the centre of their strategy will lead the next era of global trade.