Full Ahead – the podcast about ships and shipping
Full Ahead - the podcast about ships and shipping
Podcast Description
We're an island nation.
Our maritime industry employs over half a million people yet how much do we actually know about it?
In this series we'll hear from members of the maritime team at sea and on land.
With a wide range of guests from across the UK we're aiming to shed light on an industry many take for granted.
With top level experience in shipping Alistair Eagles knows a thing or two about the industry while journalist Nigel Thompson has been close to the coast for most of his life.
It's an entertaining look that reveals some surprising facts about a fast-changing sector.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The series explores a variety of themes related to the maritime sector, including the experiences of maritime pilots, the operational challenges of ferry services, and innovations within the shipping industry. For instance, one episode features pilot Andy Bradbury discussing the complexities of navigating ships, while another highlights the bustling preparations of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for the TT races.
We’re an island nation.
Our maritime industry employs over half a million people yet how much do we actually know about it?
In this series we’ll hear from members of the maritime team at sea and on land as we shed light on an industry many take for granted.
With top level experience in shipping Alistair Eagles knows a thing or two about the industry while journalist Nigel Thompson has been close to the coast for most of his life.
It’s an entertaining look that reveals some surprising facts about a fast-changing sector.
🌍 Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
At this year’s Ferry Shipping Summit in Malmo the theme was ‘Cutting-Edge Ferries Future Ready Ports’ and in this final, bumper episode recorded in Sweden we look to the future.
One of the recurring themes was ‘digital’ while Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it can be adopted to smooth the journey for freight and passengers was another common discussion point.
In this episode we hear from Henrik Lindqvist of Orbyt Global AB, Kadri Haufe of Nortal and Maddy Bosch of Brock Solutions who explain how tech is making transport smoother.
Anders Orgard of OSK Design talks about the future of ferry design and construction.
With next year’s summit to be held in Greece we also hear the views of the CEO’s of Patras and Kavala ports, Panagiotis Anastasopoulos and Dr Angelos Vlachos.
And how an interest in Irish Sea ferry operations led Gary Andrews to a career in shipping.
Our thanks to the organisers of the Ferry Shipping Summit for enabling us to attend.
We hope you enjoy the podcast and if you would like to hear more stories of ships and shipping and would be interested in sponsoring an episode or short series in 2026, get in touch.Show notes:
2026 Shipping Ferry Summit details
Podcast contents:
1-4 minutes setting the scene
4-10 minutes Henriq Blomquist of Orbyt Global who specialise in maritime connectivity and navigation talks about developments aboard ships now and the future.
10-15 minutesCanadian based Brock Consulting are already working in Europe as Maddy Bosch told us:
15-20 minutes In Tallin the port there has already adopted new ways of working as Kadri Haufe of Nortal explains.
23 – 34 minutes ship designers like Anders Ogard of OSK Design are keeping a close eye on developments onshore to make sure the ferries of the future offer exactly what passengers and crew need.
34-43 minutes Gary Andrews of DFDS has been a lifelong ferry supporter. How does he view the future?
44-50 minutes the CEO’s of Kavala and Patras ports Dr Angelos Vlachos and Panagiotis Anastasopoulos share their views on collaborations with ferry operators and hopes for the future.
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
For a complete disclaimer, please see our Full Disclaimer on the archive page. The Podcast Collaborative bears no responsibility for the podcast’s themes, language, or overall content. Listener discretion is advised. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for more details.