Marine Services Chief Urges Owners to Stop Shopping Around on Contracts

OSM Thome's chief marine services officer Pia Meling has argued that shipping's habit of seeking three quotes for every job is starving the technology the industry claims to want. Speaking at SMM in Hamburg, Meling made the case for long-term, aligned contracts as the structure under which ship managers can plan resources and technology suppliers can survive long enough to deliver. She argued that the industry's transactional buying culture, rather than fuel supply or regulation alone, is a significant and underdiscussed barrier to decarbonisation.

 

The Central Argument

 

The executive identified an overlooked barrier. Fuel supply and regulation get attention. However, the way the industry buys does not. This concerns its contracting habits. She argued this starves needed technology.

Her remedy is aligned long-term contracts. These would let managers plan resources. They would also help suppliers survive. Suppliers need time to deliver. The contract structure is central to her case.

 

The Executive's Background

 

The executive brings relevant experience. She took the marine services role in January. Previously she ran a green services division. This was launched in Athens in 2025. She now oversees multiple service lines.

Her career spans several roles. It includes chartering and ships service sales. She also led a ship-recycling advisory. She sits on several boards. This breadth informs her perspective.

 

What Owners Are Paying For

 

The executive was direct about demand. Owners pay to ease reporting burdens. This concerns EU emissions reporting. The obligation sits with owners. They delegate much of it to managers.

The reporting is administratively heavy. It involves opening accounts and modelling compliance. This is not core to owners. Asian owners are often surprised by it. The division's opening is strategy, especially pooling.

 

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The Decarbonisation Picture

 

The executive was candid about demand. For most owners, decarbonisation has slipped. It sits behind geopolitics. The challenge is investing appropriately. This means being ready without running ahead.

Her preferred measure is return on investment. This is shown through charter premiums. Residual values also matter. Proven technologies are being installed quietly. Noise around unproven ones lets sceptics dismiss all of them.

 

The Contracting Problem

 

The executive framed the core issue structurally. Managers do not own the ships. They optimise costs without income visibility. Suppliers fund endless proof-of-concepts. They eventually run out of money.

She criticised the three-quotes habit. Owners push suppliers against each other. They promise nothing to anybody. Her remedy is aligned incentives. This would let managers and suppliers plan and deliver at scale.

 

The Wider Priorities

 

The executive addressed workforce and welfare. She called for cultural rather than policy change. This means taking chances on diverse talent. This applies mainly to shore-based roles. Attracting talent is a key concern.

On welfare, she was concrete. Food was her lowest-cost intervention. Medical services and connectivity followed. A women's helpline was among her priorities. The test of her contracting case is whether any owner writes it into a contract.