When change is the only constant, intelligence must be constant too

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts faced the Symplegades - the clashing rocks that guarded the entrance to the Black Sea. These towering stones would crash together with thunderous force, crushing any vessel that dared attempt passage. Most sailors avoided them entirely, content to trade in safer, more familiar waters. The story goes that Jason understood them differently: the rocks followed a pattern. They opened briefly, predictably, for those who possessed the knowledge to read the signs and the courage to act upon them. 

The Argonauts didn't succeed through brute force or blind luck. First, they sent a dove ahead to test the timing of the rocks, watching carefully as the bird darted through the narrow opening, losing only its tail feathers to the crushing stones. This small avian reconnaissance mission had attuned to the acoustic rhythm of danger.  

The Argonauts succeeded because they had gathered intelligence, understood the timing of the threat, and moved with precision when the moment was right. As the ancient world's most successful maritime expedition, they knew that in treacherous waters, knowledge can make the difference between victory and defeat. 

It would not take a giant leap of imagination to contend that today's marine industries face their own Symplegades, and they're closing faster than ever before. 

Our sectors are experiencing a convergence of disruption unprecedented in living memory. Unlike the gradual evolution these industries have typically enjoyed, we're witnessing a fundamental transformation happening in years, not decades. Geopolitical tensions continue to redraw shipping routes overnight. Shifting regulation continues to have huge implications on fundamental business models. Technology is leapfrogging traditional development cycles. And consumer behaviour is shifting in ways that make last year's market research feel like ancient history. 

Consider the reality facing shipping companies today. The Red Sea crisis forced vessels into lengthy detours around southern Africa, fundamentally altering global trade patterns and cost structures. The industry adapted remarkably quickly, rerouting vessels, adjusting schedules, and recalibrating supply chains within weeks.  

Yet this adaptation required navigating complexities that demanded current, granular intelligence: which insurers were writing war risk coverage at what premiums, how canal fee structures were being adjusted in response to reduced traffic, where port congestion was building as routes shifted, and how different vessel owners (and cargo owners) were experiencing vastly different resource, timescale, and cost implications from the longer routes. Companies that understood these specifics in real time could make informed routing and commercial decisions. Those working from analogue aggregated industry reports or month-old data found themselves consistently mispricing risk or missing opportunities that had already closed. 

Meanwhile, the offshore renewables sector demonstrates this complexity particularly clearly. Global installations hit record levels in 2024, yet the US market simultaneously experienced a wave of project cancellations and delays driven by supply chain constraints, rising costs, and the Trump Administration’s regulatory U-turn that has seen several multi-billion-dollar commitments abandoned or indefinitely postponed. At the same time, projects in Europe and Asia continued advancing. 

Understanding which regulatory requirements will become mandatory, which technologies will move from optional to expected, and how quickly this transition will unfold has become essential for positioning in a market where sustainability credentials increasingly influence buying decisions. 

What makes this moment uniquely challenging is the interconnectedness of these disruptions. Shipping route changes affect offshore wind installation logistics. Carbon regulations drive innovation across all marine sectors. Supply chain constraints don't respect industry boundaries. Understanding these connections requires intelligence that transcends traditional sector analysis. 

The companies thriving in this environment share a common characteristic: they've recognised that market knowledge has evolved from competitive advantage to operational necessity. In an era of rapid transformation, the ability to anticipate change outweighs the capacity to react. These organisations make strategic decisions informed by emerging trends rather than established patterns, translating expert insight into actionable understanding, anticipating regulatory implications before they become compliance obligations, and identifying opportunities where others see only complexity.  

The quarterly market report and annual strategic review belong to an era of predictable cycles of change. Today's marine industries demand continuous intelligence gathering, real-time stakeholder engagement, and expert-driven analysis that captures not just what is happening, but why it's happening and what comes next. 

The most successful organisations are those that have built their decision-making processes around this new reality. They understand that market knowledge is about developing the wisdom to navigate between the clashing rocks of modern commerce. They recognise that in an environment where change is the only constant, the ability to read the signs and time your movements correctly becomes the defining predeterminer of success or failure.