What if a quarter of your demurrage claims didn’t even need to be reviewed?
At the 2025 Demurrage Innovation Forum in Houston, Voyager Portal’s CTO, Matthew Eric Bassett, posed this question not as a provocation—but as a data-backed possibility. Over the course of his talk, Bassett explored how AI in demurrage management may soon shift the foundations of how claims are handled—and how contracts are written.
This isn’t about buzzwords or black-box algorithms. It’s about applying structured data and statistical modeling to some of the oldest inefficiencies in shipping: port delays, clause ambiguities, and claim negotiations. And for charterers, the implications are tangible.
The Speed Advantage: From Weeks to Seconds
“There’s a reason speed is called a quality of its own,” Bassett noted, echoing a sentiment often lost in discussions about innovation. AI won’t give charterers new questions to ask—it will let them get answers in seconds that used to take weeks.
Imagine a workflow where a Statement of Facts (SoF) is parsed and standardized in moments, and instantly tested against contract clauses. No more chasing spreadsheets, PDFs, or records across teams. Instead, results that inform decisions—while negotiations are still in motion.
Smart Contracts: From Legalese to Logic
One of the more promising frontiers is how charter parties are interpreted—and eventually, how they’re written.
Bassett discussed efforts to convert natural-language clauses into structured logic, allowing for “if-then” testing before a contract is signed. Rather than debating ambiguity post-facto, imagine flagging it before it becomes costly. In this vision, contracts become simulations—scenarios you can test, calibrate, and negotiate with clarity.
Preemptive Intelligence: From Filtering to Prevention
During his talk, Bassett shared findings from a statistical model built by Voyager’s team. The model aimed to predict whether reviewing a demurrage claim would materially affect its settlement. In roughly 25% of cases, the outcome didn’t change—suggesting that a quarter of all claims could eventually be fast-tracked or even auto-approved.
That doesn’t mean automation replaces oversight—but it does open the door to tiered handling. Charterers might soon distinguish, at the point of receipt, between high-impact claims that warrant scrutiny and routine cases that can flow through.
Now imagine going a step further. If we can parse SoFs and convert clauses into code, what’s to stop charterers from modeling clauses before a fixture is even signed? Bassett described a world where clauses could be tested in reverse against historical data, letting teams explore: “If we had negotiated it this way last year, how would that have played out?”
The potential here is vast: fewer claims filed, less ambiguity at the outset, and a more strategic use of risk buffers.
The Real Innovation? Humans with Better Tools
Bassett made one point especially clear: AI isn’t here to replace charterers. It’s here to equip them.
He referenced a well-worn insight from chess: a strong human with average software will often outperform even the most powerful standalone engine. Why? Because context matters. And in shipping, context is everything.
For chartering teams willing to adopt AI as a collaborator—not a shortcut—the path forward leads to better decisions, tighter contracts, and a reduced drag from operational friction.
Key takeaway: AI in demurrage management isn’t a distant prospect. It’s a fast-approaching shift—and the early signals suggest it could make chartering both faster and more precise.
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