The Swedish Club’s Thomas Nordberg at LISW25: “Shared intelligence is the key to maritime resilience”

“When we pool data, we don’t lose our competitive edge — we sharpen the industry’s collective resilience,” was the key message from The Swedish Club’s Thomas Nordberg during LISW25.

The industry must work together more if it is to succeed in these increasingly unstable times where geopolitical shocks can reroute trade in days he said. By sharing intelligence and data we can jointly seize the opportunity to become much more influential.

Mr. Nordberg said, “As marine insurers, we sit at the intersection of global trade, geopolitics, and risk. In today’s volatile environment — from sanctions to cyber threats to conflict zones — no single actor has the intelligence to navigate safely alone. The future lies in joint intelligence: insurers, shipowners, and regulators pooling data, but also coordinating assessments of that intelligence to see the full geopolitical picture.”

By pooling resources, not only in terms of sharing data but also by producing joint risk analyses, Mr. Nordberg believes the industry as a whole will benefit from fairer terms and more stability. “Provided that there are structured governance, contracts and selective transparency, the competitive risks become manageable while the payoff could be immense: safer seas, smarter risk pricing, and an industry resilient enough to weather geopolitical storms.”

By sharing information on issues such as piracy corridors, sanction regimes, or checkpoints under stress, shipowners will be able to plan routes proactively reducing the likelihood of catastrophic surprises and allowing the industry to respond to those unexpected shocks that do occur in a coordinated and considered way.

But for joint intelligence-sharing to be safe and effective, Mr. Nordberg highlighted four vital enablers: governance frameworks — not just for operational data, but for structured geopolitical intelligence collection, coordinated through trusted industry bodies; contracts and legal clarity — covering how intelligence is shared, validated, and acted upon, while protecting competitive and national sensitivities; technical controls — secure, interoperable systems that allow shared assessments without exposing sensitive raw data; and aligned incentives — insurers moving towards a more uniform stance, rewarding clients who participate in intelligence-sharing, and regulators recognizing collaborative risk assessments as a compliance strength.

“In some cases, this may mean jointly owned vehicles to manage intelligence platforms; in others, industry-wide working groups. What matters is that our approach is coordinated, consistent, and credible — so the whole market benefits,” he explained.

The over-riding message is that no single stakeholder is able to manage the complex set of challenges we all face: volatile geopolitical waters; sanctions; conflicts; piracy; cyber-attacks; and climate pressures.

“In a world of sanctions, cyber threats, and shifting trade routes, no actor can see the full picture alone. If shipowners, ports, charterers, and regulators commit to joint intelligence collection and coordinated assessments, insurers can move towards more uniform and fair risk pricing — keeping not only our clients, but global trade itself, resilient. That is more than a commercial advantage; it is a strategic safeguard for society,” he concluded.