First Annual 2025 Shipee Awards from Undocked
Nick and Raal basically turned Christmas Eve into a maritime group chat with a mic. No polished trophies, no sponsor sizzle, just two people who live and breathe this stuff doing the first-ever “Shippy Awards” on Undocked: quick categories, friendly arguments, a few well-earned jabs, and then a winner you can actually remember. It’s half “serious industry take,” half “we’re absolutely not taking ourselves too seriously,” which is exactly why it’s fun.
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Undocked’s First Shippy Awards (2025)
Categories, winners, and the other names Nick + Raal mentioned on-air.
| Category | Winner | Additional mentions |
|---|---|---|
| Ship Owner of the Year | 🏆 Odfjell |
No other nominees named (they agreed immediately).
|
| Technology Entrepreneur of the Year | 🏆 Cristina Muñoz + Jose Miguel (bound4blue) | Bill Dobie (Sedna); Patrik Berglund (Xeneta); John Cooper (BAR Technologies) was discussed but debated for “entrepreneur” fit. |
| Maritime Journalist of the Year | 🏆 Sam Chambers (Splash 247) | Julian Bray (Tradewinds) — special mention. |
| M&A Deal of the Year | 🏆 GTT acquiring Danelec | Kpler acquiring Spire Maritime; NYK acquiring Kadmos; Sedna’s acquisition streak was referenced; CMB.Tech taking a majority stake in Golden Ocean; OTG OneOcean (LR) mentioned but excluded due to timing (per the hosts). |
| Decarbonization Champion of the Year | 🏆 Arsenio Dominguez (IMO) | Øystein Jensen (Odfjell) was one host’s pick; Lawrence Odfjell was mentioned as being “on the list”; Torsten Petersson was referenced as a pragmatic decarb-leadership example. |
| Transformation of the Year | 🏆 EU maritime ETS implementation (the “pay-to-pollute” rule goes live) | Marcura (company transformation candidate); OCIMF SIRE 2.0 becoming operational (Karen Davis referenced); Guy Platten stepping down at ICS; wind-assisted propulsion noted as a likely “next year” contender. |
| Gaff of the Year | 🏆 IMO net-zero framework negotiations failed to reach an agreement (framework delayed) | Nick’s personal gaff: he confused a CrewConnect panel prep call for a sales call and tried to “sell” to someone who was actually on his panel. |
| Wildest Prediction for 2026 | 🏆 No single winner (two-host predictions segment) | Big Tech operating ships (data-center supply chain angle); “AGI announced”; risk that the IMO net-zero framework gets withdrawn entirely (not just postponed). |
Where to listen (and watch) UnDocked
Quick links to the main platforms — same show, different apps.
| Platform | Format | Link |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Watch episodes (video). | Open on YouTube |
| Spotify | Listen in the Spotify app. | Listen on Spotify |
| Apple Podcasts | Listen in Apple Podcasts (iPhone/Mac/Web). | Open on Apple Podcasts |
| Amazon Music | Listen in Amazon Music (often also surfaces in Audible). | Open on Amazon Music |
| The Digital Ship (hub) | Simple “listen” landing page with platform buttons. | Open the listen hub |
Undocked is one of those rare maritime shows that feels like you’re eavesdropping on two smart people who actually do the work, not reading press releases into a mic. Nick and Raal keep it fast, honest, and surprisingly funny, but they still land the practical takeaways that matter to operators, tech teams, and decision-makers. If you like shipping conversations with real opinions, real context, and zero fluff, Undocked is an easy add to your weekly rotation going into 2026.