🔔 Subscribe to ShipUniverse Weekly →
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.
We are big fans of Undocked at Ship Universe. Make sure to give it a listen!
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| Big Tech operating ships (data-center supply chain angle); “AGI announced”; risk that the IMO net-zero framework gets withdrawn entirely (not just postponed).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.