Captain Adil Ashiq doesn’t just talk about ocean logistics from a theoretical perspective — he’s lived it. As a former Merchant Marine officer and vessel captain turned supply chain tech entrepreneur, he has an insider’s perspective of the complexities and real-world challenges in moving freight at sea.

The captain joined host Grant Sernick, 3rdwave’s head of Sales and Marketing, for an episode of the Trade Talks podcast. Watch and listen now as Ashiq shares his unique views of what every importer needs to know about managing disruptions, coordinating with logistics providers, and understanding the human elements often overlooked in global trade.

From the High Seas to High Tech: The Captain’s Unique Journey

Ashiq’s journey into maritime logistics was an unexpected shift from his original plan of attending medical school. A chance encounter at a college fair led him to the Maritime Academy, where the allure of travel and high earnings convinced him to pursue a career at sea. He became a licensed Merchant Marine officer, gaining expertise in vessel navigation, cargo operations, and crew management.

After years of experience and rising to the rank of captain, Adil realized he was more intrigued by the technological challenges in maritime logistics than continuing a traditional seafaring path. He eventually left life at sea to explore the tech side of logistics.

Ashiq co-founded a tech startup and then joined Marine Traffic, helping expand the vessel tracking platform in North and South America. His unique career has given him firsthand insight into shipping inefficiencies that can be addressed through data and technology.

Key Insights for Importers: Addressing Maritime Logistics Challenges

While the podcast covered many of the pain points importers face in ocean shipping, here are three that stood out.

1. The Communication Gap in Maritime Logistics

One challenge importers face is a lack of standardized communication among shippers, their forwarders, and other logistics service partners, which can lead to misunderstandings, delayed shipments, and unforeseen costs.

For instance, the term "arrival" is used inconsistently across the industry — one party may consider a vessel “arrived” when it reaches a certain point in the port; another may define it as when cargo is offloaded.

“The same word, ‘arrival,’ can mean thirty thousand different things depending on who you ask,” Ashiq said. “This inconsistency can create a mess for importers who are trying to plan their supply chains around what they think are clear expectations.”

Sernick agreed, highlighting how these gaps in communication impact supply chains across the board: “For importers, it’s not just about when a ship arrives at the port — it’s about when the cargo gets to the warehouse or retail store. Without clarity, those delays can have a domino effect on everything down the line.”

Key takeaway: Improving how stakeholders define and share key information — such as vessel status or ETAs — is critical to reducing disruptions. Importers who demand clearer, more precise data from their logistics providers can mitigate this risk and ensure smoother operations.

2. Real-Time Data and Visibility: A Game-Changer for Supply Chains

Any importer would agree that nothing is worse than not knowing the exact location of cargo at all times. Fortunately, technology is making it possible to use real-time data to enhance visibility in the supply chain. “I’ve been on both sides, and I know how frustrating it is when you’re in the dark,” Ashiq said. “Real-time data gives you the ability to make decisions before disruptions happen, rather than reacting after it’s too late.”

This enhanced visibility is at the heart of 3rdwave’s efforts to give shippers more control over their operations.  “If you know exactly where a ship is, you can make adjustments to your inland transportation schedules, optimize your inventory management, and prevent costly downtime,” Sernick said. “It’s about empowering importers to be proactive instead of reactive.”

Key Takeaway: Whether adjusting inventory plans, coordinating drayage schedules, or ensuring that production lines don’t go idle, having up-to-the-minute data on vessel location and cargo status enables more proactive decision-making.

3. The Human Element Behind Global Trade

The focus on cargo and transit schedules is certainly understandable, but it’s also important to remember the mariners who make it all possible. They spend weeks or months at sea, ensuring goods travel across oceans— a journey often filled with perils. Ashiq shared personal stories of the dangers he faced while at sea, including encounters with pirates and even surviving a rocket attack in the Red Sea.

“We were in the Red Sea in 2015 when a rocket was fired at us,” Adil recounted. “Thankfully, the trajectory caused it to ricochet off the ship, but that kind of danger is real. It’s not something many people think about when they’re just tracking where their container is.”

Key Takeaway: Delays and disruptions aren’t just the result of mechanical issues or poor planning — sometimes, they’re caused by real-world dangers. Understanding these risks and the realities mariners face can help importers plan better and appreciate the complexities involved in shipping.

Take Your Ocean Freight Strategy Further with Expert Insights

Improving communications with freight forwarders and other partners, leveraging better data to drive informed decisions, and understanding the risks at sea are a few of the insights Ashiq and Sernick touched on in this podcast. They break down complex issues so that listeners will better understand what they can do to manage ocean freight logistics better, reduce inefficiencies, enhance visibility, and ultimately save money.

If you’re an importer who wants more control over your shipping operations, start by listening to this episode of Trade Talks. Then, if you need a global TMS for supply chain management, check out 3rdwave’s Shipment Execution Platform, a tool explicitly designed to give international shippers and BCOs more control.

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