Shipping companies are poor in general at information management, according to a German IT firm.

Alexander Buchmann, ceo of Hamburg-based Hanseaticsoft, reckons that information management takes about 25% of the daily working hours of an employee at a shipping company.

"There is no doubt that the shipping industry is still far behind in comparison to other industries," says Buchmann.

A company with 100 employees can calculate that approximately EUR1.5m can be saved a year through better data availability, Buchmann reckons.