The Japanese Marindows maritime software platform has received new investment from Wärtsilä, a deal which will see the companies further collaborate in the development of vessel optimisation and autonomy technologies while also strengthening Wärtsilä’s presence in the Japanese market.
“It’s a great pleasure to have Wärtsilä Voyage as the first overseas partner collaborating with Marindows and participating in our project,” said Yasumasa Suetsugu, President, Marindows.
“Marindows also welcomes Wärtsilä’s strong commitment to the Japanese market, which is one of the largest markets of domestic ocean transport in the world. However, this market has faced complex challenges such as a shortage of manpower and faced some obstacles in supporting sustainable shipping.”
“We provide the solutions to overcome these challenges through digital transformation (DX) and we’re very excited to work together with Wärtsilä Voyage to add new value. Starting with DX, Marindow believes both companies can do more to create a bright maritime future and contribute to a sustainable world.”
Marindows was founded in March 2021 as a spin-off company from e5 Lab, a joint venture between Asahi Tanker, Exeno Yamamiz, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Mitsubishi aiming to develop electric vessels. The firm has developed a maritime software platform to link edge computing onboard ships with cloud services and shore-based applications.
The new deal with Wärtsilä follows a recent announcement that Marindows had raised approximately 200 million yen (approx. US$1.7 million) in new funding in March, from investors including Imoto Shoun, Tokyo Kisen, Furuno and Mitsubishi Shipbuilding.
“We are incredibly excited by the opportunity that this collaboration with Marindows brings. We are deeply committed to the Japanese market, and this is an important step towards establishing and growing our presence there,” said Sean Fernback, President, Wärtsilä Voyage and Executive Vice President, Wärtsilä.
“We can accelerate new value creation and technology adoption by supporting Marindows with our advanced platform and suite of technologies. At Wärtsilä Voyage, we’re proud of our solid digital portfolio which supports the acceleration of maritime digitalisation, cascading the positive effect on the whole shipping industry, the planet and the people.”
