Maritime software provider UniSea has completed the acquisition of German maritime technology firm Kaiko Systems to expand its Fleet Management System (FMS) with artificial intelligence-powered pre-inspection tools.
UniSea’s Health, Safety, Environment and Quality (HSEQ), maintenance, procurement, and drydocking platform is currently used by more than 3,000 vessels. Kaiko Systems delivers specialised, AI-powered tools for vessel inspections, Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE 2.0) self-assessments, and port state control preparation. These tools are used on more than 1,000 vessels by major ship managers, including Columbia Group and OSM Thome, across tanker, bulk, container, and mixed fleets.
“This acquisition strengthens our position, broadening the FMS platform while keeping the customer-driven, specialised approach that got us here,” said Kurt Roar Vilhelmsen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of UniSea.
“Kaiko adds comprehensive frontline inspections to the group and is a natural next step in UniSea’s transition from HSEQ specialist to full-platform FMS provider. We are now very excited about what we can achieve together with Kaiko for our customers and the broader maritime market.”
UniSea has acquired 100% of the Berlin-based firm, which was founded in 2020 by Fabian Fussek and Eddy del Valle Pino. The acquisition was financed by a capital injection into the group by Adelis Equity, marking the latest investment by the Swedish private equity fund since becoming the majority owner of UniSea in 2022.
Prior to the acquisition, Kaiko Systems had raised €9 million in external funding, including a €6 million Series A round in March 2025 led by venture capital funds Hi Inov and Flashpoint, with participation from Motion Ventures. All previous shareholders, including maritime company builder Flagship Founders and various angel investors, supported the transaction.
“Over the past five years, we have built a platform with unique capabilities that are unmatched by anyone else in this industry,” said Mr Fussek.
“Joining UniSea is the right next step for the ambition we set out with – structured digital inspection data as the standard for the maritime industry. Our customers gain a long-term owner with deep maritime credibility, an aligned product vision, and the resources to invest further in what we have built.”
Kaiko Systems will continue to operate as a distinct product with its own development roadmap and team. While existing customers are not required to change their current workflows, the combined group will offer integration points to allow data to flow between the respective modules.
Looking forward, UniSea says that it intends to pursue further expansion through the addition of complementary Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) systems that strengthen the group portfolio for its customers. This follows the organic growth of the company since 2022, which included the acquisition of dry-docking management software provider Maindeck in 2023.
