Japanese company e5 Lab, a joint venture between Asahi Tanker, Exeno Yamamiz, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Mitsubishi aiming to develop electric vessels, has announced the launch of a new spin-off company to market its maritime technology operating system Marindows.
The new Marindows Inc business will focus on further development of the digital platform linking edge computing onboard ship with cloud services and shore-based applications to provide a range of maritime specific services.
The company has launched with a three-year plan to roll out its services, leveraging improvements in ocean broadband access to deliver digital tools and AI (artificial intelligence) analytics to the shipping market.
This would see an operational service launched in the first half of 2022, with the lofty aim of reaching approximately 5,000 Japanese coastal ships with Marindows installed by the end of 2023.
Other Japanese co-creation partners involved in the launch include ClassNK, Furuno and SoftBank.
“We are happy that we can create a new market by evolving the maritime industry with the power of information communication, and co-create it with Marindows, which is building an industry base through digital transformation (DX),” said Hidebumi Kitahara, Vice President, Head of Global Business Strategy Division, Technology Unit, SoftBank.
“We believe that digital platforms using cutting-edge communication technologies, such as the next-generation satellite communication and High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), AI and IoT can bring innovation to global industries, and we will contribute to further accelerating digitalisation.”
