ZeroNorth’s SMARTShip platform | Source: zeronorth.com 

As the maritime sector faces increasing environmental regulations and tighter emission targets, companies are exploring solutions to balance sustainability with operational efficiency and commercial goals. With these needs in mind, platforms that can support both short-term and long-term climate strategies have attracted much industry interest. 

Founded in 2020, ZeroNorth is a startup addressing this specific pain point via a data-driven platform they designed to facilitate operational demands while balancing long-term sustainability strategies. The company, whose slogan-cum-call-to-action is “Make Global Trade Green” has garnered attention within the maritime industry by providing a platform that integrates data for emissions monitoring, fuel optimization, and route planning with human expertise to help its users make informed decisions that align with their environmentally friendly regulations and goals. 

Key features include tracking and routing optimization through its proprietary SMARTShip solution, which aggregates data from over 5,000 onboard system points  combined with weather and regulatory data to deliver performance insights. The platform’s services also encompass emissions analytics for compliance and reporting, and tools for effective ship management such as vessel monitoring and comprehensive bunker solutions, all aimed at reducing carbon emissions while maintaining operational efficiency. 

A key part of ZeroNorth’s strategy is relying on collaborations across the maritime value chain, to help streamline operations with better data. The company has so far collaborated with a number of well known strategic partners that include Sedna, Veson Nautical, Spire, Baltic Exchange, ChartWorld, WeatherNews, Youredi, DNV, Dataloy, and S&P Global Commodity Insights. Each partnership is designed to bring specialized expertise to optimize ZeroNorth’s data set. 

A key challenge for tech platforms in the maritime sector is ensuring compatibility with the legacy platforms ship operators use for their day to day needs such as the Planned Maintenance Systems (PMS). Too often, a lack of compatibility means operational team members need to add another skill set and additional tasks to their already lengthy list of responsibilities. However, ZeroNorth appears to have a handle on the market, with reported sales growth in 2023 of 60% over 2022. ZeroNorth’s success to date has also enabled them to raise funds from major strategic and financial investors, including Cargill, A.P. Moller Holding, and PSG Equity.

Source: 

Atoshipping. (2023, October 15). An Ocean of Data: Analytics in Sea freight Optimization. Across the Ocean Shipping. https://atoshipping.com/an-ocean-of-data-analytics-in-sea-freight-optimization/ 

Crunchbase. ZeroNorth. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/zeronorth-10e1 

PitchBook. ZeroNorth (Business/Productivity Software) Company Profile 2024: Valuation, Funding & Investors. https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/436551-85#overview 

ZeroNorth. Voyage, Vessel & Bunker Optimisation. https://zeronorth.com/ 

ZeroNorth A/S, & Jacobsen, I. S. (2024, May). Annual Report for 2023. Retrieved from https://regnskaber.cvrapi.dk/63225014/amNsb3VkczovLzAzL2Q5LzEzLzg1L2ZlLzdmNDktNDFjNi1iZWQ0LThlNjczMDVhNjdjMA.pdf 

Contributor : Vanisa Andienisara

Reviewer : Imam Buchari