International expansion of Danish technology company to strengthen presence in key shipping market

Maritime technology company ZeroNorth has today announced it has opened a new office in Piraeus, Greece, to further its aim to support more ship owners and operators to digitalise and decarbonise their operations.

The new office is an important expansion for ZeroNorth and signifies the role of Greek shipping to the organisation’s digitalisation objectives and commercial strategy. The operation will act as a beacon to reflect the unique needs and characteristics of the world’s largest national fleet, as well as help it profitably navigate to a more digitalised and decarbonised mode of business.

ZeroNorth Greece provides the company with a direct link to one of shipping’s most important regions. The move will enable greater engagement with Greek tramp shipping operators and allow them to have first-hand experience with ZeroNorth’s vessel optimisation software, Optimise.

The Piraeus office will be headed up by Panayotis Bachtis, who joins ZeroNorth as the General Manager for ZeroNorth Greece. Bachtis comes from a family with deep roots in shipping. He has occupied various positions around the technical and commercial operation of a ship.

For the greatest part of his career, he has been working closely with Greek shipping companies, providing solutions to optimise bunker procurement and mitigate the risk from oil price fluctuations. He therefore brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the planning and execution of fuel management strategies, as well as deep insight and a strong network in the local market.

Speaking on the expansion, Søren Meyer, CEO, ZeroNorth said: “We are extremely excited to open our Greek office, giving us a presence in shipping’s largest ownership market. At a time when more of shipping is embracing digitalisation with increasing pace, we think it is important to support Greek owners and operators to optimise their operations and profitably decarbonise.

“This move means that we can work closely with Greek tramp shipping market leaders to explore how Optimise can generate increased revenue and reduced emissions. I am confident that Greece’s vibrant and close-knit maritime community will immediately understand our vision of digitalising shipping for the climate and join with us in our efforts to create more economically and environmentally sustainable operations.”

Panayotis Bachtis, General Manager, ZeroNorth added: “It is an honour to be able to join ZeroNorth at this significant time for the company — and the industry. Shipping is entering a new digital era that is set to see exponential growth over the coming months and years. As a dynamic tech company in this space, ZeroNorth’s growth trajectory has been immense over the last year. I look forward to our Greek operation matching this pace and sharing the benefits of Optimise with more owners and operators.”

ZeroNorth’s Optimise provides insight into vessel performance and determines the optimal speed of each vessel to optimise bunker spend. It monitors the entire fleet and alerts the operators if a vessel should change speed. This is done by interpreting multiple data points such as weather, draught, market rates, price and emitted CO2 — all of which are turned into concrete action.

ZeroNorth currently has around 1,500 vessels using the software today. The organisation sees the potential to increase the number of vessels on the platform to 6,000 over the next five years.