Nautilus Labs, the technology firm advancing the efficiency of ocean commerce through artificial intelligence, has been recognized as a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Pioneer 2021. For more than a decade, the Pioneers program has identified game-changing technologies and innovations with the potential to advance decarbonization and fight climate change.

A team of lead analysts at BNEF evaluated candidates against three criteria: the potential impact on greenhouse gas emissions and the planet; the degree of technology innovation and novelty; and the likelihood of adoption. Nautilus has been selected in the category of “Managing and optimizing long-haul freight.”

“As the leading fleet performance optimization solution in ocean shipping, we are honored to be recognized as a BloombergNEF Pioneer,” commented Matt Heider, CEO at Nautilus Labs, on the award. “Ocean commerce emits roughly 3% of global human-made greenhouse gases – and its share of global emissions will continue to rise, as greater efficiency is being achieved more quickly on land and in other sectors. Yet 30% of the fuel consumed at sea can be saved with better decisions driven by the adoption of machine learning and artificial intelligence. We’re proud to be leading this change, helping ocean shipping businesses reduce their carbon footprint, while also improving the financial returns on their fleets. Our clients play a central role in building the future of the industry and we’re thankful for the partnerships we have forged.”

Claire Curry, selection committee co-chair and head of digital industry research at BloombergNEF, said: “This year we selected three specific areas – heavy-duty transport, materials and the climate – where BNEF believes technology must play an important role in decarbonization. […] We had some particularly strong applicants, making it both fun and challenging to select the winners. We have chosen nine winners across the three main challenge categories that we believe highlight some important innovation gaps in transportation, materials and climate. While much transport will electrify or turn to green hydrogen, the heavy-duty goods sector will continue burning fossil fuels for years to come. This makes optimizing route planning, reducing idle time and eliminating empty miles truly essential in the near-term. Our winners Convoy, OnTruck and Nautilus Labs are leading the charge in tackling these problems.”