Founded in October 2019, Groke Technologiesprovides state-of-the-art situational awareness systems and intelligentinformation to support decision making and safer vessel operations with reducedburden on crew. While the start-up is headquartered in Finland, it hasestablished strong connections in Japan, where research and investment intoautonomous maritime technology is gathering pace. To date, six Japanesecompanies have invested in Groke: Mitsubishi Corporation, Japan’s largesttrading house and a partner of Groke since its founding; Sumitomo MitsuiFinance and Leasing; tanker operators Uyeno Transtech, Tsurumi Sunmarine andAsahi Tanker; and, most recently, tugboat operator Tokyo Kisen. In addition toJapanese investors, Oldendorff Carriers, one of the world’s leading dry bulkowners and operators has also invested in Groke.
In May 2022, Tsurumi Sunmarine became Groke’s first customer when it signed acontract to have Groke Pro installed on selected vessels in its tanker fleet.Groke’s flagship product uses machine vision and sensor fusion to deliver aprecise overview of a vessel’s surroundings. The situational awareness systemcombines information from integrated sensors and recently became the firstmachine vision solution to obtain Innovation Endorsement for Products andSolutions from Japanese classification society ClassNK.
Groke has established a Japanese branch to be closer to its Japanese investorsand customers. The start-up is also collaborating with K Line and Japan RadioCo., Ltd. on a research and development initiative aiming to expedite theimplementation of autonomous ships and related technologies.
One Sea Secretary General, Sinikka Hartonen, said: “Welcoming Groke Technologiesas our new member is a further boost to our growing expertise in the field ofsituational awareness and the latest demonstration of how One Sea represents abroad cross-section of the maritime technology industry – from promisingstart-ups to established market players. The growth and increasing diversity ofour membership is a result of the ongoing advocacy work we do on behalf ofindustry to establish a robust regulatory framework for MASS.
Groke Technologies CEO, Juha Rokka, states that: “Investment in technologiesenabling less human dependent operations is gathering pace worldwide,particularly in Japan, and the backing we have received from Japanese andinternational companies highlights the importance of internationalcollaboration in the development of MASS and related solutions. As a One Seamember, we have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow technology providersand deliver enhanced situational awareness to a wider audience of ship owners,operators and yards.”
