A group of eight maritime and logistics technology companies have been selected as finalists for the Standardised Data Innovation Challenge , an initiative offering tech firms in the shipping space the opportunity to work with standardised data sets from some of Japan’s biggest maritime companies via the Internet of Ships Open Platform .

The Challenge, run by Smart Maritime Network and ClassNK with the support of Japan’s ‘big three’ shipping companies ‘K’ Line, MOL and NYK, as well as other members of the IoS-OP consortium, received more than 60 applicants, offering a variety of technologies promising to deliver improvements in areas including decarbonisation, predictive maintenance, remote decision support and port call optimisation.

Following a thorough evaluation of all of the entries, eight finalists have now been chosen to take part in a live pitch session in front of the judging panel to determine the winners. The successful company (or companies) will be given the opportunity to join the IoS-OP consortium and work directly with Japanese shipping companies and other partners to pilot their technologies and prove how their innovations can deliver value from the standardised datasets available through the IoS-OP platform.

The chosen finalists for the SDIC are:

• CetoAI
• Daphne Technology
• Oceanly
• Sealution
• SmartSeas.AI
• The Oceann
• Toqua
• zero44

These start-ups will present their ideas at the pitch final at SMN Tokyo on 30 August 2023. Judges include representatives from major Japanese maritime stakeholders, including NYK/MTI, MOL, K LINE, Itochu, Sumitomo Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., Marubeni Corp. as well as SMN and ClassNK.

Those ultimately accepted for this year’s SDIC will gain unique access to major Japanese ship owners and will have the opportunity to run a full-scale Proof of Concept project with IoS-OP stakeholders and will also become a member of the IoS-OP for up to five years. In addition, the winners will gain access to further funding opportunities from participating stakeholders and will be offered membership of the Smart Maritime Council. An advertising and marketing package worth over €10,000 will also be made available to the chosen applications to assist them in presenting their solutions to a global audience.

“CetoAI are delighted to be part of such an exciting and forward-thinking initiative; data sits at the heart of our predictive analytics platform and being shortlisted is a real nod from the maritime sector that transparent and standardised data is going to play a pivotal role in the development of next generation shipping.” – Tony Hildrew, CEO

“Being selected as one of the finalists in the Standardised Data Innovation Challenge underscores Daphne Technology’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. As a young climate technology company, we’re honoured by the recognition and grateful to observe the growing acknowledgement and momentum around our PureMetrics solution, developed for real-time measurement and reporting of GHG emissions, a key factor in our achieved recognition and a key factor in minimising carbon footprints.” – Dr Mario Michan, CEO & Founder