A partnership with BunkerEx is our first partnership move. In Maritime Optima, you will find information on more than 5 200 ports. BunkerEx provides bunker prices for different bunker grades and info on bunkers available in various ports. We approach the same type of users. We are both companies wanting to nudge the maritime industry to change old habits because it will save time, reduce costs, and benefit the environment. Both parties will continue developing our products, so let's see what the future will bring, says Omholt-Jensen.
Ishaan Hemnani, Co-Founder of BunkerEx, commented, "We are excited to partner with other forward-thinking companies in the Maritime space, and Maritime Optima was no exception. Like all our partnerships, the idea is always to benefit the end-user by providing seamless, accurate data in a single place."
Maritime Optima is a free, useful, and intuitive collaboration platform that enables you or your team to work from mobiles and laptops. They build their product in steps based on feedback from their users. You will access real-time AIS position and technical data on more than 60 000 vessels, and you can edit the technical data and add data like photos, documents, and drawings, and store it privately. You will also find a tool for creating personalized maps where the users can add layers of information, like lists of vessels and ports, weather, INL, Polar Code, Loadline, and ECA Zones.
They have just launched their port center. The users can access information on more than 5 200 ports; maritime weather, info on tidal waters, bunker prices, bunker availability, etc. You can add photos, documents, and drawings attached to each port and save privately.
Increasing use of technologies will reshape business models and companies, and we started Maritime Optima because we wanted to assist people working in the maritime industry, unlocking their digital potential. We think useful, and user-friendly software should be made available to everyone working in the maritime sector. Expensive tailor-made software and license fees should not be arguments for excluding people, says Kristin Omholt-Jensen, the founder of Maritime Optima. She has extensive experience in the maritime industry.
Digitalization includes strengthening of critical domain knowledge and competence, a solid understanding of the company's business model and what influences it, and the ability to work in teams will become crucial. A user-friendly software will enable you to focus and be more productive without being stressed. We want to show that people working in teams, collaborating, exchanging data and knowledge are creating higher profits because they attract talents, make better decisions, and to be a part of a team, is also more fun.
However, she knows that it takes time to change habits and build trust. Our experience and backing make us well prepared for the challenge.
- It sounds so easy to get people to collaborate and share. However, to succeed with collaboration software, you need to have a solid understanding of how the business works, its legal framework, a useful and user-friendly product, funding, and patience. Our team's long history within shipping helps us establish a solid foundation, says Omholt-Jensen.
So how are you going to succeed?
We will do what we tell our users and customers; innovate in steps based on your customers' feedback, attract talents, establish a unified and well function team, and build strategic partnerships. In this way, we can unlock digital win-win situations for more than Maritime Optima, work hard, and have some fun.
About the companies
BunkerEx was launched in 2018 as a worldwide bunker broker that also develops cutting-edge technology for the bunker space. The company is 100% independent. In 2020, they launched a live screen for physical delivered bunkers, the first of its kind. It allows charterers, operators, shipbrokers and bunker buyers to track real-life forward bunker prices on a screen and fix in a simple, cost-effective way. To learn more, visit bunker-ex.com.
Maritime Optima AS is Norwegian company founded in 2018. The company soft launched Maritime Optima vessel center 0.9 in August 2020 and has already more than 700 users. They are collaborating with several major Norwegian shipping companies on their product development. Maritime Optima is supported by Innovation Norway and the Research Council of Norway, and is a part of Microsoft's start-up program. The company currently has 10 employees and is based in Oslo. To learn more, visit maritimeoptima.com.
