DNV GL and Alpha Ori sign new MOU to spur digital transformation in shipping

04 May 2020

Singapore, 4 May 2020: The maritime industry can benefit from digital technologies in a way that can have an immediate and transformative impact on design, operations, business models, and environmental impact. To harness this transformational power, smart tech company Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) and the world’s leading classification society DNV GL and have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they agree to work together to contribute to the marine industry’s ongoing digital transformation. The MOU will also see the companies work together to unlock the benefits of new digital technologies and methods, including sharing data collaboratively, and the creation of frameworks and standards, to develop new and enhance existing products and services

The MOU is based around the installation of Alpha Ori’s SMARTShip systems on board client vessels, piloting the use of digital technologies to further enhance the relationship between ship operator and class. The following areas have already been identified as potential areas for exploration:

• Data exchange for digital class services
• Possibilities for continuous assurance
• Remote operations and monitoring

“There is a tremendous opportunity for the shipping industry to improve the way it works,” says Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of BW Group and BW LPG. “For those who are interested in cost savings on fuel and maintenance, good technology is critical: even the most brilliant captain cannot see every change in the weather; even the most brilliant chief engineer cannot hear every problem in the machinery. For those who are interested in staying ahead of changing environmental legislation and the related cost of financing, automated measurements will provide an indispensable edge. And for those looking to reduce the cost and challenge of physical inspections and service – even in calmer times where there are no restrictions on mobility – digital solutions provide an answer. Smart use of these systems will gradually separate the winners from the losers, and it is encouraging to see leading players like DNV GL and AOT collaborate to accelerate this development.”

“By deploying AOT’s SMARTShip application on a vessel, surveyors can access real-time data,” says Capt. Rajesh Unni, Co-CEO of AOT. “The resulting advantage is that one can remotely access the health of a vessel and verify whether a ship is compliant with IMO 2020 and other regulatory requirements. This digital approach is reliable, efficient, and can improve savings.”

“By working together with leading technology solution providers, alongside owners and operators we can unlock broader maritime digitalisation and build on the value these new technologies generate,” said Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager for South East Asia, Pacific & India at DNV GL Maritime. “At DNV GL we want to continue taking advantage of the opportunities created by digitalization to offer new services and ways of working that enhance quality, are more efficient, and improve our customers’ experiences with class. Of course, with every step towards greater digitalization we must make sure that we are continuing to ensure safe operations at sea, while protecting life, property and the environment.”

As the MOU implementation continues, the partners will look to cover many of the most important emerging areas for maritime digitalization, including remote monitoring and operations, the digital supply chain and predictive maintenance systems.

Alpha Ori Technologies Announces Global ISO 27001 Certification

20 Jan 2020

Leading provider of high-tech software solutions for Maritime industry receives global accreditation

USA, 20th JAN 2019 - Alpha Ori Technologies is delighted to announce that we have been awarded ISMS (Information Management Security System) ISO 27001:2013 certification, an internationally recognized standard that ensures our products and services meets customer needs through an effective information security management system.

Gaining ISO 27001:2013 reinforces Alpha Ori Technologies’ relentless focus on creating industry-leading products and services, measured against global benchmarks of Shipping industry excellence. “By securing ISO 27001 certification for our information security management system, we are able to provide our clients and content contributors with a higher degree of confidence in the quality and stability of security around their content and data,” said Capt. Rajesh Unni, Co-CEO of Alpha Ori Technologies.

Alpha Ori Technologies’ decision to work towards ISO 27001:2013 accreditation demonstrates our commitment to continually improving our products and services. To become ISO 27001:2013 compliant, the Alpha Ori Technologies team based across the US, India and Singapore underwent an extensive company-wide audit that included information data security management system development, a management system documentation review, pre-audit, initial assessment, and clearance of non-conformances.

“We are trusted by our clients to store their most valuable data. In achieving the ISO 27001:2013 certification, Alpha Ori Technologies has shown its commitment to the highest levels of security and demonstrated that all necessary controls are in place to ensure compliance of strict standards by its technology, people and processes,” said Bala Sankaran, Co-CEO of Alpha Ori Technologies.

ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard mandating numerous controls for the establishment, maintenance and, certification of an information security management system (ISMS). Alpha Ori Technologies ISMS specifies a host of technical, administrative and physical controls designed to secure the company’s own information, as well as customer and employee information within the context of overall business risks. All our global offices have received the certification on our first ISO attempt, which showcases the complete rigor of our information security program.

View Certificate

AOT Consolidates US Operations in a New Shared Office space in San Diego (SDO)

Nov 2019

San Diego, Nov 2019 AOT decided to consolidate all its US operations in one location – San Diego. The new office space is a shared facility and will accommodate our R&D team. Set in a beautiful locale and sharing space with some of the hottest technology companies, this move will provide AOT a fixed location for easy co-ordination of all its projects.

AOT opens New Office in Copenhagen, Denmark

Sep 2019

Copenhagen, Sep 2019 In line with our growth and expansion goals, AOT-Synergy recently opened a new office in Copenhagen. Rune Zeuthen will be leading our Sales and BD efforts across EMEA/Middle East. Opening this office is an important milestone and will go a long way in making inroads with our European customers.

ALPHA ORI TECHNOLOGIES SECURES CLASSNK CERTIFICATION FOR SMARTSHIP™

18 July 2019

Leading ship classification society ClassNK has confirmed type approval certification for SMARTShip™, the patented digital shipping solution developed by Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) which is now enjoying rapid uptake across the maritime sector. SMARTShip, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that enables the onboard operation of multiple systems with varying degrees of autonomy, has already been installed on more than 30 vessels. Another 60 ships are at various stages of the set-up process. ClassNK’s certification for SMARTShip approves the solution as a ‘Computer Based System’ which conforms to the Class Society’s rules governing a product performing ‘Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics’, ‘Situational Awareness’ and ‘Decision Support Systems’, both onboard and ashore. Hourai Maru, a mid-sized gas carrier delivered on 11th March 2019, was the first ship certified with a ClassNK-approved SMARTShip.

Captain Rajesh Unni, Co-CEO of AOT and CEO and Founder of leading Singapore-based shipmanager Synergy Group, welcomed the certification of SMARTShip by ClassNK. “ClassNK is renowned globally for its exceptional quality,” he said. “Its approval provides quality and reliability assurance for our SMARTShip solutions, especially to Japanese clients but also to our many maritime customers located around the world. “This is also recognition that AOT has quickly emerged as an industry leader in the field of technology and digital shipping. “Technology is transforming our industry. AOT’s approach to tackling pain points and enabling rules-based decision-making gives clients added transparency and delivers multiple operational, financial and environmental benefits.”

AOT’s SMARTShip platform takes a holistic approach to solving maritime pain-point issues for every stakeholder in the logistics value chain – Ship Owners, Ship Managers, Ship Operators, Port Management, Surveyors, Ship Registries, P&I Clubs and Shipbuilders. Data is collected from all parts of the ship to create a platform which connects disparate systems. This enables the continual monitoring and collection of data, helping crew and managers make rules-based decisions. “SMARTShip leverages AOT’s proprietary hardware and software and cloud-based infrastructure to collect and transmit more than 5000 data points from various systems onboard,” said Captain Unni. “It utilises the data collected to create value for stakeholders, often including additional information such as weather overlay, statutory and regulatory information etc. “The front-end user experience includes intuitive applications which facilitate monitoring and diagnostics of operational issues.” SMARTShip has already been critically acclaimed by industry leaders. Martin Ackermann, CEO of BW LPG, a leading client of AOT, commented: “With digitalisation disrupting entire industries, we seek to realise the competitive advantage it can bring to BW LPG and, in turn, our customers. The SMARTShip, solution from Alpha Ori Technologies enables us to combine our vessel’s operational data with a range of external data so that in real-time we can optimize performance on single vessels and across our entire fleet. “We see great potential in improving safety, reducing costs and enhancing performance for the benefit of all our stakeholders” Capt. Rajeeva Mathur, COO of Southern Pacific Holding Corporation C/O Kumiai Senpaku Co., Ltd, also praised the performance improvements yielded by SMARTShip. “Alpha Ori Technology’s SMARTShip system has introduced a whole new vision in the approach to ship operations for us at Kumiai Senpaku,” he said. “We certainly feel that its transparency and the reliability of information it gives us makes it a very efficient and effective tool in improving commercial and operational enhancement. Our expectations have also been met on fuel optimisation and predictive maintenance programmes. Our charterers and managers will continue to benefit from this.” Features such as the optimisation of total fuel consumption and the creation of intelligent alerts and leading indicators are an integral part of SMARTShip. For example, a quick visualization dashboard for critical assets and their parameters is available with drill-down options showing all related information in list and graph views. “SMARTShip’s Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics provides clients with the capability to troubleshoot remotely,” added Captain Unni. “This generates huge savings on the usual cost required to send a service engineer to the actual location of the ship for troubleshooting.” SMARTShip’s Situational Awareness Decision Support System (DSS) incorporates applications including SMARTAlert notifications for preventing incidents, TFOC (Total Fuel Oil Consumption) fuel optimization application and ASSET AI predictive maintenance applications. “AOT has deployed these systems on 30 vessels as in date and we have commitments for another 60 more in the pipeline for this year,” said Captain Unni. “By installing these systems, clients have seen improved operational efficiency via greater transparency, reduced repair and maintenance costs – preventing breakdowns, increasing time between overhauls etc. – and optimised fuel use.”

Rune Zeuthen joins AOT team as New Head of Sales/BD (Europe/Middle East)

July 2019

Copenhagen, July 2019 Rune Zeuthen joins the AOT team and brings over two decades of executive level shipping experience. Rune started his career with A.P. Moller-Maersk, was a founding member of DA-Desk and has previously held senior management positions at leading shipping companies including Topaz Energy & Marine, Gulf Navigation Holding PJSC, Maersk Broker and Clarksons. Most recently he was Teekay Shipping Corporation’s Director, Commercial Management. Rune is a Danish national and is married with two young sons. For the last 20 years Rune was based in Dubai but has now moved back to Denmark to head up the sales and BD activities for AOT and Synergy in Europe.

Singapore maritime internship programme sees growing demand technology students

20 May 2019

Reflecting increasing impact of technology on shipping the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore’s (MPA) global internship award is seeing an increased demand computing and data analytics skills.

On Friday 47 students received internship awards under the programme which is now in sixth year. A total of 33 companies participated in the programme this year including eight new participants, including Alpha Ori, Jurong Port, DNV GL and Lloyd’s Register.

The programme does not just cater to maritime studies students and awards come to students from multi-disciplines, including IT and computer science to data analytics. The 12-week programme covers local placement and an overseas attachment of up to six weeks.

MPA chief executive Quah Ley Hoon noted that there over 5,000 companies in Singapore offering maritime careers. “This is also an exciting time for Maritime Singapore as we embrace the latest technologies to position Singapore as a leading global maritime hub,” she said.

“The demand for data analytics, IT and computer science students will grow. MPA will continue to work closely with industry stakeholders and institutes of higher learning, to sustain the pipeline of skilled talents for Maritime Singapore.”

Leonard Wong, an Information Systems undergraduate at the Singapore Management University, was awarded an internship with maritime technology company Alpha Ori. “I have always been intrigued by the maritime sector and the people working behind the scenes to manage highly interlinked global supply chains and facilitate transnational movement of goods,” Wong said.

“Moreover, the industry is undergoing digital transformation and I want to be part of this exciting revolution, leveraging technology to make sea-bound trade more productive and cost efficient and for countries to prosper along the way.”

Bala Sankaran joins Alpha Ori as Co-CEO

23 July 2018

Capt.Unni and Bala to announce SMARTShip products for maritime digital revolution

July 23rd, Silicon Valley: Alpha Ori, a technology company focused on creating digital maritime products announced that Bala Sankaran joined the company as Co-CEO in April. Bala will share the management responsibility of AOT with Founder & Co-CEO Capt. Rajesh Unni.

Bala has been an active member of Alpha Ori’s advisory board since the inception of the company. As we launch our SMARTShip solutions in the market and seize the incredible opportunities that lie ahead, it’s important that we continuously add the skill-sets needed for our executive team to spearhead a digital revolution in the industry said Capt. Unni. “Bala has been a trusted advisor to me over the last few years, and he brings a tremendous amount of experience across different industries and an in-depth knowledge of our team and business.”

Having worked with Alpha Ori board closely as an advisor over the last year and seeing the tremendous opportunity in the industry, I am excited to join the team Bala said. " I am looking forward to working with the team and our customers to deliver top of the line digital products and solutions for the maritime sector.”

In his previous stint, Bala served as the Vice President - Global Sales, Marketing Operations & Learning at Twitter. He brings cross-cutting technical experience having worked on a popular social media platform. He has also worked as Strategy and Sales Development Lead at Google.

Bala holds a Marine Engineering degree from MERI, Calcutta and a Master of Business Administration from Wharton School.

Alpha Ori is a consolidation of a few technology companies operating out of Singapore, India and the US. It has a well-established suite of products in the Ship Technical Management area. Ships owned by MOL, Mitsui & Co, Navios, BW, Nissen Kaiun, J Lauritzen, Cobelfret, Marubeni, etc. run on the Alpha Ori ERP Suite.

LAUNCH OF CENTRE OF INNOVATION (COI)

28 November 2017

Singapore’s SMARTShip Centre Of Innovation launched

November 28th, Singapore: Singapore’s SMARTShip Centre Of Innovation(COI) was launched on November 28th at #13-20, Symbiosis, Fusionopolis. COI is being established pursuant to the MOU signed between Alpha Ori and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), TCOMS and Lloyd’s Register to pursue R&D on innovative technology products that could transform the way ships operate at present.

Speaking on the occasion, Capt.Rajesh Unni, CEO of Alpha Ori technologies said; “The Centre of Innovation will be our launchpad to develop products that would ease the pain points prevalent in today’s Ship Operations. In true spirit of the MOU’s that we have executed with MPA, TCOMS, LR and later with ST Electronics; we will be focussed on building capabilities locally and developing niche products that will add to the bottom line of Ship Operators”.

“Alpha Ori’s establishment of the SMARTShip COI in Singapore resonates well with MPA’s digitalisation plan for the maritime industry. Close partnerships amongst the maritime industry, technology partners and research institutes will collectively build a smarter maritime cluster enabled by technologies. I look forward to Alpha Ori’s new centre, which is poised to develop products and services that will transform ship management operations,” said Mr Kenneth Lim, Chief Technology Officer, MPA.

COI also aims to develop and promote local talent in niche technology areas and project Singapore as a global leader in Maritime Technology innovation.

Alpha Ori ties up with Singtel to provide broadband satellite, cybersecurity to shipping companies

28 November 2017

November 28th, Singapore: Alpha Ori Technology Holdings Pte Ltd and Singtel today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide the maritime industry a more efficient and cost-effective way of managing their fleets using secured broadband satellite combined with cybersecurity and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

Alpha Ori’s on-board automated SMARTShip IoT solution tracks and analyses more than 5,000 data points from the ships’ navigation, engine performance and cargo handling systems. This would help the crew and their onshore fleet operations centre make timely decisions such as re-routing ships to achieve better fuel efficiency or conducting maintenance work only when necessary. The data transmission between ship to shore will be secured using Singtel’s Fleet Xpress high-speed satellite broadband service.

“With Singtel’s leadership in satellite communications, this collaboration is expected to help further secure data exchange between ship and shore. These innovative communication solutions can also help reduce the cost of data exchange for our digitalized ships.” said Capt. Rajesh Unni , CEO of Alpha Ori. “The maritime industry is waking up to the fact that cybersecurity is a growing risk management issue. By leveraging on each other’s strengths, this digital collaboration will help provide definitive solutions for secured IOT through the use of cutting-edge technology.”

The collaboration supports the International Maritime Centre 2030 Advisory Committee’s call to develop an innovative maritime sector in Singapore and help digitalise the industry.

“With more than 90% of the world’s trade being carried by sea, it is imperative for maritime companies to harness innovative ways of managing their fleets more efficiently and securely,” said Mr Andrew Lim, Managing Director for Business Group at Singtel. “As more devices and ships become interconnected, their vulnerability to cyber hacking increases exponentially. Our partnership aspires to provide a secured digital connection between ship and shore, and facilitates the use of IoT, advanced analytics, cloud and cybersecurity solutions. This advances the maritime industry’s digital transformation and paves the way for the roll-out of autonomous ships in the future.”

Alpha Ori and ST Electronics to Digitalise Maritime by Co-creating Solutions

29 August 2017

Co-development of STARRI, a data platform with Cloud-based architecture to power Smart Data Analytics capabilities

Alpha Ori Technology Holdings Private Limited (AO) and Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to co-create digitalisation solutions for Maritime Fleet Control Centre operations, shipborne and shore-based. STARRI (ST-Alpha Ori Reliable & Intelligent platform), a unified and smart data lake platform equipped with communications connectivity, cyber security, ship and environment converged data, data analytics and machine learning will be jointly developed to provide smarter solutions that power Maritime Fleet Control Centre’s for ship management and operations based on berth-to berth concept out at sea, on passage transit or port calling.

Speaking on the occasion, Capt. Rajesh Unni - CEO of Alpha Ori shared his vision by stating, “Our aim is to create, design and transform maritime landscape by leveraging cutting edge technology. We are thrilled to join hands with ST to build a future ready ecosystem that will add value to all stakeholders in both local and international markets. I am also hopeful that this collaboration will help address the current community challenges and prepare one and all to embrace the next wave of digitalisation”.

“As digitalisation changes the landscape of the maritime industry, we are happy to play a part in driving the transformation with our future-ready maritime digital solutions. This cooperation brings together complementary expertise and capabilities of both companies, and I am confident that it will position us on a higher level playing field as we explore more business opportunities in the local and international markets,” said Mr. Ravinder Singh, President, ST Electronics.

The focus of this partnership is to co-create a new data analytics engine with machine learning solutions and anti-collision capabilities, enhanced with smart sensors. The partnership will also center on strengthening cyber security for shipborne systems including Cyber Security Operations Centre’s for fleet monitoring, cyber protection for critical ship-borne control systems and communications transmission protection.

Also, applications with smart data analytics software will be created, enabling the provision of 24/7 Maritime information as a Service (MaaS) on the Cloud platform for both ship owners and operators. This will allow both the companies to proactively pursue business opportunities in Singapore and globally, with innovative digital use cases in the maritime business.

Alpha Ori’s SMARTShip Technology installed on an LPG carrier receives world’s first certification

02 May 2017

Lloyd’s Register assigns ShipRight (AL-SAFE) descriptive notes to Trammo Dietlin

Singapore, May 2, 2017--Alpha Ori Technology Group, a global maritech company, today announced that its SMARTShip technology has received AL-SAFE notation from Lloyd's Register. This first of its kind certificate of class was awarded to a Singapore-flagged LPG carrier newbuilding, the Trammo Dietlin. The vessel, owned by Global United Gas Carriers, has been AL-2 and AL-3 certified. The Alpha Ori-installed SMARTShip systems on-board the vessel are intelligent to provide decision support to the crew and point specific applications can be remotely controlled from shore.

Mr. Sam Jha, the Chief Business Officer of Alpha Ori, expressed delight and said, “The Lloyd’s Register’s first-ever certification of Alpha Ori’s SMARTShip technology marks the beginning of maritech transformation that will revolutionize the maritime transportation industry and drive economic value for all stakeholders.” Speaking on behalf of the vessel’s owners, Tatsuya Okamato of Mitsui & Co, Partners of Global United, thanked Alpha Ori for delivering the SMARTShip technology and LR for the assessment and compliance certification. He stated that “it was a matter of great pride for Global United that its vessel was the first ship in the world to achieve this autonomous level of certification.”

The Alpha Ori’s SMARTShip technology is an IoT platform that gathers thousands of data points from various vessel systems, machineries, sensors and ingest the data into a very high power computing server. The on-board IoT server analyses this data and enables localized decision support application for the crew. All ship-specific data sent to shore coupled with historical data analytics from other vessels instantaneously enables the office to make more informed recommendations to the ship staff and remotely control certain specific vessel applications. The SMARTShip technology provides powerful data analytics for more efficient and safe operation.

View Certificate of Class

Alpha Ori partners with MPA, TCOMS & LR to set up a Centre Of Innovation for SMARTShip Technology

27 April 2017

MOU signed to focus on developing digitally innovative products for maritime industry

Alpha Ori Technology Holdings Pte. Ltd, Singapore, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Technology Centre for Offshore & Marine, Singapore (TCOMS) and Lloyds Register (LR) have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) towards setting up a Centre of Innovation (COI). The MOUs between these partners at the side lines of the Singapore Maritime Technology Conference (SMTC), will focus on future maritime technologies and R&D. The COI's efforts will be directed on projects related to Smart Shipping, Advanced Data Analytics, Cyber Security etc.

On behalf of Alpha Ori, Board Member Capt. Rajesh Unni was optimistic and hoped this move will attract more talented youth to join the maritime industry, create a new ecosystem and help transform it. LR CEO Alistair Marsh added that collaboration was critical and this MOU represented a significant move towards further realizing the ship technology that will help safeguard the industry’s future and continue to improve its safety. Prof. Chan Eng Soon, CEO of TCOMS said, "Digitalization is creating new opportunities that will enable the maritime and shipping industry to better understand and improve their operations. We look forward to this partnership that will pave the way for innovative solutions that would help transform the industry, especially in enhancing productivity, efficiency, safety and reliability.

Alpha Ori is headquartered in Singapore and, has a well-established suite of products in SMARTShip Technology, BigDATA Analytics and ShipERP Solutions. Its employees are drawn from a global talent pool of engineers and scientists operating out of technolgy centers in Singapore, India, Israel and the US.