The software provider for the global maritime industry, OneOcean has acquired Shipping Guides Ltd, a company that provides data and information on ports worldwide.
OneOcean said that the Guide to Port Entry intelligence will be integrated into the OneOcean platforms, further enhancing its voyage planning capability.
"Guide to Port Entry data has been built up over the last 50 years and is globally recognised as the favoured source of static and dynamic data for almost 15,000 ports worldwide," noted OneOcean in its announcement. Today, it has been selected by over 10,000 maritime stakeholders who interface with it via a range of web-based solutions and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
After the acquisition, "the quality and capability of the data will now be even more accessible within the sector," said Feargal Hogan, technology director responsible for Guide to Port Entry.
OneOcean believes that this acquisition will enhance its voyage planning capability, allowing its customers to make better decisions and to save both money and time.
"The proprietary data includes pre-arrival information and intelligent geographical polygons for all port areas, including port limits, anchorages, pilot areas and environmental information," OneOcean explains. "This data complements the voyage planning and decision-making workflow, particularly in the areas of port congestion, environmental monitoring and global information on shipping activities."
Martin Taylor, CEO of OneOcean pointed out, "There is much debate and discussion about the best methods of optimisation in the maritime industry," and said that OneOcean believes that "having the best data to start the analysis is an essential first step to power the algorithms and give the best quality outputs."
He added, "The Guide to Port Entry data will sit alongside our already comprehensive information on compliance, navigation and environmental factors to provide our customers with the best tools to enable decision making."
Further details about the agreement between the two companies, such as the cost of the acquisition, have not been disclosed yet.