NEWS

Swiss Ocean Tech and EPS team up to bring safety to anchoring

Zürich, 15 February 2022 – Swiss start-up Swiss Ocean Tech has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. Ltd. (EPS) in a bid to further develop, promote, and commercialize its AnchorGuardian patented technology. AnchorGuardian offers a new dimension of safety at sea by minimizing the risk of anchor dragging, providing predictions and intelligence, including alarms to the benefit of vessel operators and the maritime environment at the same time.


“As one of the leading shipping companies worldwide, EPS understands the need to minimize anchor dragging, both for the safety of our seafarers onboard and for environmental preservation. Swiss Ocean Tech brings their revolutionary technology to address this concern. We are pleased to provide them with financial resources, mentorship, access to our network, and deployment on a merchant vessel for testing,” said EPS Special Advisor for Innovation, Gil Ofer.

“The focus of our efforts is safe anchoring. For that to succeed, the anchoring process has to become simpler. We give captains the information and control they need to set the anchor in the best possible way and to monitor it in real time while anchoring. We take the principle of anchor watch to the next level by combining AnchorGuardian’s sophisticated algorithms with big data to warn captain and crew before the anchor starts to drag,” says Thomas Frizlen, Managing Director and Founder of Swiss Ocean Tech.

AnchorGuardian is designed to move beyond rules of thumb regarding chain length or the anchor’s position. Moreover, the patented technology also provides the user with information about the condition of the seafloor. This way, AnchorGuardian not only ensures the best possible anchor hold but can also prevent sensitive plants and corals from destruction.

The strategic agreement between Swiss Ocean Tech and EPS provides additional funds to advance the AnchorGuardian research and development and foresees launching a pilot test programme for the AnchorGuardian solution on an EPS vessel over a 3-month period. Furthermore, EPS seeks to introduce Swiss Ocean Tech to potential investors and customers in the maritime community through its existing business network. Upon successful completion of the pilot programme, EPS plans to work with AnchorGuardian across its growing, diversified fleet of vessels.

“This partnership is a game-changer for the development of AnchorGuardian. Due to its leadership position and experience in the shipping industry and its commitment to sustainable maritime technology, EPS is the perfect match for us. The strategic collaboration provides us with significant leverage to extend our testing and development activities and introduces us to key strategic investors whilst maintaining our focus on bringing safety to anchoring for all within the marine industry,” summarizes Thomas Frizlen.

EPS ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT IN NINE MARITIME STARTUPS

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About Swiss Ocean Tech Ltd.
Swiss Ocean Tech Ltd. is a Swiss-based company formally registered as a shares corporation in 2020. With a team of 8 spread out across Europe, Swiss Ocean Tech partners with leading research and technology organisations to bring safety to anchoring for sailor, ship, and sea. Home of AnchorGuardian, a cutting-edge and patented technology that measures the position and absolute movement of a ship’s anchor, providing early alarms when dragging is imminent. Still in the development phase, AnchorGuardian is set to go into production in 2023. In 2020, Swiss Ocean Tech won the Industrials & Engineering silver award in Switzerland’s leading start-up competition with venture.ch. For more news on Swiss Ocean Tech, go to www.swissoceantech.com.

About Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. Ltd.
With a history spanning 60 years, Eastern Pacific Shipping Pte. Ltd. (“EPS”) is a leading shipping company that is committed to the green and technology-driven growth of the industry. Headquartered in Singapore for the past 30 years, EPS is driven by its mission to be the safe and efficient transportation provider of choice to the shipping industry. Empowering that mission is a 5,000-strong and growing workforce across sea and shore. They oversee a versatile fleet of 190 vessels amounting to 19 million deadweight-tonnes across three core segments of containership, dry bulk, and tanker vessels. EPS’ shore team is fully integrated with in-house commercial, finance, innovation, IT, legal, manning, operations, and technical departments. For more news on EPS, go to www.epshipping.com.sg.

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