〆彼は次のように会社の理念を語った。「ゼロノースはデジタルソリューションを通じ船舶のパフォーマンスを最適化させる」
We interviewed Søren Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth, about the company’s business strategy for digital maritime services. He shared the company’s philosophy: “ZeroNorth optimizes vessel performance through digital solutions.”
ZeroNorth, headquartered in Copenhagen, is a maritime technology company focused on optimizing vessel performance and reducing emissions through digital solutions. Spun off from Maersk Tankers in 2020, the company now leverages extensive industry experience and data. We asked Søren Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth, about the company’s business strategy.
(Interviewer: Hirofumi Yamamoto)
■Utilizing AI
— First, I would like to hear about ZeroNorth’s mission.
“ZeroNorth aims to support the maritime industry in becoming more efficient and sustainable by using advanced software to optimize vessel operations. We began our full-scale operations in 2020. As we progressed, we considered how to optimize business while understanding the mutual impacts within the value chain. Consequently, we concluded that building a complete industry platform with multiple services for various users across the value chain was optimal. In other words, customers, who are cargo owners, need to find the best vessels to transport their cargo. Once they select a vessel, they need to sail it from point A to point B. This involves chartering vessels using services like weather routing, but there is something even more crucial than weather routing. It involves leveraging software, algorithms, and AI (artificial intelligence) to find the optimal routes for every vessel and identify the correct course across the vast ocean.”
“On the other hand, regarding the fuel efficiency of vessels, we conduct predictive maintenance to understand why a particular vessel is performing well, monitor the vessels, and delve into the business on the bunker side. This involves determining from which suppliers, at which ports, and at what prices to procure fuel. Consequently, we have become the largest platform in this field, with approximately 35 million tons of fuel procured through our partner procurement platform in the past. This also ties into emissions reporting. In other words, our job is to handle all the data that contributes to the optimal operation of vessels.”
— Can you provide an overview of ZeroNorth?
“Headquartered in Denmark, Europe, we now have offices in 12 locations worldwide. In Europe, besides Copenhagen, we have offices in Oslo, Norway, and Varna and Sofia, Bulgaria and Athens in Greece. In the United States, we are located in San Diego and New York, and in Asia we have offices in Chennai and Mumbai in India, as well as offices in Singapore and Japan. Our workforce consists of 600 employees.”
■Expanding Through M&A
— Why do you think ZeroNorth has grown so much in the four years since its founding?
“In simple terms, we started the company with 6 people, and it has grown to 600 employees. Today, we provide services to 225 customers and 4,500 vessels worldwide. There are two aspects to the company’s growth. One is that we develop our own software, and the other is that we have acquired six companies over the past four years.”
“Every day, we work alongside our customers and strategic partners to develop cutting-edge solutions that are designed to optimise operations, maximise earnings and reduce CO2 emissions for the global trade value chain. We are not only powering up commercial decision-making but are also improving competitiveness and transparency across the value chain to drive real change. We are doing this by breaking down silos and ensuring that everyone can use data insights for operational and digital excellence.”
— In the maritime industry, new fuels are being discussed as part of the decarbonization effort. How do you think new fuels will impact ZeroNorth’s services?
“That’s a very important question. New fuels will be a major driver of total vessel emissions, and their selection will become increasingly complex. To understand a vessel’s overall profile, performance, and emissions, we need to understand the fuels being used. For us, it’s a business in itself, but more importantly, the data obtained in the field of new fuels will be crucial. In Europe, new regulations called FuelEU are set to be introduced next year.”
“We need to understand the fuel that goes into the tank. For example, if we start putting biofuels or other types of fuel into the tank, it affects the fuel consumption. In other words, if we want to optimize the entire fleet, we need to understand what kind of fuel is being used in the tanks. The main reason we are involved in the bunker business is that we want to integrate the data from the bunker into our platform and data flywheel. As a market leader with the industry’s most extensive data ecosystem, we harness data from the global fleet to build better models and solutions, driving transformative change to benefit all customers.
. This includes us being the frontrunner in electronic bunker delivery notes from Singapore.”
■Introducing New Technology to the Japanese Market
— How does ZeroNorth position itself in the Japanese market?
“We recognise that Japan is an important maritime hub, and we have welcomed Gary Garner, who has extensive experience with vessel data, to our branch in Japan. We already have customers in Japan. Firstly, it is important for us to be close to our Japanese customers and understand their needs. There are two necessary actions for this. One is that Mr. Garner will play that role. The other is that Japanese shipping companies are indeed a crucial market. Our work in the Japanese market is to continuously demonstrate the latest technology to the market. By leveraging this technology, we aim to show how business can be improved. We are not here to revolutionize the market. Instead, we are here to work with our partners and customers to integrate new digital technologies to create better business practices.”
■Profile
Søren Meyer
Søren is passionate about tackling climate change and driving business growth with a greater purpose.
In January 2020 Søren became Chief Executive Officer for ZeroNorth, which was spun off from Maersk Tankers with the mission to lead the green transition for global trade.
Prior to this, Søren held a range of leadership roles in Maersk Tankers, including Chief Asset Officer, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer and Head of MR Vessels. Before joining the shipping giant back in 2015, he was Vice President at O.W. Bunker & Trading.