Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has completed its investment into Marindows, a Tokyo-based firm aiming to utilise the revolution in information technology to build an integrated digital platform for the marine industry.
Amid the current energy revolution, this partnership should accelerate efforts to achieve carbon neutrality in areas from electrification and autonomous operation in the marine industry, creating new value by merging the physical and digital, and establishing a ‘win-win’ relationship with benefits for both companies.
Electrification and autonomous operation in the coastal vessel industry has become increasingly widespread, particularly in the small and mid-sized vessel market. This investment will provide a network with the small and mid-sized coastal vessel, fishing and leisure markets that will support Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s efforts for the commercialisation of standard electric propulsion vessels, and furthering the adoption of a safe and efficient navigation support system utilising real-time data.
Marindows was established in March 2021 by e5 Lab, a company jointly founded by four companies representing shipping and a trading company to promote the electric propulsion and digitalisation of ships. Marindows has adopted a vision to “Utilise the revolution in information technology to solve the issues of safety, productivity, and environmental conservation facing the marine industry, and transform the marine sector into one of the leading growth industries of the 21st century.” The company aims to create a better work environment for crews and all personnel in the marine industry by providing a range of applications utilizing the Marindows marine operating system it provides as a platform. The launch of marine broadband in 2022 is expected to make possible ship to shore communications and crew support services in real time, which up to now had been unattainable because of the unreliability of such communications.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been pursuing initiatives that go beyond the conventional shipbuilding business model. Through this investment, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will continue to work toward solutions to achieve its growth strategy.
