OHB joins forces with start-up Searoutes

Bremen/Marseille, 22 November 2021. OHB Venture capital GmbH, the strategic investment arm of the German space and technology group OHB SE, has made an investment in French start-up Searoutes. The Marseille-based company specialises in highly innovative digital solutions for the maritime and logistics sectors and has taken on the mission to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of freight transportation by providing shippers with insights into the CO₂ footprints of different transport routes.

To provide the relevant data for this service, Searoutes makes use of AIS data , provided by OHB’s subsidiary LuxSpace Sarl, which allow the identification and precise positioning of ships. Searoutes uses not only current but also historical AIS data to map routes frequently used by ships. This information is then combined with other datasets (e.g. ship characteristics, weather patterns and currents) to forecast the carbon footprint of a container transported via a specific transport route or to provide an accurate report of transport routes used in the past.

Pooling of strengths

In addition to the investment in the start-up, LuxSpace Sarl has signed a cooperation agreement to pool the strengths of both companies and leverage the potential of vessel tracking information by improving joint sales activities as well as product developments in the field of maritime data analytics. “We are very happy to work together with Searoutes to decarbonise supply chains. Not only is their missions exciting but it also contributes perfectly to the growth of our DIGITAL segment,” says Egbert Jan van der Veen, Managing Director of OHB Venture Capital.

Pierre Garreau, founder and CEO of Searoutes adds: “LuxSpace and OHB are two companies deeply rooted in research and development. From my very first meeting with Egbert and his team, I knew we were speaking the same language. The expertise in satellite design and data collection – especially in the areas of AIS, Earth observation imagery and monitoring of greenhouse gases – made OHB an obvious partner. I am very excited about this collaboration and look forward to our close cooperation.”

About Searoutes
Searoutes is a start-up specialising in innovative digital solutions for the sea, air and logistics sector. It was founded in Marseilles, France, in January 2019. The company was set up by two co-founders - Dr. Pierre Garreau and Mr. Carsten Bullemer, two sailing enthusiasts and experts in the logistics and maritime industries. Searoutes is the first distance calculation service that uses historical ship data collected from AIS signals. The company developed the backbone of its routing algorithms in collaboration with LIS - QARMA at the University of Aix-Marseille. Searoutes provides the maritime and logistics industry with real-time routes and a CO2 emissions calculator to encourage more environmentally friendly routing and greener freight transport. Searoutes joined the ZEBOX fast track programme in January 2019. It also has an office in Hamburg, Germany, to forge new partnerships in the logistics industry.

Read more: https://searoutes.com/