‍Berlin-based venture studio Flagship Founders has announced the spin-off of its fifth startup. The company called Sealenic, is currently developing an information retrieval and management platform powered by artificial intelligence.

Several well-known shipping companies are on board as development partners: Reederei F. Laeisz,Fairplay Towage Group and Harren Ship Management, who are already testing the solution in their operational processes.

Their feedback will be used to further develop and optimize the software and the launch of the solution for the broadmarket is planned for this summer.

Finding and interpreting information is part of the daily work of all shipping companies. Teams on board and ashore must constantly access a wide range of information in order to operate the ship safely and efficiently. This includes, for example, safety procedures, checklists, machine manuals and evolving maritime rules and regulations.

This information is usually spread across thousands of documents in various formats such as PDF, email or paper, which can make searching time-consuming. What’s more, information not only has to be found but also interpreted and understood. It is not always optimally designed for this purpose, and there can be language barriers and different levels of comprehension. These factors can make many work processes in the shipping industry time-consuming and complex and can lead to unnecessary errors.‍

Sealenic aims to solve this problem. The startup, led by Founder and Managing Director Billel Ridelle, is building an information retrieval and management platform that will make it as easy to find information on issues such as HSEQ, safety and nautical topics as a Google web search.

Sealenic is utilizing AI technology and working with Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Open AI. Users of the software can simply enter their questions into a search mask and receive a comprehensible and reliable answer, including details of the relevant sources of information.

The system is built on general public knowledge (e. g. BIMCO, IMO, EU and State law data) but shows its true value by being able to ingest private company data and give answers that will prioritize it, ensuring full compliance with company rules.

Sealenic’s solution is intended to serve as a virtual assistant for its users and significantly simplify all work processes, as it is claimed by the company.

Billel Ridelle, founder and managing director of Sealenic, explained: “The time is ripe for a solution like Sealenic’s. Nobody wants to trawl through emails or various documents every day to find important information. AI finally makes this unnecessary.

“However, the technology must be integrated into a software solution in such a way that its strengths are utilized to the full, while full data security is guaranteed. Sealenic will offer exactly that and thus set new standards in information management in the maritime industry.”

Fabian Feldhaus, co-founder and managing director at Flagship Founders, noted: “At Flagship Founders, our goal is to build start-ups that the market really needs and that can solve the major challenges of our industry with the help of technology.

“With Sealenic, weare once again emphasizing this claim. We are delighted to have Reederei F.Laeisz, Fairplay Towage Group and Harren Ship Management as development partners and we see this as further proof of Sealenic’s great market potential.”

Source: Flagship Founders