Tanker operator Tsurumi Sunmarine of Japan is to install Groke Pro, the situational awareness system developed by Finnish start-up Groke Technologies, on all of its owned vessels, following a new agreement between the companies.
The deal is Groke’s first customer contract for its software system since being founded in 2019. Tsurumi Sunmarine was announced as an investor in Groke last year.
The Japanese shipping company plans to gradually install the technology across its operating fleet of approximately 150 tankers, with the first Groke Pro deliveries expected to be made later in 2022. The company aims to use the system to improve safety and increase digitalisation of vessel processes.
Though Groke was founded in Finland, the company is heavily backed by Japanese firms. Mitsubishi Corporation was one of its original investors, joined by Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing (SMFL) and tanker operators Uyeno Transtech and Asahi Tanker (alongside Tsurumi Sunmarine) in late 2021. Dry bulk owner and operator Oldendorff Carriers is also a Groke investor.
