Combined offering expands Pole Star’s industry leading fleet coverage and complements its leadership in vessel sanctions and monitoring.
[London, October 16, 2023] – Pole Star Global, the pioneer and market leader in maritime intelligence technology, with the largest blue water fleet under management, is pleased to announce its successful acquisition of StratumFive Group, a prominent maritime tech company. StratumFive’s Podium5, an award winning voyage informatics platform, brings together fleet monitoring, regulatory compliance, performance analytics and voyage optimisation into one powerful platform.
The acquisition of StratumFive represents a natural progression for Pole Star Global, as both companies share a deep-rooted dedication to delivering innovative solutions that empower the maritime community. The combination expands Pole Star’s industry leading fleet coverage and complements its leadership in vessel compliance and tracking solutions, with PurpleTRAC and MDA, used by leading government agencies, global banks and vessel operators globally. The Podium5 platform leverages the previously acquired FleetWeather capability, with a proven track record of enhancing vessel performance and safety through advanced model-based route optimisation.
“We are excited to welcome StratumFive into the Pole Star family” said Bob Skea, CEO of Pole Star Global. “By joining forces, we are reaffirming our commitment to innovation for our customers. The Podium5 platform not only enhances our capabilities in vital voyage analytics, but also accelerates our efforts with vessel emissions transparency and planning, which is critical as we enable trusted partners throughout the maritime network. We are excited to be working with Stuart, Ross and team.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Stuart Nicholls, Founder of StratumFive Group, said, “We are excited to become part of the Pole Star family. This partnership will allow us to accelerate the development of innovative solutions that will further transform the maritime industry. Together, we will continue to provide our customers with the best-in-class services and support they expect.”
Stuart Nicholls and StratumFive CEO Ross Martin will join Pole Star in newly created leadership positions to ensure continuity for customers and partners.
Said Ross Martin, CEO, StratumFive Group, “Podium5 provides the solution that our industry desperately needs to realise digitalisation and other operational efficiencies around shipping. Our outreach to the sector throughout Podium’s development has shown that it is a gamechanger for decision-making. We are extremely excited to be working with Pole Star to drive digital prosperity across our industry.’’
About Pole Star
Pole Star Global is trusted by the world’s top regulatory entities and is the only company in the world that operates at the epicentre of the maritime ecosystem by connecting government agencies, financial markets & ship owners and operators. Stakeholders depend on Pole Star to assess responsible actors and bridge the gap between service providers, regulators, and funders. Our unrivalled predictive maritime Insights, data, and expertise enable our customers to act responsibly in the areas of trade finance, emissions control, life at sea, surveillance, sanctions avoidance, and operational and reputational risk management.
About StratumFive
StratumFive Group has been a trusted provider of leading software solutions to the commercial shipping community for more than a decade. Its global network includes the previously acquired FleetWeather operations centre in the USA and its 50-year history of service excellence. At the beginning of 2022, the group launched Podium5, an advanced voyage informatics platform. Podium5 empowers maritime operators to save time, save fuel, reduce emissions, and ensure regulatory compliance – all whilst ensuring the utmost safety of crew, vessel and cargo.