Maritime tech firm Attender buys IT firm Spoolify

Rhode Island-based maritime tech firm Attender has decided to acquire Singapore-based digital business Spoolify.

Attender is set to formally launch this year as a spin-out from Moran Shipping Agencies also based in Rhode Island, Providence.

The firm aims to disrupt the maritime market by providing an online artificial intelligence (AI) led platform for shipping lines and offshore energy firms to search vetted maritime service companies. Spoolify is being acquired to ‘jump start’ the software capability of Attender’s platform.

“We have been working on developing the Attender digital platform for more than 18 months and Spoolify is the missing piece of the jigsaw. Acquiring Spoolify and gaining access to its talented team led by Deepanker Mahajan ensures Attender has the innovative IT skills, particularly around AI, that it needs to make us a global operator and disruptor,” Attender CEO David Dolan said.

David said his company is being developed to improve supply chain efficiency for shipboard operations.

“Often shipping companies, managers and offshore project operators will struggle to find reliable maritime services companies at speed,” he explained.

“Failure to get the right company can cause massively time consuming, disruptive and costly delays. Attender solves this by offering a machine learning algorithm which acts as a matching making tool enabling clients to search for vetted suppliers anywhere in the world. The suppliers found on the Attender platform are suited to their budget, geography, deadlines and needs… Attender can provide access to a complete range of trusted marine service companies. This includes hydraulics, electrics, fire safety equipment, HVAC, insulation, or bunkering services.”

Attender says it deploys the latest technology to find the best companies and can advise on the most convenient location for the service job.

“Attender can change the maritime industry for the better and be a serious disruptor. Together we can solve big problems worldwide for operators constantly struggling and worrying about finding the right marine service companies,” Spoolify CEO Deepanker Mahajan commented.

“The Attender platform uses the latest technology to enhance supply chain scoping, to vendor selection, to providing a smart digital workspace. Then the platform is anchored by leveraging Moran Shipping as a ‘human in the loop’ solution to ensure local expert maritime curation. This first of its kind maritime hybrid intelligence platform is greater than the sum of its parts and should provide significant benefits to the port service supply-chain,” Jim Black, CEO of Moran Shipping Agencies, pointed out.