Nor-Shipping 2025: Orca AI speeds vessel automation

At the Nor-Shipping 2025 conference that took place in Norway last week, the news is that vessel automation is on the rise, and one of the leading companies in the field is Orca AI.

Founded in 2018 by CEO Yarden Gross and CTO Dor Raviv, Orca AI says it has the world’s largest marine visual dataset, built from over 80 million nautical miles. Powered by advanced AI and computer vision, this dataset forms the foundation for what the company describes as “unmatched situational awareness capabilities in ocean navigation, helping captains and crew members identify risks and targets that cannot be spotted with the human eye. By delivering AI-based alerts and recommendations, Orca AI is able to significantly reduce the probability of collisions that have a severe economic and human impact, so crews can focus their attention on the most critical parts of their voyages.”

Funding of $72.5 Million

On May 6th, Orca AI announced it closed an investment of $72.5 million in funding from Brighton Park Capital, Ankona Capital, and Hyperlink Ventures. The investment will enable Orca AI to further its autonomous platform, add new capabilities, and enter new categories, including defense and security, according to a news release.

Orca AI’s platform is already utilized by major global shipping companies, including MSC, NYK, Scorpio, and Seaspan. By helping mitigate accidents and operational issues, Orca AI enables hundreds of vessels to save billions of dollars in potential damage each year. The significant improvement in connectivity in remote waters, driven by satellite-based services like Starlink, allows real-time data to be transmitted to Orca AI for mapping routes, traffic monitoring, and sharing critical information. This capability is key to developing autonomous navigation, providing an unprecedented level of precision in vessel monitoring.”

In an interview with AJOT at Nor-Shipping, Gross said that P&I Clubs, which are mutual insurance associations that provide risk pooling, now see the insurance value of Orca AI and are subsidizing its deployment: “Today, we probably have the biggest marine data set in the world. I would say we have 100 million nautical miles of data that have been synchronized in the cloud. It has been used to create insights based on historical information. So, for example, we are now working with P&I Clubs. They are today subsidizing ORCA solution for their members because they understand the value that we are decreasing risk.”

Orca AI is helping with insurance claims and vessel damage disputes: “I’ll give you an example. We had situations where there were disputes between the vessel and the Port authority or even vessels with authorities related to a contact with a fishing vessel. And always they are blaming the vessel, right? Now, with Orca AI, all of a sudden, they have the record, they have all the evidence, everything is being captured. So, they can say, okay, you now have the evidence… I did a maneuver, and you see the jetty, it was already damaged. So, you have all the evidence now, and then, you know, it is changing all the discussions.”

Installations on the Rise

Gross says vessel installations are on the rise: “We have, in the water, contracts for 850 ships and in contract to be deployed almost 1,500 ships.”

The technology uses sensors and cameras to analyze nearby vessels and navigational hazards to optimize routing for the ship and help make watch standers more productive:

“Automating the watch-keeping assists the crew to navigate safer, detecting dangerous situations, alerting them by analyzing information from multiple existing sensors that you have onboard, and putting on top of that also a camera. So, imagine getting into congested waterways or visibility situations that are challenging. Orca will understand the environment, understand if there is any risky situation around the vessel, alert the crew, and provide assistance and suggestions on how to navigate more safely to the destination.”