Aage Hempel, a leader in worldwide merchant marine electronic service and focused on 24/7 maritime sales and service, has extended their existing relationship with Pole Star by signing a global distribution agreement. Aage Hempel will offer Pole Star’s portfolio of products and services including Fleet Management, Alert Advanced Ship Security Alert System (SSAS), Marine Asset Tracker (MAT), and LRIT conformance testing services to their worldwide customer base.

Aage Hempel Netherlands will be the first branch to start offering Pole Star services, with the following branches following suit soon:

• Spain (Headquarters)
• Gibraltar
• Malta
• Morocco
• Portugal
• Panama

“We are extremely pleased to extend our relationship with Aage Hempel,” commented Duncan Halliday, Head of Commercial Marine Sales at Pole Star. He continues: “Aage Hempel is a well-established company within the maritime market specialising in the service, sales, and installation of a variety of maritime equipment including navigation, communication and safety equipment. They’re also a provider of satcom solutions and there is an excellent synergy between our organisations.”

Luis Miguel Ayala, General Manager at Aage Hempel Group said, "We’re excited to strengthen our relationship with Pole Star to offer our full line of products and services to our customers around the world. Pole Star’s Fleet Management, Alert Advanced, and LRIT services are a perfect complement to Aage Hempel's portfolio of marine electronic equipment. These services will be of value to our current and future customer base."

To contact Aage Hempel Group regarding Pole Star product features and benefits, and purchase options, email Erik van Boom (General Manager) at service@aagehempel.com / sales@aagehempel.com or call +31 115 649 759.

About Pole Star Space Applications Ltd

Pole Star Space Applications (www.polestarglobal.com) is the world’s leading provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Working closely with our commercial customers and maritime administrations worldwide, we understand the needs of the maritime sector. We develop innovative and reliable systems that enable our users to monitor and manage their assets worldwide. Our applications provide users with the information they need to maximise operational performance and safeguard assets and crew. Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

Pole Star - www.polestarglobal.com | Tel: +44 (0)20 7313 7400

About Aage Hempel

Aage Hempel was founded in 1933 in Denmark. In 1992 Aage Hempel Spain was opened with a small office in Algeciras and over the years we have built the company into what it is today. In 2008 it was sold to the present owners who are the Arbulu Group, a company also involved in the Marine Electronics Industry.

Aage Hempel is a well-established company in the maritime market specializing in the supply, installation, commissioning and service of Navigation, Communication, safety and other maritime equipment as well as a Satcom solutions provider.

Our technical philosophy is to offer our customers the highest level of service with maximum possibility of first time repair.

Aage Hempel Group is proud of having a high reputation worldwide as a maritime electronics specialist and is supported by a global network of well-known manufacturers and service partners, authorized by all major classification societies, and a Group ISO 9001:2008 Quality System and ISO 14001:2004 Management System certified by DNV.

Aage Hempel group employs more than 140 people worldwide in 20 own branches and has hundreds of customers in the international shipping market: deep sea shipowners / Shipmanagers, manufacturers, shipyards, government, service partners and ship agents.

Aage Hempel Group – www.aagehempel.com | Tel: +34 664 736 909 (24h)

Pole Star Space Applications, the architect behind the Purplefinder maritime tracking platform, is on the move. The move, which will take place at the end of October, follows recent office moves in Boston and Hong Kong as Pole Star continues to grow. Over the past 10 months, Pole Star has expanded its research and development team by over 50% and further investment in this area is planned.

Although known for its “purple’ product branding (Purplefinder), the company will be moving to the award-winning Yellow Building in West London designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris—the architects behind Google’s new London headquarters.

“Our investment in people and technology indicates our intent to expand our portfolio of services and products to meet the demands and opportunities that we see in existing and new markets” explains Andrew Peters, Pole Star CEO, “but, sadly, renaming the building was not an option.”

About Pole Star Space Applications

Founded in 1998, Pole Star Space Applications (www.polestarglobal.com) is the global provider of satellite based ship monitoring, risk management and compliance services to governments, flag states, commercial marine, fisheries and financial service entities. We understand and meet the needs of our customers (over 1,100 commercial customers and 118 governments worldwide). We provide 24 x 7 global support and Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

About the Yellow Building

The Yellow Building was completed in 2008 and has won numerous UK awards and was commended at the World Architect Festival in 2008. It was designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris—the architects behind Google’s new London headquarters.

With 90 per cent of all world trade by volume and 70 per cent by value transported by sea, the maritime sector is the backbone of international trade and a critical global industry.

Yet the increase in international regulations and sanction policy, the emergence of new conflict zones and the rise of piracy and terrorism around the world means that financial organisations are increasingly exposed in this sector. Trade finance drives an estimated $14 trillion in annual global commerce, and the exposures of global banks in relation to shipping and related cargoes is high on the agendai. The consequences of sanctions breaches are serious, with many of the world’s largest banks having already been fined, and one of the world’s largest banks receiving an $8.9 billion fine this year.

Pole Star, the global leader in maritime tracking, monitoring and security software, has developed a new service, PurpleTRAC, to address the challenges financial institutions face. PurpleTRAC enables banks, commodity trading companies, marine financers and insurers to manage their exposure and mitigate the possibility of involvement with a vessel at risk of sanctions non-compliance, money laundering or terrorist financing.

PurpleTRAC is an advanced risk management and sanctions compliance technology, which automatically checks against global sanctions lists to screen vessels for compliance. These checks quickly reveal a ship and its associates’ current and past exposure to risk, enabling financial institutions to make prompt and informed investment decisions, saving both time and money and avoiding the likely criminal, commercial and reputational damage as a result of sanctions non-compliance.

By screening, tracking compliance during the voyage and reporting on the voyage, PurpleTRAC also provides an auditable and verifiable statement of an organisation’s risk management and sanctions compliance activity.

Data insight from PurpleTRAC reveals that of over 2,300 ships screened for compliance in Q3 2014, some 60 per cent returned warning alerts warranting closer investigation, while 21 ships and their associated companies were found to be either on a sanctions list or based in a comprehensively sanctioned country. Of all ships tracked via PurpleTRAC during the quarter, 21% made incursions into sanctions zones.

Following trials of PurpleTRAC, several major global financial clients are already rolling out this technology to streamline their risk management and sanctions compliance activity.

Andrew Peters, Chief Executive Officer of Pole Star comments:“The insight into a vessel’s exposure to risk that PurpleTRAC provides is crucial since sanctions and international regulatory policy grows by the day. No other industry has been impacted more than shipping. Financial organisations need to know and prove with whom and where they are trading. PurpleTRAC provides this certainty while simplifying and streamlining compliance procedures.”

Notes to Editors

About Pole Star Space Applications Ltd

Pole Star is the world’s leading provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Working closely with its commercial customers and maritime administrations worldwide, Pole Star understands the needs of the maritime sector. The company has developed innovative and reliable systems that enable its users to monitor and manage their assets worldwide. The applications provide the users with the information they need to maximise operational performance and safeguard assets and crew. Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

How PurpleTRAC works

• When a ship’s details are entered into the easy-to-use web-based interface, the vessel and its associates are screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and Port State Control databases. This determines if the ship, its owners or managers are on any sanctions lists, whether it has had any deficiencies found by port authorities, and if it has recently called at a blacklisted port or sanctioned country.
• PurpleTRAC then actively tracks a ship’s physical movements on a continuous long-term or short- term voyage-based basis.
• It uses a hybrid of multiple satellite tracking services, including a ship’s own automated tracking systems, such as the secure Inmarsat-C terminal and AIS Automatic Identification System equipment, to monitor its movements and report on entry to War Risk and Sanction Zones. The ships are also rescreened daily for the duration they are tracked, so that users are notified if the vessel or its ownership and management become listed on a sanctions database.
• Voyage monitoring data notifies users of the key events in a ship’s voyage including departure, approach and arrival in port, but also proximity to risk zones and if the ship’s AIS device appears to have been switched off. At the end of a voyage, organisations can download a report showing a complete list of all voyage-related events, including entering high risk or sanctioned areas.

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has become the first port state to use Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management service as part of its wider port risk management strategy and as a precaution against the outbreak of Ebola.

As part of the PMA’s risk management strategy, all ships intending to enter a Panamanian port are required to post arrival data via their agent into the PMA’s system. In an enhancement to that process, the PMA will use PurpleTRAC to screen port arrivals and Panama Canal transits to ensure compliance against a comprehensive range of economic sanctions and blacklisted ports.

Crucially, PurpleTRAC will also provide Ebola-risk warnings for any ships that have visited countries where the World Health Organisation (WHO) deems the outbreak of Ebola severe - currently the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Where a vessel is found to have called at any of these countries within the last 90 days, an automatic system/operator alert will trigger an enhanced ship inspection by the PMA, the Panama Coast Guard and the Ministry of Health.

Panama receives approximately 9,000 ship port calls per year.

Andrew Peters, Chief Executive Officer of Pole Star comments: “We are delighted to work with the Panama Maritime Authority, the largest flag in the world, to deliver the tools they need to expand and strengthen their risk management strategy. This highlights the flag’s willingness to adopt innovative solutions to create best management practice. It is also further validation of Pole Star’s market leading technology and product delivery capability bringing tangible benefits to the maritime industry.”

About PurpleTRAC PurpleTRAC is a comprehensive ship-centric economic sanctions compliance and risk management service used by banks, trade and commodity finance companies, international commodity trading and shipping companies, ship financers, insurers, Flags, and Port-State agencies to underpin their KYC / AML best practice and mitigate against the reputational, financial, and criminal risk of accidental money laundering and terrorist financing non-compliance,.

When a ship’s IMO number is entered into the system, the ship with and its ownership structure is screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and associated SDN’s and PEP’s, it’s last 90-day trading pattern including ports of call is similarly analysed, and multiple Port State Control databases are cross-referenced to provide a verifiable, tamperproof, and evidentiary audit report of the ship’s current and past exposure to risk.

Notes to editors:

About Pole Star Pole Star is the world’s leading provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Working closely with its commercial customers and maritime administrations worldwide, it understands the needs of the maritime sector. The company has developed innovative and reliable systems that enable its users to monitor and manage their assets worldwide. The applications provide the users with the information they need to maximise operational performance and safeguard assets and crew. Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

How PurpleTRAC works

• When a ship’s details are entered into the easy-to-use interface, the vessel and its associates are screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and Port State Control databases. This determines if the ship, its owners and managers are on any sanctions lists, whether it has had any deficiencies found by port authorities, and if it has recently called at a blacklisted port or sanctioned country.
  
• PurpleTRAC then actively tracks a ship’s physical movements on a continuous long-term or short-term voyage-based basis
• It uses a hybrid of multiple satellite tracking services, including a ship’s own automated tracking systems, such as the secure Inmarsat-C terminal and AIS Automatic Identification System equipment, to monitor its movements and report on entry to War Risk and Sanction Zones. The ships are also rescreened daily when they are tracked so users are notified if the vessel or its ownership and management become listed on the sanctions database.
• Voyage monitoring data notifies users of the key events in a ship’s voyage including departure, approach and arrival in port, but also proximity to risk zone and if the ship’s AIS device appears to have been switched off. At the end of a voyage organisations can download a report showing a complete list of all voyage-related events, including entering high risk or sanctioned areas.

London International Shipping Week 2015 is playing host to this years OSCAR Dragon Boat Race at the London Regatta Centre in the heart of the Docklands on Friday 11th September.

The event will unite companies from across the shipping industry to raise funds for life-saving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases. The OSCAR campaign is hoping to smash last year’s fundraising total and raise £120,000 for this fantastic cause.

Companies from all areas of our complex and exciting industry (from shipowners to suppliers, brokers and operators) will be coming together to compete in a dragon boat race to raise money for this excellent cause. Last year, the finals were fought between teams from Scorpio Group and RS Platou. This year, we hope to be victorious - both on the water, and by reaching our goal to raise GBP £5,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.

We have pledged to raise £5,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and we are doing so with the help of our staff, suppliers and distribution partners.

Thanks to our sponsors

For their kindness and generosity in sponsoring us towards our sponsorship goal of £5000, we would like to thank and acknowledge:

Sponsor us

Can you help us reach our sponsorship goal? Please visit our JustGiving page and give generously what you can.

Notes to editors

About the OSCAR Dragon Boat Race 2015

On Friday 11 September, the OSCAR Campaign will return for another exciting year of dragon boat racing.

The event will unite companies from across the shipping industry to raise funds for life-saving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases. We are hoping to smash last year’s fundraising total to raise £120,000.

The event aims raise funds to support lifesaving research at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital so that we can continue our pioneering work to develop a new generation of life-saving immune therapies, to fight cancer and leukaemia.

About the OSCAR Campaign

The OSCAR Campaign raises funds towards areas of urgent need at Great Ormond Street Hospital and its research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health.

Today, the campaign supports lifesaving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases, the results of which will improve children’s lives not just at GOSH but worldwide.

The campaign is led by Phil Parry, Chairman of Spinnaker Global, whose son Oscar was diagnosed with leukaemia at just three years old. Oscar received three life-saving transplants at GOSH, one of which was a ground-breaking stem cell transplant. He is living proof of the importance of pioneering research.

Pole Star Space Applications Limited (UK) - a privately owned UK technology company that has been providing vessel monitoring, regulatory compliance & risk management services to the shipping industry since 1998 - today announces the internal appointment of Julian Longson to the position of Managing Director of the company.

Mr. Longson takes the helm as Pole Star launches its next generation API-enabled platform and embarks on an ambitious strategy to become the platform of universal maritime connectivity.

Julian has been central to Pole Star’s growth since it was formed in 1998, originally joining the start-up team as Business Development Manager, before progressing to the Pole Star Board as Business Development Director and more recently Chief Business Development Officer.

He is a graduate of the UK’s Cranfield Institute of Technology with a MSc in Applied Remote Sensing (the application of satellite earth observation technologies) and, since his arrival at Pole Star, has been formative in the maritime industry’s adoption of satellite-based ship tracking through the creation of the groundbreaking Purplefinder service, and subsequent regulatory adoption of the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) and Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system.

Commenting on his new appointment, Julian Longson said, “It is of course a privilege to have been asked by the Pole Star Board to step into this role at such a critical juncture of Pole Star’s development. With increased regulatory compliance pressures being placed on the whole maritime (and associated services) sector and the advent of cost-effective technology infrastructure, the next few years will witness a massive and disruptive change where vessels and everything on them will become increasingly connected to shore. Software driven solutions will emerge that will significantly increase the volume, variety and velocity of data, which in turn will drive the provision of truly unique app-based content and analytical products. Pole Star intends to be both a provider and facilitator of such products.”

With a deep knowledge and expert understanding of the satellite communications, satellite earth observation, and associated maritime applications business, Mr. Longson’s 28-year career has seen him work with international leaders in this field in the UK, US, Canada, and Italy.

Pole Star is to feature in ‘A Maritime Nation’, a news-style programme examining the role and value of the maritime industry to the UK. The programme will be launched shortly before the bi-ennial London International Shipping Week 2015, at an exclusive event to be held at the UK Chamber of Shipping on September 3rd, 2015.

‘A Maritime Nation’, which is being produced by the UK Chamber of Shipping in partnership with ITN Productions, is an in-depth, online programme that will investigate the global issues facing the industry, the UK’s heritage and standing and the innovations and technology shaping the future of shipping. It will feature news-style reports alongside sponsored editorial profiles.

The programme is set to be an exciting venture for the UK Chamber of Shipping, the companies that feature in the film (such as Pole Star), and the industry as a whole. It aims to bring the industry to an even wider audience in a modern way and spark new dialogue that could shape the future of the industry.

Commenting on the upcoming launch of the programme Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star, said “We are truly honoured to be featuring in A Maritime Nation and flying the export flag for the UK. Pole Star is a West London-based tech company providing a range of geospatial application and data services to over 1300 clients in the maritime sector. We hope viewers find interesting the showcasing of our specific capability in the provision of ship-centric sanctions compliance and risk management services to the financial services sector, which of course is another hugely important sector to UK PLC”.

Notes to editors

About the film

In a unique communication partnership, the UK Chamber of Shipping and ITN Productions have joined forces to launch a news and current affairs-style programme that will explore the role and value of shipping to the UK. ‘A Maritime Nation’, is an in-depth, online programme that will investigate the global issues facing the industry, the UK’s heritage and standing and the innovations and technology shaping the future of shipping.

About the UK Chamber of Shipping

The UK Chamber of Shipping’s mission is to champion and protect the UK shipping industry on behalf of its members. We are passionate about UK shipping and work to champion its future success and London’s status as the premier global maritime centre.

The UK Chamber of Shipping works closely with Government, Parliament, policy makers and other parties to:

• Gain recognition of shipping’s contribution to the UK economy and employment
• Make clear the impact of upcoming and existing legislation on the future of shipping in the UK
• Bring them together to work with the UK shipping industry and the related national, European and international maritime organisations.

About ITN Productions

ITN Productions is ITN’s bespoke production hub producing creative and commercially valuable content for the corporate, commercial, broadcast and digital sectors.

In 2014 we were awarded 3 Cannes Lions, 5 Marketing Week Golds and the Grand Prix and 2 Campaign Media Awards including Campaign of the year.

As one of the leading multiplatform producers in the UK, our TV commercials, corporate and branded content clients benefit from the depth of capability and values of the whole of ITN. With a heritage built on highly creative, fast turnaround and affordable film making.

• End-to-end solution from creative concepts to delivery and distribution
• Production capabilities on any scale, anywhere in the world
• Specialist video brand and channel branding development
• Realtime Studios puts ITN Productions at the forefront of ‘real-time’ branded content production in the UK

Pole Star, a UK-headquartered technology company delivering innovative maritime application solutions, today announced the launch of its new cloud application platform, designed to facilitate the company’s vision to enable a universal maritime ecosystem.

The new Pole Star platform is a highly configurable, extensible and easy-to-use cloud application platform, built upon a powerful, robust and open API, and using enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure. With a wide (and expanding) range of services - from vessel tracking and SSAS management to maritime risk intelligence - all available on one convenient platform, Pole Star is enabling its customers to connect with their ships in a whole new way.

Designed from the ground up to make its users’ jobs easier, save them time and help them achieve their goals, the Pole Star platform allows customers to select and combine services, and access them across devices.

• Modular platform means customers can select and combine services to meet their unique needs
• Integrates trusted data sources including: Jeppesen, Tidetech, IHS, Inmarsat, Airbus, Risk Intelligence and Orbcomm
• New intuitive, modern and responsive user interface
• Accessible on any computer with a compatible browser, no software to download or install
• Accredited, scalable, redundant, and secure cloud-based architecture
• Reliable tracking services and powerful reporting engine
• One convenient platform to manage all of your Pole Star services

“We are immensely proud to unveil the new Pole Star platform,” said Peter Davies, Chief Technology & Marketing Officer at Pole Star. “We’re launching the platform with 3 brand new services:

• Tracking
• SSAS Management
• Risk Insight (a brand new service, incorporating maritime risk intelligence from MaRisk by Risk Intelligence).

“Customers on our new platform can also benefit from programmatic access via our RESTful API,” Peter continues. “Essentially, the Pole Star API gives our customers the freedom to extract, analyse and integrate all of the data that is available to them within Pole Star’s services, allowing them to connect their Pole Star account with their ERP or existing IT systems.”

The launch is the primary phase of a multi-phase migration strategy that will see all Pole Star’s services combined on one platform. Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star told us: “Underpinning everything we’ve developed is our brand new, open API. All of our new services, as well as future applications created by us and our trusted partners, will be developed on this common API. All of these applications leverage one user interface, one code base and one data model to create a single platform for connecting the maritime ecosystem. This is the vision that drives our innovation. To become the 'open platform' for connecting the Internet of Things at sea".

“The Pole Star platform blends the technologies that have enabled Pole Star to become a leader in both the vessel tracking, maritime regulatory compliance and risk management markets,” continued Mr. Longson. “The new capabilities we’ve developed are designed to ensure that our customers can turn their data into the actionable intelligence they need to increase operational efficiency, enable decision making and support compliance.

Pole Star Space Applications announces that it has been awarded a prestigious contract by the US Coast Guard for the provision of LRIT ASP services.

"We are very honoured to have been awarded this contract from the US Coast Guard to provide LRIT ASP services in support of the United States’ National Maritime Domain Awareness Plan and wider National Strategy for Maritime Security program" said Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star.

Pole Star currently provides LRIT services to 47 maritime administrations, including 4 of the 5 largest fleets in the International Maritime Organisation’s LRIT network - those of Panama, Singapore, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands. In securing this contract, Pole Star has added the US Coast Guard to those of Australia, Canada and others that form the backbone of international LRIT data users network.

“It is an honour to be working with the US Coast Guard today and into the future. Our technical teams are working very well together. We look forward to supporting the US Coast Guard’s needs by providing them with robust maritime domain awareness services in today’s challenging maritime environment”, said Nick Salvi Head of Government Sales - North America.

Pole Star's LRIT Data Centre / ASP services

Pole Star operates Data Centres on behalf of over 40 flag administrations, monitoring more than 16,000 ships, including those of Panama, Singapore, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands – the largest fleets in the International Maritime Organisation’s LRIT network.

Flags appointing Pole Star as their Data Centre provider are supported by a professional and committed Authorised Service Provider (ASP) dedicated to the provision of the most sophisticated and technically advanced schedule of LRIT services. Pole Star personnel attend all IMO Maritime Safety Committee meetings and LRIT working groups and are well placed to monitor and implement any amendments relating to LRIT regulation.

As a result of our breadth of experience, Pole Star understands the entire range of managerial, technical and financial compliance measures necessary to enable a flag to meet its international obligations.

Learn more about Pole Star's LRIT Data Centre and ASP services.

A new strategic alliance between leading maritime fleet monitoring and risk management solution provider, Pole Star and PwC and is aiming to help organisations involved in international trade to better manage their legal and regulatory obligations.

PwC is working with Pole Star to explore new ways to assist financial services companies involved in maritime trade, including trade finance.

Through access to Pole Star’s sanctions compliance screening and vessel tracking solution, clients can manage their sanction-related risk and compliance issues quickly and easily.

Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC solution screens ships and their associates for sanctions compliance and monitors historical and real-time movements.

Commenting on the alliance, PwC Forensics director Ben Luddington said:

“With 90% of world trade transported by sea, and trade increasingly being used as a mechanism to facilitate financial crime, the need for technology to help solve compliance challenges is more crucial than ever.

“We believe Pole Star’s innovation may help many of our clients tackle their sanction-related risk and compliance issues.”

Pole Star Managing Director Julian Longson said:

“The PwC - Pole Star strategic alliance is a powerful proposition that brings together PwC’s corporate experience and industry knowledge with Pole Star’s maritime intelligence experience and the FinTech innovation of our PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management product.

“Both firms have recognised this unique market position to the extent we believe that the sector will benefit from our collaboration - and to this end we are looking forward to working with the PwC Forensics and Corporate Intelligence teams.”

Follow @PoleStarGlobal

About Pole Star

Pole Star is a privately owned UK technology company that has been providing vessel monitoring, regulatory compliance & risk management services to the shipping industry since 1998. From our headquarters in London, and via a network of offices located at key international hubs, we have earned a reputation as one of the leading providers of remote fleet monitoring, risk management, ship security, Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) and fisheries monitoring services. Find out more at www.polestarglobal.com.

About PurpleTRAC

PurpleTRAC is a comprehensive sanctions compliance screening & vessel tracking solution for organisations that have exposures to shipping and cargoes and need to know (and be able to prove) who, what and where they are trading with at all times.

Developed with and for organisations with exposures to shipping and cargoes, PurpleTRAC automates complex risk management and compliance procedures in an easy-to-use web-based solution. Learn more at purpletrac.polestarglobal.com.

About PwC

At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 208,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.

PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

Pole Star Space Applications, the architect behind the Purplefinder maritime tracking platform, is on the move. The move, which will take place at the end of October, follows recent office moves in Boston and Hong Kong as Pole Star continues to grow. Over the past 10 months, Pole Star has expanded its research and development team by over 50% and further investment in this area is planned.

Although known for its “purple’ product branding (Purplefinder), the company will be moving to the award-winning Yellow Building in West London designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris—the architects behind Google’s new London headquarters.

“Our investment in people and technology indicates our intent to expand our portfolio of services and products to meet the demands and opportunities that we see in existing and new markets” explains Andrew Peters, Pole Star CEO, “but, sadly, renaming the building was not an option.”

About Pole Star Space Applications

Founded in 1998, Pole Star Space Applications (www.polestarglobal.com) is the global provider of satellite based ship monitoring, risk management and compliance services to governments, flag states, commercial marine, fisheries and financial service entities. We understand and meet the needs of our customers (over 1,100 commercial customers and 118 governments worldwide). We provide 24 x 7 global support and Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

About the Yellow Building

The Yellow Building was completed in 2008 and has won numerous UK awards and was commended at the World Architect Festival in 2008. It was designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris—the architects behind Google’s new London headquarters.

With 90 per cent of all world trade by volume and 70 per cent by value transported by sea, the maritime sector is the backbone of international trade and a critical global industry.

Yet the increase in international regulations and sanction policy, the emergence of new conflict zones and the rise of piracy and terrorism around the world means that financial organisations are increasingly exposed in this sector. Trade finance drives an estimated $14 trillion in annual global commerce, and the exposures of global banks in relation to shipping and related cargoes is high on the agendai. The consequences of sanctions breaches are serious, with many of the world’s largest banks having already been fined, and one of the world’s largest banks receiving an $8.9 billion fine this year.

Pole Star, the global leader in maritime tracking, monitoring and security software, has developed a new service, PurpleTRAC, to address the challenges financial institutions face. PurpleTRAC enables banks, commodity trading companies, marine financers and insurers to manage their exposure and mitigate the possibility of involvement with a vessel at risk of sanctions non-compliance, money laundering or terrorist financing.

PurpleTRAC is an advanced risk management and sanctions compliance technology, which automatically checks against global sanctions lists to screen vessels for compliance. These checks quickly reveal a ship and its associates’ current and past exposure to risk, enabling financial institutions to make prompt and informed investment decisions, saving both time and money and avoiding the likely criminal, commercial and reputational damage as a result of sanctions non-compliance.

By screening, tracking compliance during the voyage and reporting on the voyage, PurpleTRAC also provides an auditable and verifiable statement of an organisation’s risk management and sanctions compliance activity.

Data insight from PurpleTRAC reveals that of over 2,300 ships screened for compliance in Q3 2014, some 60 per cent returned warning alerts warranting closer investigation, while 21 ships and their associated companies were found to be either on a sanctions list or based in a comprehensively sanctioned country. Of all ships tracked via PurpleTRAC during the quarter, 21% made incursions into sanctions zones.

Following trials of PurpleTRAC, several major global financial clients are already rolling out this technology to streamline their risk management and sanctions compliance activity.

Andrew Peters, Chief Executive Officer of Pole Star comments:“The insight into a vessel’s exposure to risk that PurpleTRAC provides is crucial since sanctions and international regulatory policy grows by the day. No other industry has been impacted more than shipping. Financial organisations need to know and prove with whom and where they are trading. PurpleTRAC provides this certainty while simplifying and streamlining compliance procedures.”

Notes to Editors

About Pole Star Space Applications Ltd

Pole Star is the world’s leading provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Working closely with its commercial customers and maritime administrations worldwide, Pole Star understands the needs of the maritime sector. The company has developed innovative and reliable systems that enable its users to monitor and manage their assets worldwide. The applications provide the users with the information they need to maximise operational performance and safeguard assets and crew. Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

How PurpleTRAC works

• When a ship’s details are entered into the easy-to-use web-based interface, the vessel and its associates are screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and Port State Control databases. This determines if the ship, its owners or managers are on any sanctions lists, whether it has had any deficiencies found by port authorities, and if it has recently called at a blacklisted port or sanctioned country.
• PurpleTRAC then actively tracks a ship’s physical movements on a continuous long-term or short- term voyage-based basis.
• It uses a hybrid of multiple satellite tracking services, including a ship’s own automated tracking systems, such as the secure Inmarsat-C terminal and AIS Automatic Identification System equipment, to monitor its movements and report on entry to War Risk and Sanction Zones. The ships are also rescreened daily for the duration they are tracked, so that users are notified if the vessel or its ownership and management become listed on a sanctions database.
• Voyage monitoring data notifies users of the key events in a ship’s voyage including departure, approach and arrival in port, but also proximity to risk zones and if the ship’s AIS device appears to have been switched off. At the end of a voyage, organisations can download a report showing a complete list of all voyage-related events, including entering high risk or sanctioned areas.

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has become the first port state to use Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management service as part of its wider port risk management strategy and as a precaution against the outbreak of Ebola.

As part of the PMA’s risk management strategy, all ships intending to enter a Panamanian port are required to post arrival data via their agent into the PMA’s system. In an enhancement to that process, the PMA will use PurpleTRAC to screen port arrivals and Panama Canal transits to ensure compliance against a comprehensive range of economic sanctions and blacklisted ports.

Crucially, PurpleTRAC will also provide Ebola-risk warnings for any ships that have visited countries where the World Health Organisation (WHO) deems the outbreak of Ebola severe - currently the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

Where a vessel is found to have called at any of these countries within the last 90 days, an automatic system/operator alert will trigger an enhanced ship inspection by the PMA, the Panama Coast Guard and the Ministry of Health.

Panama receives approximately 9,000 ship port calls per year.

Andrew Peters, Chief Executive Officer of Pole Star comments: “We are delighted to work with the Panama Maritime Authority, the largest flag in the world, to deliver the tools they need to expand and strengthen their risk management strategy. This highlights the flag’s willingness to adopt innovative solutions to create best management practice. It is also further validation of Pole Star’s market leading technology and product delivery capability bringing tangible benefits to the maritime industry.”

About PurpleTRAC PurpleTRAC is a comprehensive ship-centric economic sanctions compliance and risk management service used by banks, trade and commodity finance companies, international commodity trading and shipping companies, ship financers, insurers, Flags, and Port-State agencies to underpin their KYC / AML best practice and mitigate against the reputational, financial, and criminal risk of accidental money laundering and terrorist financing non-compliance,.

When a ship’s IMO number is entered into the system, the ship with and its ownership structure is screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and associated SDN’s and PEP’s, it’s last 90-day trading pattern including ports of call is similarly analysed, and multiple Port State Control databases are cross-referenced to provide a verifiable, tamperproof, and evidentiary audit report of the ship’s current and past exposure to risk.

Notes to editors:

About Pole Star Pole Star is the world’s leading provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Working closely with its commercial customers and maritime administrations worldwide, it understands the needs of the maritime sector. The company has developed innovative and reliable systems that enable its users to monitor and manage their assets worldwide. The applications provide the users with the information they need to maximise operational performance and safeguard assets and crew. Pole Star systems are currently used to track nearly 40,000 ships worldwide.

How PurpleTRAC works

• When a ship’s details are entered into the easy-to-use interface, the vessel and its associates are screened against a range of international economic sanctions lists and Port State Control databases. This determines if the ship, its owners and managers are on any sanctions lists, whether it has had any deficiencies found by port authorities, and if it has recently called at a blacklisted port or sanctioned country.
  
• PurpleTRAC then actively tracks a ship’s physical movements on a continuous long-term or short-term voyage-based basis
• It uses a hybrid of multiple satellite tracking services, including a ship’s own automated tracking systems, such as the secure Inmarsat-C terminal and AIS Automatic Identification System equipment, to monitor its movements and report on entry to War Risk and Sanction Zones. The ships are also rescreened daily when they are tracked so users are notified if the vessel or its ownership and management become listed on the sanctions database.
• Voyage monitoring data notifies users of the key events in a ship’s voyage including departure, approach and arrival in port, but also proximity to risk zone and if the ship’s AIS device appears to have been switched off. At the end of a voyage organisations can download a report showing a complete list of all voyage-related events, including entering high risk or sanctioned areas.

London International Shipping Week 2015 is playing host to this years OSCAR Dragon Boat Race at the London Regatta Centre in the heart of the Docklands on Friday 11th September.

The event will unite companies from across the shipping industry to raise funds for life-saving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases. The OSCAR campaign is hoping to smash last year’s fundraising total and raise £120,000 for this fantastic cause.

Companies from all areas of our complex and exciting industry (from shipowners to suppliers, brokers and operators) will be coming together to compete in a dragon boat race to raise money for this excellent cause. Last year, the finals were fought between teams from Scorpio Group and RS Platou. This year, we hope to be victorious - both on the water, and by reaching our goal to raise GBP £5,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.

We have pledged to raise £5,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and we are doing so with the help of our staff, suppliers and distribution partners.

Thanks to our sponsors

For their kindness and generosity in sponsoring us towards our sponsorship goal of £5000, we would like to thank and acknowledge:

Sponsor us

Can you help us reach our sponsorship goal? Please visit our JustGiving page and give generously what you can.

Notes to editors

About the OSCAR Dragon Boat Race 2015

On Friday 11 September, the OSCAR Campaign will return for another exciting year of dragon boat racing.

The event will unite companies from across the shipping industry to raise funds for life-saving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases. We are hoping to smash last year’s fundraising total to raise £120,000.

The event aims raise funds to support lifesaving research at the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital so that we can continue our pioneering work to develop a new generation of life-saving immune therapies, to fight cancer and leukaemia.

About the OSCAR Campaign

The OSCAR Campaign raises funds towards areas of urgent need at Great Ormond Street Hospital and its research partner, the UCL Institute of Child Health.

Today, the campaign supports lifesaving research into childhood cancers and immune diseases, the results of which will improve children’s lives not just at GOSH but worldwide.

The campaign is led by Phil Parry, Chairman of Spinnaker Global, whose son Oscar was diagnosed with leukaemia at just three years old. Oscar received three life-saving transplants at GOSH, one of which was a ground-breaking stem cell transplant. He is living proof of the importance of pioneering research.

Pole Star Space Applications Limited (UK) - a privately owned UK technology company that has been providing vessel monitoring, regulatory compliance & risk management services to the shipping industry since 1998 - today announces the internal appointment of Julian Longson to the position of Managing Director of the company.

Mr. Longson takes the helm as Pole Star launches its next generation API-enabled platform and embarks on an ambitious strategy to become the platform of universal maritime connectivity.

Julian has been central to Pole Star’s growth since it was formed in 1998, originally joining the start-up team as Business Development Manager, before progressing to the Pole Star Board as Business Development Director and more recently Chief Business Development Officer.

He is a graduate of the UK’s Cranfield Institute of Technology with a MSc in Applied Remote Sensing (the application of satellite earth observation technologies) and, since his arrival at Pole Star, has been formative in the maritime industry’s adoption of satellite-based ship tracking through the creation of the groundbreaking Purplefinder service, and subsequent regulatory adoption of the Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) and Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system.

Commenting on his new appointment, Julian Longson said, “It is of course a privilege to have been asked by the Pole Star Board to step into this role at such a critical juncture of Pole Star’s development. With increased regulatory compliance pressures being placed on the whole maritime (and associated services) sector and the advent of cost-effective technology infrastructure, the next few years will witness a massive and disruptive change where vessels and everything on them will become increasingly connected to shore. Software driven solutions will emerge that will significantly increase the volume, variety and velocity of data, which in turn will drive the provision of truly unique app-based content and analytical products. Pole Star intends to be both a provider and facilitator of such products.”

With a deep knowledge and expert understanding of the satellite communications, satellite earth observation, and associated maritime applications business, Mr. Longson’s 28-year career has seen him work with international leaders in this field in the UK, US, Canada, and Italy.

Pole Star is to feature in ‘A Maritime Nation’, a news-style programme examining the role and value of the maritime industry to the UK. The programme will be launched shortly before the bi-ennial London International Shipping Week 2015, at an exclusive event to be held at the UK Chamber of Shipping on September 3rd, 2015.

‘A Maritime Nation’, which is being produced by the UK Chamber of Shipping in partnership with ITN Productions, is an in-depth, online programme that will investigate the global issues facing the industry, the UK’s heritage and standing and the innovations and technology shaping the future of shipping. It will feature news-style reports alongside sponsored editorial profiles.

The programme is set to be an exciting venture for the UK Chamber of Shipping, the companies that feature in the film (such as Pole Star), and the industry as a whole. It aims to bring the industry to an even wider audience in a modern way and spark new dialogue that could shape the future of the industry.

Commenting on the upcoming launch of the programme Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star, said “We are truly honoured to be featuring in A Maritime Nation and flying the export flag for the UK. Pole Star is a West London-based tech company providing a range of geospatial application and data services to over 1300 clients in the maritime sector. We hope viewers find interesting the showcasing of our specific capability in the provision of ship-centric sanctions compliance and risk management services to the financial services sector, which of course is another hugely important sector to UK PLC”.

Notes to editors

About the film

In a unique communication partnership, the UK Chamber of Shipping and ITN Productions have joined forces to launch a news and current affairs-style programme that will explore the role and value of shipping to the UK. ‘A Maritime Nation’, is an in-depth, online programme that will investigate the global issues facing the industry, the UK’s heritage and standing and the innovations and technology shaping the future of shipping.

About the UK Chamber of Shipping

The UK Chamber of Shipping’s mission is to champion and protect the UK shipping industry on behalf of its members. We are passionate about UK shipping and work to champion its future success and London’s status as the premier global maritime centre.

The UK Chamber of Shipping works closely with Government, Parliament, policy makers and other parties to:

• Gain recognition of shipping’s contribution to the UK economy and employment
• Make clear the impact of upcoming and existing legislation on the future of shipping in the UK
• Bring them together to work with the UK shipping industry and the related national, European and international maritime organisations.

About ITN Productions

ITN Productions is ITN’s bespoke production hub producing creative and commercially valuable content for the corporate, commercial, broadcast and digital sectors.

In 2014 we were awarded 3 Cannes Lions, 5 Marketing Week Golds and the Grand Prix and 2 Campaign Media Awards including Campaign of the year.

As one of the leading multiplatform producers in the UK, our TV commercials, corporate and branded content clients benefit from the depth of capability and values of the whole of ITN. With a heritage built on highly creative, fast turnaround and affordable film making.

• End-to-end solution from creative concepts to delivery and distribution
• Production capabilities on any scale, anywhere in the world
• Specialist video brand and channel branding development
• Realtime Studios puts ITN Productions at the forefront of ‘real-time’ branded content production in the UK

Pole Star, a UK-headquartered technology company delivering innovative maritime application solutions, today announced the launch of its new cloud application platform, designed to facilitate the company’s vision to enable a universal maritime ecosystem.

The new Pole Star platform is a highly configurable, extensible and easy-to-use cloud application platform, built upon a powerful, robust and open API, and using enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure. With a wide (and expanding) range of services - from vessel tracking and SSAS management to maritime risk intelligence - all available on one convenient platform, Pole Star is enabling its customers to connect with their ships in a whole new way.

Designed from the ground up to make its users’ jobs easier, save them time and help them achieve their goals, the Pole Star platform allows customers to select and combine services, and access them across devices.

• Modular platform means customers can select and combine services to meet their unique needs
• Integrates trusted data sources including: Jeppesen, Tidetech, IHS, Inmarsat, Airbus, Risk Intelligence and Orbcomm
• New intuitive, modern and responsive user interface
• Accessible on any computer with a compatible browser, no software to download or install
• Accredited, scalable, redundant, and secure cloud-based architecture
• Reliable tracking services and powerful reporting engine
• One convenient platform to manage all of your Pole Star services

“We are immensely proud to unveil the new Pole Star platform,” said Peter Davies, Chief Technology & Marketing Officer at Pole Star. “We’re launching the platform with 3 brand new services:

• Tracking
• SSAS Management
• Risk Insight (a brand new service, incorporating maritime risk intelligence from MaRisk by Risk Intelligence).

“Customers on our new platform can also benefit from programmatic access via our RESTful API,” Peter continues. “Essentially, the Pole Star API gives our customers the freedom to extract, analyse and integrate all of the data that is available to them within Pole Star’s services, allowing them to connect their Pole Star account with their ERP or existing IT systems.”

The launch is the primary phase of a multi-phase migration strategy that will see all Pole Star’s services combined on one platform. Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star told us: “Underpinning everything we’ve developed is our brand new, open API. All of our new services, as well as future applications created by us and our trusted partners, will be developed on this common API. All of these applications leverage one user interface, one code base and one data model to create a single platform for connecting the maritime ecosystem. This is the vision that drives our innovation. To become the 'open platform' for connecting the Internet of Things at sea".

“The Pole Star platform blends the technologies that have enabled Pole Star to become a leader in both the vessel tracking, maritime regulatory compliance and risk management markets,” continued Mr. Longson. “The new capabilities we’ve developed are designed to ensure that our customers can turn their data into the actionable intelligence they need to increase operational efficiency, enable decision making and support compliance.

Pole Star Space Applications announces that it has been awarded a prestigious contract by the US Coast Guard for the provision of LRIT ASP services.

"We are very honoured to have been awarded this contract from the US Coast Guard to provide LRIT ASP services in support of the United States’ National Maritime Domain Awareness Plan and wider National Strategy for Maritime Security program" said Julian Longson, Managing Director at Pole Star.

Pole Star currently provides LRIT services to 47 maritime administrations, including 4 of the 5 largest fleets in the International Maritime Organisation’s LRIT network - those of Panama, Singapore, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands. In securing this contract, Pole Star has added the US Coast Guard to those of Australia, Canada and others that form the backbone of international LRIT data users network.

“It is an honour to be working with the US Coast Guard today and into the future. Our technical teams are working very well together. We look forward to supporting the US Coast Guard’s needs by providing them with robust maritime domain awareness services in today’s challenging maritime environment”, said Nick Salvi Head of Government Sales - North America.

Pole Star's LRIT Data Centre / ASP services

Pole Star operates Data Centres on behalf of over 40 flag administrations, monitoring more than 16,000 ships, including those of Panama, Singapore, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands – the largest fleets in the International Maritime Organisation’s LRIT network.

Flags appointing Pole Star as their Data Centre provider are supported by a professional and committed Authorised Service Provider (ASP) dedicated to the provision of the most sophisticated and technically advanced schedule of LRIT services. Pole Star personnel attend all IMO Maritime Safety Committee meetings and LRIT working groups and are well placed to monitor and implement any amendments relating to LRIT regulation.

As a result of our breadth of experience, Pole Star understands the entire range of managerial, technical and financial compliance measures necessary to enable a flag to meet its international obligations.

Learn more about Pole Star's LRIT Data Centre and ASP services.

In October 2014, SOCAR Trading identified an opportunity to improve and streamline its compliance processes. When it came to sanctions compliance and due diligence for ships, SOCAR identified four key challenges to address and they set out to find and implement a technology solution that would give them the ability to screen ships before a voyage, track ships during their voyages and report on the due diligence performed on-demand, at any time of the day or night.

SOCAR Trading turned to Pole Star's PurpleTRAC screening and sanctions compliance solution. With PurpleTRAC, SOCAR Trading are able to manage sanctions compliance and due diligence throughout the full lifecycle from pre-charter sanctions screening to post-voyage risk analysis.

The benefits that SOCAR Trading has realised from their investment in Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC screening and vessel monitoring solution include more than USD $500,000 worth of savings and the ability to screen a ship in less than 30 seconds.

In this case study, you will learn:

• Challenge: About the challenge SOCAR Trading set itself to implement the latest technology for its vessel compliance programme
• Solution: How and why they chose PurpleTRAC for its vessel compliance programme
• Results: How they are using PurpleTRAC to manage sanctions compliance and due diligence throughout the full lifecycle from pre-charter sanctions screening to post-voyage risk analysis
• Benefits: How SOCAR have saved more than USD $500,000 with PurpleTRAC.

Click here to download the full case study.

About SOCAR Trading

• The biggest supplier of Azeri Light crude oil in the world
• Four main trading offices around the world: London, Geneva, Dubai & Singapore
• More than 190 employees worldwide
• Platts Global Energy Awards Finalist

A new strategic alliance between leading maritime fleet monitoring and risk management solution provider, Pole Star and PwC and is aiming to help organisations involved in international trade to better manage their legal and regulatory obligations.

PwC is working with Pole Star to explore new ways to assist financial services companies involved in maritime trade, including trade finance.

Through access to Pole Star’s sanctions compliance screening and vessel tracking solution, clients can manage their sanction-related risk and compliance issues quickly and easily.

Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC solution screens ships and their associates for sanctions compliance and monitors historical and real-time movements.

Commenting on the alliance, PwC Forensics director Ben Luddington said:

“With 90% of world trade transported by sea, and trade increasingly being used as a mechanism to facilitate financial crime, the need for technology to help solve compliance challenges is more crucial than ever.

“We believe Pole Star’s innovation may help many of our clients tackle their sanction-related risk and compliance issues.”

Pole Star Managing Director Julian Longson said:

“The PwC - Pole Star strategic alliance is a powerful proposition that brings together PwC’s corporate experience and industry knowledge with Pole Star’s maritime intelligence experience and the FinTech innovation of our PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management product.

“Both firms have recognised this unique market position to the extent we believe that the sector will benefit from our collaboration - and to this end we are looking forward to working with the PwC Forensics and Corporate Intelligence teams.”

Follow @PoleStarGlobal

About Pole Star

Pole Star is a privately owned UK technology company that has been providing vessel monitoring, regulatory compliance & risk management services to the shipping industry since 1998. From our headquarters in London, and via a network of offices located at key international hubs, we have earned a reputation as one of the leading providers of remote fleet monitoring, risk management, ship security, Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) and fisheries monitoring services. Find out more at www.polestarglobal.com.

About PurpleTRAC

PurpleTRAC is a comprehensive sanctions compliance screening & vessel tracking solution for organisations that have exposures to shipping and cargoes and need to know (and be able to prove) who, what and where they are trading with at all times.

Developed with and for organisations with exposures to shipping and cargoes, PurpleTRAC automates complex risk management and compliance procedures in an easy-to-use web-based solution. Learn more at purpletrac.polestarglobal.com.

About PwC

At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 208,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting us at www.pwc.com.

PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.