Busan-based maritime startup MarinaChain has earned recognition for its artificial intelligence (AI) technology at one of the world’s leading shipbuilding and maritime industry exhibitions. The company took first place in the Maritime Digital Startup Pitch at SMM Hamburg 2026 with its industry-specific AI technology, which leverages maritime data to support a range of tasks from carbon compliance to vessel valuation.

MarinaChain announced on September 23 that it took first place in the Maritime Digital Startup Pitch at SMM Hamburg 2026, held from September 1 to 4 in Hamburg, Germany. SMM is a major international exhibition that brings together shipyards, shipping companies, maritime equipment manufacturers, and technology providers from around the world.

Originally founded in Singapore, MarinaChain relocated its headquarters to Busan, South Korea. The company began by developing blockchain and carbon compliance solutions and has since accumulated extensive maritime data, using it as a foundation to expand into AI solutions tailored to the needs of the maritime industry.

During the pitch, MarinaChain demonstrated its ability to address specific challenges facing the maritime industry, as well as the practical applicability of its technology and its potential for growth in global markets. The presentation highlighted the company’s business direction and technological capabilities.

The maritime industry generates vast amounts of data related to vessel operations, carbon emissions, and vessel assets. However, data formats vary across vessels and departments, while information is often scattered across multiple sources. As a result, significant time and resources are required to collect and utilize this data for actual business operations.

Environmental and safety regulations are also becoming increasingly stringent, particularly under the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU). This has led to a growing volume of regulations and technical documents that shipping companies and shipyards must review. In areas such as ship finance and vessel transactions, companies must also rapidly analyze a wide range of market data and vessel information, increasing the need for specialized AI solutions built around an understanding of the maritime industry.

Rather than simply applying general-purpose AI to maritime operations, MarinaChain is developing industry-specific AI workflows that incorporate the maritime industry’s data structures, business processes, specialized terminology, and decision-making processes. These solutions support specialized tasks such as regulatory research and impact analysis, extracting key information from complex documents, and analyzing vessel and market data.

The company is also focused on transforming data into actionable information that can support real-world business decisions, rather than simply storing and retrieving data. The goal is to use AI to streamline time-consuming tasks such as data collection, comparison, and review while keeping final decision-making in the hands of industry professionals.

MarinaChain also analyzes daily vessel operation reports, known as noon reports, to calculate carbon emissions and estimate the amount of carbon allowances required. According to the company, more than 70% of Korean vessels calling at European ports are using MarinaChain’s solutions to address European carbon regulations.

More recently, MarinaChain has expanded its business into vessel asset valuation by leveraging its accumulated maritime data. Its solutions analyze estimated vessel transaction prices and provide information that can support decisions regarding the timing of vessel sales or chartering.

Following its recognition at SMM Hamburg 2026, MarinaChain plans to expand cooperation with overseas shipping companies, shipyards, and financial institutions, particularly in Europe.

A MarinaChain representative said, “The maritime industry has been relatively slow to adopt AI and data-driven technologies compared with other industries, partly because many companies have long operating histories. This makes it particularly important to proactively develop AI technologies tailored to the maritime sector. We believe there is meaningful value in growing as a company that leads the AI transformation of the maritime industry from Busan, the maritime capital of South Korea.”

Source : https://www.busan.com/view/busan/view.php?code=2026092317232508311