Chilean owner Ultranav is investing in a Belgian maritime autonomy tech startup looking to unlock the potential of unmanned vessels.
The Mechelen tech company has secured seed funding led by US venture firm Pirque and Ultranav along with a group of business angel investors.
MAHI has developed a hardware-enabled software solution that tackles situational awareness and autonomous decision-making challenges encountered by unmanned surface vessels (USVs), integrators and manned vessels.
Since its incorporation in February 2022, the company has delivered its products to the UK Ministry of Defence, DEME, USM’s Roger F. Wicker Center for Ocean Enterprise and autonomous surface vehicle maker Seasats.
“This investment will enable MAHI to staff the R&D team further and add salespeople to follow the increase in customer accounts. We seek talented people to bring the company to the next level,” said Pieter-Jan Note, CEO of MAHI.
The investment by Ultranav, which together with its subsidiaries counts a diversified fleet of over 400 ships, sees Per Lange, CEO of Ultranav International, joining MAHI’s board.
“To improve maritime safety and reduce emissions, the maritime industry needs to implement new and innovative technologies. MAHI is a perfect example of how startups can help shipping companies drive this change,” said Lange, adding: “The management team at MAHI is committed to high ethical standards which match those of Ultranav, and I’m looking forward to working with them in the future on our mutual pilot project on Ultranav vessels.”
