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The Challenge: Rising Risks in a Changing Maritime Landscape
The shipping industry faces growing challenges, from machinery failures and human error to the complexities of adopting new, low-emission fuels. These issues contribute to an estimated $1.6 billion in annual losses. Traditional risk systems are reactive, fragmented, and lack real-time insight. Without effective data integration, companies remain blind to looming safety and environmental hazards.
The Solution: Magpie – HiLo’s AI-Powered Risk Management Platform
HiLo, a trusted analytics partner to over 60 shipping companies, is developing Magpie, an AI-driven maritime risk platform. Using machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), Magpie aggregates internal and external data to provide real-time risk assessments, alerting shipowners before costly incidents occur. The system uniquely supports risk mitigation for both conventional and emerging fuels like methanol and ammonia.
Key Innovations
- Real-time risk prediction using proprietary datasets, vessel telemetry, and weather analytics.
- Direct industry integration, unlike other platforms, giving HiLo access to higher-quality data.
- Customisable alerts and dashboards that enable actionable insights for operators, insurers, and regulators.
With early partners including Gaslog and Stolt Tankers, Magpie is tailored for wide-scale adoption and aligns with decarbonisation targets.
Market Opportunity & Industry Impact
Magpie enters a booming $157B maritime tech market, forecast to triple by 2031. Its value lies in preventing accidents, improving underwriting accuracy, and enhancing compliance. HiLo’s platform is scalable across commercial fleets, insurance providers, and port authorities, strengthening the UK’s role in smart shipping innovation.
R&D Support: Accelerating a Safer Future
Development of Magpie’s predictive engine required significant R&D investment. Innovate UK funding, secured with GrantUp’s support, accelerated delivery by nearly two years, de-risked the build, and enabled critical hires. Without this support, Magpie’s launch would have been delayed, reducing impact and competitiveness.
The Future: Real-Time Intelligence, Global Impact
HiLo’s Magpie is more than a tech upgrade, it’s a safety revolution. By combining AI with deep maritime expertise, HiLo is making real-time, predictive risk management a standard in global shipping. With public funding, private backing, and market demand, HiLo is helping future-proof fleets and ensure safer, more sustainable seas.