11 July 2024
Under the Radar: How are legacy firms in the maritime industry tapping the startup ecosystem for future growth – Wilhemsen sheds light on the matter.
Tapping emerging opportunities in the maritime industry – that is what we’re going to talk about today.
Founded in Norway in 1861, our guest is the corporate investment arm of Wilhelmsen. Wilhelmsen, for context, has one of the world’s largest maritime networks on call 24/7 to provide essential products and services to the merchant fleet.
With thousands of employees spread across close to 60 countries, the company is said to supply crew and technical management to the largest and most complex vessels ever to sail.
But perhaps what is more exciting about this century old global maritime industry group is how it is leveraging the startup ecosystem to sieve out new opportunities and pockets of growth.
For one thing, Wilhelmsen came up with a joint venture with German engineering firm thyssenkrupp called Pelagus 3D to use 3D printing technologies to make custom, standard and obsolete spare parts on-demand.
The question is – how far will corporate venture initiatives help position the firm for future, and ride the wave of the transforming maritime industry?
Meanwhile, Singapore had in 2021 set out its ambitions to make the country the Silicon Valley of maritime technology, raising its 2025 target for the number of maritime startups up from 100 to 150.
So what opportunities does the geographical market present for old-timers and legacy firms like Wilhelmsen?
On Under the Radar, The Evening Runway’s finance presenter Chua Tian Tian posed these questions to Nakul Malhotra, Vice President, Emerging Opportunities Portfolio, Maritime Services, Wilhelmsen.

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