PRESS RELEASE: Lloyd’s Register (LR) adds its support to theDOCK, a first of its kind innovation hub in Israel focusing on fostering maritime innovation Having recently raised a micro-fund, and with the support of companies such as Maersk, theDOCK operates a start-ups’ acceleration program which offers to its portfolio start-ups seed investment, incubation and mentorship services and most importantly, go-to-market acceleration. Lloyd’s Register (LR), a leading international provider of classification, compliance and consultancy services to the marine and offshore industries, is the most recent global maritime sector leader to join theDOCK Innovation Hub with the objective of harnessing Israel’s technology and innovation ecosystem to benefit the global maritime sector.
Since September 2017, Lloyd’s Register has been developing its presence in Israel to encourage local technology partners to collaborate with its’ global digital innovation programme effort. Ran Merkazy, LR Group’s Vice President of Product & Services Innovation, explains that “Israel, although it has a lot to offer in areas such as Cyber, UAV’s, Vision Analytics, IoT, Autonomous Vehicles and more, has not focused on the Marine industry as a key innovation area. theDOCK Innovation Hub, represents the early signs of a new innovation avenue for the local ecosystem. LR would like to support this fully.”
Through its activities, theDOCK has managed to bring international maritime corporations to look for innovation in Israel – the Startup Nation. As with the automotive industry, Israel has a lot to offer in terms of technologies for the smart port, smart logistics and smart maritime sectors. LR is the first global classification society to identify this vast potential and harness Israel’s vibrant innovation ecosystem for the marine and shipping industry.
“We are excited to partner with a global classification organization such as Lloyd’s Register. Start-ups have the opportunity to accelerate go-to-market through this partnership, while LR would benefit from the possibility to become an early adopter of their innovation,” said Hannan Carmeli, CEO of theDOCK Innovation Hub. “theDOCK is committed to seek the support of a multitude of sub-sector leaders of the overall maritime domain. These include shipping companies, class societies, bridge system manufacturers, terminal operators and others. We expect innovation over the coming years to focus on breaking the walls between such sub-sector in order to improve overall efficiencies for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
