Marlink has acquired Palantir, a Norway-based maritime Information Technology (IT) company specializing in remote IT management solutions. The two companies completed the share purchase agreement whereby Marlink acquired 100 percent of Palantir shares on March 17.

Palantir provides IT managers on shore with access to individual vessels or entire fleets for remote support and management of on board IT networks. Marlink and Palantir already enjoy a close working relationship through a strategic partnership agreement started in September 2014, which has enabled Marlink to deliver integrated IT management services to its Sealink multi-band communications service customers, including Stolt Tankers and CMA CGM.

Palantir’s maritime IT solutions enable ship owners and operators to improve fleet efficiency whilst reducing maintenance costs through standardization, automation and remote management. Palantir currently manages the KeepUp@Sea IT service, which monitors all IT networks on board a vessel and across a fleet, providing savings by enabling IT staff on shore to detect and address issues remotely. According to Palantir, KeepUp@Sea is the ideal complement to Marlink’s Sealink multi-band communications services. It has enabled Marlink to expand its offering to shipping companies, providing fleet-wide control of IT network changes and upgrades from shore. The system delivers more IT network uptime on board, opening availability for diverse “smart shipping” applications.

“Working as part of the same organization, we bring the ability for Marlink to support the shipping industry with both the satcom and IT side, ensuring that the availability of networks on board matches the reliability of the link between ship and shore,” said Arvid Dregelid, Palantir president.