NAVTOR Opens US Office
Todd Allen will lead NAVTOR USA Inc. (Photo: NAVTOR)
Tor Svanes, NAVTOR CEO (Photo: NAVTOR)
E-navigation specialist NAVTOR said it has set its sights on the U.S. shipping market with a new office opening in Seattle. The Norwegian business, which has built a global network of facilities since forming in 2011, has, until now, serviced the territory from its Egersund headquarters. However, growing demand Stateside for the firm’s product portfolio has prompted the team to establish NAVTOR USA Inc.
NAVTOR launched its ENC service to market in 2012 and, since then, has built a global client base on the back of its mission of making life simpler for navigators, and safer, more efficient and profitable for ship owners and operators. This latest move comes six months after NAVTOR opened the doors to its first U.K. office.
“There is a growing global understanding of the benefits of our products, and e-navigation in general,” states NAVTOR CEO Tor Svanes. “U.S. ship owners and operators have been very receptive to the way we can enhance operations, slash on-board administration duties and deliver real benefits in efficiency, giving them a competitive advantage in an ever-tighter marketplace.
“We’ve already established a leading position in Europe and a strong market share in Asia. We see that same pattern developing in the U.S., where we’ve been making significant inroads in the cruise segment by demonstrating the true potential of seamless, safe and accountable e-navigation. It’s now time for the next phase – capitalizing on that while building a truly global presence for NAVTOR.”
The new office opened this month in Seattle’s central business district. City native Todd Allen, who has worked as U.S. Area Sales Manager for NAVTOR from Norway since 2016, will drive the growth. Aside from establishing operations he will push proprietary products including NavStation, the world’s first digital chart table, and NavBox, which automatically downloads, distributes and updates all vessel navigational charts and publications.
“Working from our head office I witnessed increasing demand for NAVTOR’s solutions here in the U.S.,” Allen said. “It is an advanced market and open to innovations – especially those that deliver tangible benefits in terms of safety, compliance, efficiency and overall business performance.
“We are primed to take advantage of the massive potential we see here, and look forward to helping our clients plot the optimal course forward for their future operations.”
Aside from its new offices in the U.S. and U.K., NAVTOR also has bases in Singapore, Japan, Sweden and Russia.
The firm, which launched the first ever Pay As You Sail ENC service in 2012, boasts a wide range of customers across all shipping sectors. One of its latest contracts saw Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCC) sign up to install ENCs, digital publications and the NavBox solution across its entire corporate fleet.
