Norwegian weather information services firm StormGeo will purchase compatriot supplier of maritime charts and publications Nautisk from NHST Media Group, the owner of TradeWinds.
The merger will allow StormGeo to integrate routing and weather services with state-of-the-art chart solutions, it said.
StormGeo chief executive Per-Olof Schroeder, said the acquisition is a natural complement to its services as Nautisk “has developed state-of-the-art software for use in planning and navigation.”
An all-in-one platform will allow customers to optimize routing, obtain appropriate charts, and create a voyage plan without switching between disparate systems, he added.
Nautisk chief executive Thomas Fjeld, who will take on a position as vice president planning and navigation within StormGeo post-acquisition said the combination would “provide a solution that has no rival and will drive usability, provide richer functionality, and offer more value.”
Financial details of the transaction which is expected to will close within the next month pending the fulfilment of certain standard conditions were not disclosed.
Nautisk has formed part of NHST Media Group since its inception in 1896. In February it teamed up with Japanese marine electronics manufacturer Furuno on a distribution deal for its digital publication and voyage planning systems that provided revenues of $16m a year.
The company had fallen behind bigger rivals in the last few years as the digital revolution in navigation software had eaten into sales of paper charts.
