Wilson Sons invests in Argonáutica, a Brazilian startup that developed an innovative ‘dynamic draft’ technology

With over 180 years of operations in Brazil, Wilson Sons acquired a minority interest in Argonáutica Engenharia e Pesquisas, a Brazilian startup that has developed ReDraft, which calculates dynamic under keel clearance based on vessel and waterway characteristics, considering the environmental conditions during manoeuvres, and MeDuSa, which optimises berthing and quay operations for greater ship mooring predictability and safety, especially in ship-to-ship operations.

With the financial support, the first of its kind received by the startup in its history, Argonáutica plans on scaling up its products and business by capitalising on Wilson Sons’ expertise in the national maritime and port industry. The funds, combined with Wilson Sons’ more active cooperation with the company’s daily routine, will support Argonáutica’s activities, enabling even greater agility in the development of new digital products, in addition to ReDraft and MeDuSa, already known in the national market.

“The investments in Argonáutica are part of Wilson Son’s digital strategy of engaging with Brazilian and foreign innovative companies, while spurring the use of new technologies to increase the efficiency of maritime and port infrastructure”, said Eduardo Valença, digital transformation director at Wilson Sons.

Through the dynamic draft system, Argonáutica enables, for example, the berthing and unberthing of larger ships carrying large volumes of cargo, taking advantage of the tide, wind and current windows in a dynamic and timely manner. Thus, in addition to greater productivity and financial gains, fuel consumption may potentially drop, with positive effects on the environment for more sustainable port operations.

“Real-time draft monitoring optimises operations, determines the maximum safe vessel draft according to applicable regulations, delivering safer and more sustainable shipping operations. It is a win-win scenario for the logistic chain, boosting competitiveness and contributing to the economic development of Brazil,” said Argonáutica co-founder Guilherme Rosetti.

Based in São Paulo and with more than 180 projects implemented, Argonáutica was founded by four naval engineering PhDs from the University of São Paulo (USP). The business partners are Felipe Ruggeri, Guilherme Feitosa Rosetti, Rafael de Andrade Watai and Rodrigo Sauri Lavieri. In addition to new solutions for activities such as ReDraft, in operation at the ports of Santos (SP), Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Suape (PE), Porto do Açu (RJ) and Portocel (ES), the company is also in the oil and gas industry.

“Wilson Sons’ investment is a significant milestone for Argonáutica. It symbolises an important move not only because of its presence in the most relevant ports and terminals in Brazil, but also because of the Group’s vast experience in the maritime and port industry. Argonáutica has been acquiring solid skills in the development of maritime and engineering technologies, with port industry clients in Brazil and abroad. We will combine this expertise with the skills of Wilson Sons to expand the robustness and scale of off-the-shelf products and speed up the launch of new products”, said Rosetti.

Wilson Sons’ investments in Argonáutica are part of the company’s strategy to foster entrepreneurship and innovation, to invest in efficiency gains and explore untapped markets.

These actions show the importance of startups and new technologies in the maritime and port industry. More and more startups using artificial intelligence, twin digital, IoT, and other technologies are expected to become relevant in generating value throughout the chain. Therefore, investments in these solutions are important for the future of any company wishing to keep up to date.
Source: Wilson Sons