Greywing's Voyage of Innovation in Maritime Tech

Nabarun Chakraborty & Annette George·Aug 13, 2026·3 min read

Greywing maritime tech startup: crew change, carbon tracking, AI chatbot SeaGPT and Proteus

Greywing's SeaGPT tackles "email overwhelm" for crew managers, showing the potential of AI.
Greywing redirected maritime security solutions to focus on streamlining crew changes due to the challenges created by COVID-19.
They offer a suite of tools beyond crew changes and are committed to sustainability, as seen with their carbon emissions tracking tool solution.

Greywing aims to empower ship operators with actionable intelligence through data and automation.

Founded in 2019 by Nick Clarke and Hrishi Olickel, Singapore-based Greywing is now a staple in the maritime industry.

It was created with vessel operators in mind to help lessen their work while preparing for a voyage.

Altering Their Course From Security to Crew Changes

In the first leg of their journey, Greywing focused on connecting with clients with maritime security solutions through a marketplace platform.

The onset of COVID-19, however, forced a change in their course, presenting them with a new challenge. With travel restrictions, crew changes had become increasingly difficult; Greywing had to "come about" to design solutions to streamline crew changes.

The Greywing Crew Change was the flagship product created in response, allowing operators to plan and execute crew changes in under 60 seconds. It integrates data on flight availability, port information, and crew information, inevitably optimizing the process and reducing costs.

Their hard work resulted in Greywing facilitating crew changes for over 25,000 seafarers and earning them recognition within their industry.

Today Greywing offers its customers a range of products, which include:

Flotilla: A tool to monitor vessels that allows fleet managers to identify patterns, enhance operations, and reduce risk.
CRY4: An operational tool designed for individual vessels to assist crew managers in planning safe and cost-effective routes.
Landfall: A crew management and analysis system for risk reporting and detailed crew information.
Semaphore: A port-agent communication tool simplifying communication with port agents during port calls.

Following their success with the Crew Changes, Greywing launched a carbon emissions tracking tool in October 2021.

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It takes data like the current locations of individual members, their home ports, and potential routing changes, allowing ship operators to estimate the environmental impact of crew changes before finalizing arrangements.

Olickel added that Greywing aims to “move from idle information reporting, which is where the industry currently sits, to real-time decision-making and on to predictive alerts,” which is why the startup built its carbon emissions and crew change tools.

Nothing But Clear Skies

In 2021 Greywing partnered with Dataloy Systems to promote a more integrated and transparent ecosystem.

Greywing also secured seed funding of $2.5 million from investors like Flexport, Y Combinator, and Entrepreneur First in that year.

“Ultimately, this round of funding will help us use Greywing’s solution to spark a movement within the shipping industry so we can tackle 1% of global carbon emissions that would otherwise go untouched,” said Clarke.

In 2022, along with S5 Agency World, Greywing offered a routing tool that enables pinpointing exactly where crew changes are taking place given their current voyage plan.

In 2023, Greywing launched its AI chatbot, SeaGPT. Designed to streamline crew changes, it tackles the challenge of "email overwhelm" that crew managers face.

SeaGPT simplifies communication by automating emails, translating languages, and extracting information like costs and regulations. This allows crew managers to gather crucial details for crew changes more efficiently.

Full Sail Ahead

The recent advancements in AI, exemplified by Greywing's evolution from SeaGPT to Proteus (as of 2024), emphasize the potential of this technology in the industry.

Proteus demonstrates the ability to interpret unstructured data like emails and manuals, which paves the way for further AI applications within the maritime sector.

Greywing's solutions are a prime example of how generative AI is anchoring down in shipping, leading towards a more streamlined and data-driven future for the industry.