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Pole Star expands regional centre in Panama

Pole Star expands regional centre in Panama
Pole Star is expanding its third regional centre as the hub for its operations in the Americas in Panama, adding to those of London and Hong Kong.

"Panama provides us with an opportunity to expand our operations in the Americas and to continue to provide customer support 24/7 to our clients around the world,” Pole Star ceo Andrew Peters told Seatrade Global.  Peters, appointed in that position six months ago after a career in telecoms, was accompanying Alderman Roger Gifford, Lord Mayor of the City of London on a visit to Latin America.

Pole Star made its initial investment in Panama, following the merger with Absolute Maritime in October 2011, bringing together two leaders in the Long range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) of vessels business.

Pole Star operates LRIT data centres for 47 maritime administrations and ship registries including four of the top five flags: Panama, Liberia, Marshall Islands and Singapore. The Panama Ship Registry is the world’s largest register with over 8,100 vessels.

Headquartered in London, Pole Star is a provider of fleet management, ship security and vessel monitoring systems to the maritime industry. Pole Star was largely present in Europe and Asia but not in the Americas until the merger with Absolute Maritime. 

As Pole Star's regional centre for the Americas, Panama offers a platform for the company to continue growing its market share. Over 40,000 vessels or half the world's shipping fleet depend on the company's maritime safety and security solutions. In addition Panama will serve as a complement to its sister-centres in London and Hong Kong, Peters said.

Pole Star also operates two maritime technology innovation centres in London and Boston that have been developing a “new generation of products which will be launched in Asia late 2013,” Peters explained.  “These products will bring new technology to commercial shipping with new satellite equipment and new software to enhance our renowned safety, security and efficiency services,” he added.