Business Wire

Maana and Aramco Trading Company Launch AI Application to Optimize Maritime Fleet and Shipping Operations

2.3.2021 17:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release

Share

Aramco Trading Company (ATC) and Maana today announced the launch of Fanar, the first Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven maritime fleet optimization application on Microsoft Azure purpose-built for the oil and gas industry.

Fanar combines the expertise of ATC and the Maana Q knowledge technology. It unifies maritime fleet optimization, planning, management and shipment scheduling on a single platform. The application:

  • systematically integrates all data sources, constraints, and business rules
  • automatically optimizes schedules across the fleet with a single click
  • rapidly processes “what if” scenarios for better insights
  • dynamically incorporates historic performance to generate new predictions

Fanar has been tested daily by ATC since June 2020.

“Collaboration between Maana and Microsoft helps us, through Fanar, to drive down costs,” said Ibrahim Q. Al Buainain, President and CEO of Aramco Trading Company. “Fanar enables us to optimize all local decisions across our maritime shipping and logistics workflows.”

Based on any given a set of cargoes and fleet of vessels, Fanar can determine how to ship the cargo in a way that minimizes cost, optimizes fleet utilization and maximizes business value. It continuously computes dynamic criteria such as vessel locations and actuals; terminals and ports status and congestion; bunkering locations, costs and quality; vessel cleaning; time and spot chartering costs; weather; risk of piracy, terrorism or war; risk of labor and social unrest resulting in closures; epidemics; shipping routes; canal fees; charter party specifications; Contracts of Affreightment (COA); commodity prices; special considerations; business rules and more.

“Under the hood of Fanar is the digital twin of ATC’s global maritime operations,” said Babur Ozden, founder and CEO of Maana. “It is the largest digital twin in the world on Microsoft Azure for global maritime shipments of oil and gas, holding the history, present state and future simulations of billions of barrels of petroleum products, thousands of voyages and vessels.”

“Maana is a founding technology member of Energy Core, a global Microsoft initiative dedicated to digital transformation in the energy sector, through the power of artificial intelligence and cloud technologies,” said Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice President of Energy at Microsoft. “Fanar is a great example of how Maana and ATC are using Microsoft Azure for supply chain optimization.”

The Fanar application is available to Azure customers. For more information, please contact Fanar@maana.io

About Aramco Trading Company

Aramco Trading Company (ATC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Aramco and is responsible for handling Saudi Aramco’s domestic and international supplies to worldwide markets. ATC’s mission is to integrate Saudi Aramco’s global Downstream assets to maximize profitability while ensuring Saudi Aramco’s systems are optimized and reliably balanced.

About Maana

Maana organizes human expertise, enterprise knowhow and industrial data into digital knowledge to assist subject matter experts at critical operation affecting the global economy.

To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.

Contact information

Mandi Browning
mandi@maana.io

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Fi Expands International Footprint to 38 Countries Worldwide2.6.2026 20:25:00 EEST | Press release

Fi, the leader in smart pet technology, today announced a major international expansion, bringing its AI-powered GPS pet wearables and connectivity network to 38 countries across North America and Europe. Fi devices are now available for purchase in 29 markets, including newly added countries such as Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, and Latvia. Through Fi's international connectivity network, customers can also use Fi in Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Turkey, bringing Fi's total coverage footprint to 38 countries. The expansion reflects growing demand from pet owners who want reliable connectivity and health insights, whether they're at home or traveling abroad. "Wherever your pet roams, Fi should work," said Jonathan Bensamoun, Founder and CEO of Fi. "As more pet owners travel internationally and expect seamless connectivity, we're expanding Fi's footprint to help them stay connected to their pets across more of Europe a

XFolio AI Acquires Absolute Payment Solutions to Unify Treasury and Payments for UK Corporates2.6.2026 20:16:00 EEST | Press release

XFolio AI (xfolio.ai), a Paris-based treasury and cash management technology group, has acquired Absolute Payment Solutions (APS) (https://www.absolutepayments.com/), one of a select number of Pay.UK-accredited Bacs service providers in the UK. This acquisition creates an integrated platform spanning Bacs and all payment types, open banking, risk management, and treasury—giving UK corporates of all sizes the tools to manage cash and execute payments in one place. APS’s Bacs accreditation underpins payment services relied upon daily by organisations across both the public and private sectors, from SMEs running payroll and direct debit collections to large corporates processing high-volume payment flows. While enterprise payment platforms often demand significant scale and budget, and lighter solutions trade capability for speed of setup, APS and XFolio together deliver accredited Bacs infrastructure combined with advanced treasury intelligence across SWIFT, API, H2H, and EBICS rails—wit

Amazfit Introduces a New Era of Hybrid Training with Balance 3 and Balance Ultra2.6.2026 20:00:00 EEST | Press release

Amazfit, a leading global smart wearable brand owned by Zepp Health, today unveiled the Amazfit Balance 3 and Amazfit Balance Ultra, the newest additions to the Balance series and the hero watches for Amazfit’s new Hybrid Training System, connecting performance tracking with intelligent training guidance through the Zepp App. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602329170/en/ Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people balancing strength, endurance, recovery, work, stress, and daily life. The devices serve as the engine layer of the connected Hybrid Training ecosystem, capturing how users train, recover, and respond over time. The products were unveiled at a launch event in New York during a panel hosted by leading voices from the fitness and HYROX community. Built around how modern athletes train today, Balance 3 and Balance Ultra are designed for people bal

Mouser's Rise of the Robots Program Explores Humanoid Design Considerations2.6.2026 18:19:00 EEST | Press release

Mouser Electronics, Inc., the authorized global distributor with the newest electronic components and industrial automation products, today announced the latest installment of its Empowering Innovation Together (EIT) technology series, Rise of the Robots, which explores key technologies behind humanoid robots and their potential for transformation. The series shares how these robots have progressed from simple machinery to critical tools used in caregiving, industrial automation, education, and even in the harshest environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602293561/en/ The latest EIT installment explores the engineering design process, system integration challenges, and the role of legacy infrastructure, safety, and ROI in shaping scalable humanoid robot deployment. While science fiction has long envisioned robots resembling humans, recent advances in sensing, actuation, AI, embedded computing, and pow

Blue Cloud Ventures Announces Final Close of Blue Cloud Ventures V2.6.2026 17:35:00 EEST | Press release

Blue Cloud Ventures (BCV), a venture growth firm focused on investing in enterprise software companies, announced the final close of its fifth fund, Blue Cloud Ventures V (BCV V). This milestone reinforces the firm’s continued mission to back category-defining companies that are poised to thrive in the age of AI. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260602186634/en/ At the core of BCV’s strategy is building deep conviction in and backing companies that possess the potential to define or reshape entire industries. With BCV V, the firm is doubling down on its AI-first investment thesis, aiming to back and support visionary teams on their long-term growth journey as they build the systems that will serve as the backbone of the modern enterprise. Blue Cloud typically invests between $10 and $30 million as a lead, co-lead, or co-investor. Beyond support with strategy, recruiting, and customer introductions, the firm pro

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye