Propulsion Dynamics
Propulsion Dynamics operates the CASPER digital twin platform, providing subscription-based hydrodynamic ship performance analysis to ship owners, operators, charterers, and tonnage owners across tanker, bulker, containership, and other merchant vessel segments globally. Founded 2002; acquired by ZeroNorth in 2021.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLong Beach, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Propulsion Dynamics does
Propulsion Dynamics Inc. is a maritime technology company that operates the CASPER (Computerized Analysis of Ship Performance) digital twin platform, providing full-scale hydrodynamic analysis of vessel performance for ship owners, operators, charterers, and tonnage owners worldwide. The firm's core technology applies theoretical and empirical hydrodynamic algorithms to daily Speed-Power-RPM-Weather data, calculating speed through water independently of GPS or speed logs, applying heavy weather corrections across sea states BF0-BF7, and isolating performance losses attributable to engine, hull, and propeller conditions. The benchmarking database spans 800+ ship models and 6,000+ ship-years of validated operational data accumulated since the service launched in 2001.
The company sells CASPER as a subscription-based SaaS requiring no onboard hardware or software installation; data is ingested via email, APIs, or Veslink integrations. Supporting product lines include CASPER Reports (sea trial analysis, dry dock analysis, trim optimization, charter party validation), ShipFOC metadata for charterer 'snoop-vetting', and Dynamic Fuel Tables updated daily with noon reports. Customers span tanker, bulker, containership, LPG, RoRo/PCTC, and ConRo vessel segments, served through regional sales teams in Long Beach (Americas & Asia) and Copenhagen (Europe & Middle East).
Founded in 2002 by naval architect Torben Munk, the company was acquired by Copenhagen-based ZeroNorth in September 2021 and now operates as a subsidiary focused on fuel optimisation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; pricing is quote-based and varies with fleet size and vessel mix. The firm participates in industry standards bodies including IMO working groups and Intertanko's Performance Monitoring Working Group, and holds CASPER as a registered trademark.
Propulsion Dynamics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Propulsion Dynamics
- Legal name
- Propulsion Dynamics Inc.
- Website
- https://propulsiondynamics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Propulsion Dynamics operates the CASPER digital twin platform, providing subscription-based hydrodynamic ship performance analysis to ship owners, operators, charterers, and tonnage owners across tanker, bulker, containership, and other merchant vessel segments globally. Founded 2002; acquired by ZeroNorth in 2021.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Propulsion Dynamics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Performance Software
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering) (IMAJAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Propulsion, Power & Energy Systems Design (Diesel, Hybrid, Electric, Alternative Fuels) (IMAJAGAE)
Keywords
Where Propulsion Dynamics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Long Beach
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Propulsion Dynamics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- CASPER Subscription Service: Subscription-based SaaS model for ship performance analysis and monitoring. No CapEx, hardware, or software required on client vessels. Services include data management, analysis, benchmarking, and recommendations. Clients pay recurring fees for access to the CASPER Operations platform and reports.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription for ship owners and operators |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Propulsion Dynamics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Propulsion Dynamics operates the CASPER (Computerized Analysis of Ship Performance) Operations platform, a proprietary full-scale Digital Twin hydrodynamic model that calculates speed through water, fuel consumption, and resistance for ocean-going vessels. The service delivers daily Speed-Power-RPM-Weather analysis, hull and propeller fouling assessments, trim optimization, drydock analysis, sea trial analysis, and charter party validation without requiring any onboard hardware or software installations.
Product overview
Propulsion Dynamics offers a unified CASPER Operations platform centered on Digital Twin hydrodynamic analysis for vessel performance optimization. The core CASPER platform provides full-scale ship performance analysis including speed calculations, heavy weather corrections, and hydrodynamic algorithms. Supporting modules include CASPER Reports (sea trial analysis, dry dock analysis, trim optimization, charter party validation), ShipFOC meta-data service for charterers, and Dynamic Fuel Tables. The system analyzes Speed-Power-RPM-Weather data using a grey-box approach combining artificial intelligence with naval architecture expertise, requiring no additional hardware or software onboard vessels. Founded in 2002, the company was acquired by ZeroNorth in 2021.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CASPER: Computerized Analysis of Ship Performance - the company's core digital twin hydrodynamic analysis platform for vessel performance optimization. CASPER is a Registered Trademark of Propulsion Dynamics Inc.
- ShipFOC
Products and services
- CASPER Operations Platform Full-scale Digital Twin hydrodynamic platform providing vessel performance analysis including speed through water calculations, heavy weather corrections (BF0-BF7), and hydrodynamic algorithms for hull and propeller roughness/fouling impact analysis. Targets ship owners, operators, charterers, and tonnage owners of ocean-going vessels.
- CASPER Reports Performance analysis reports providing speed and fuel penalty calculations due to hull and propeller fouling, comparing against clean smooth hull and sea trial data. Includes Sea Trial Analysis, Dry Dock Analysis, and Charter Party validation for ship owners, operators and charterers.
- ShipFOC Speed-Fuel meta-data product providing fuel performance estimates for vessels based on IMO number and docking date for any weather, displacement and future date. Used by charterers for snoop-vetting of ships and by maritime platforms for metadata enrichment.
- Commercial Performance Optimization Services Service offering extending CASPER's technical performance capabilities into commercial performance optimization tools for tankers and bulkers, enabling commercial departments to leverage speed-fuel benchmarking and competitive assessment.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ships enrolled in CASPER program significantly improved fuel efficiency within first year of enrollment
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Propulsion Dynamics
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Propulsion Dynamics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability3 records
Feature4 records
Propulsion Dynamics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ZeroNorthcoreZeroNorth, a maritime technology company, acquired Propulsion Dynamics Inc. in September 2021. The acquisition marks ZeroNorth's entry into the fuel optimisation market and makes ZeroNorth a forerunner of vessel performance optimisation. Propulsion Dynamics brings unrivaled insight on vessel hydrodynamics and fuel consumption. Founded in 2002, Propulsion Dynamics was the first company to offer full-scale digital twin ship performance analysis through its CASPER service.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Propulsion Dynamics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Wärtsilä SmartShip: Wärtsilä is a broad marine systems incumbent offering engines, propulsion, and the SmartShip digital platform for fleet optimisation. Its vessel performance and fuel efficiency modules overlap with CASPER, but Wärtsilä bundles performance analytics with the underlying engine and propulsion hardware, whereas Propulsion Dynamics is software-only and vendor-agnostic.
- ABB Marine & Ports: ABB offers marine digital solutions including the OCTOPUS suite for vessel performance and energy management. Like Propulsion Dynamics, ABB analyses speed-power-fuel relationships to optimise propulsion, but ABB bundles these capabilities with its own electric and hybrid propulsion hardware rather than selling software independently to ship owners.
- Kongsberg Digital: Kongsberg Digital offers maritime digital solutions including Vessel Insight (data infrastructure) and fleet performance applications for shipowners. It overlaps with CASPER in collecting and analysing vessel operational data, but Kongsberg Digital positions itself as a broader vessel data platform infrastructure layer while Propulsion Dynamics focuses on hydrodynamic performance interpretation.
- Lloyd's Register (iDMSS / FOCAS): Lloyd's Register offers vessel performance and hull condition monitoring services including FOCAS condition-based maintenance and iDMSS data services. The companies overlap in hull performance, fouling, and fuel efficiency analytics for ship operators, with LR's class society role and global fleet coverage creating a competing data and benchmarking alternative to CASPER.
- DNV (Veracity / Fleet Analytics): DNV is a maritime class society offering vessel performance services including hull and propeller efficiency analytics through its Veracity data platform. DNV's regulatory authority and broader fleet data provide comparable benchmarking functionality to CASPER, and as a class society DNV has structural advantages in regulatory-driven CII/EEXI compliance analytics.
Emerging players
- RightShip: RightShip provides maritime sustainability and vessel risk analytics including the GHG Emissions Rating that influences charterer decisions. Its ship vetting and emissions benchmarking functionality overlaps with CASPER's ShipFOC snoop-vetting and fuel performance assessment capabilities, and RightShip reaches many of the same charterer buyer personas that Propulsion Dynamics targets.
Direct peers
- BMT Group: BMT Group is a maritime engineering consultancy and technology provider offering ship design, hydrodynamic analysis, and vessel performance services. The companies compete in naval architecture consulting and ship performance modelling, with BMT's Smart Ship programme and vessel efficiency tools directly comparable to CASPER's hydrodynamic modelling capability.
- StormGeo: StormGeo is a direct competitor offering voyage optimisation, weather routing, and vessel performance monitoring for the commercial shipping industry. Both companies sell subscription-based performance analytics to ship owners/operators and compete for the same procurement budget within the maritime C-suite, with StormGeo having a broader weather and routing portfolio while Propulsion Dynamics is more specialised in hydrodynamic hull/propeller analysis.
- Veson Nautical (IMOS Platform): Veson Nautical provides the IMOS platform for voyage, vessel, and commercial operations management in shipping. Both companies serve the same shipping enterprise buyer with SaaS tools for performance and commercial decision-making, and Veson's performance reporting modules compete with CASPER's charter party validation and bunker analysis features.
Others
- Clarksons Research (Clarksons Shipping Intelligence Network): Clarksons Research provides shipping market intelligence, vessel data, and performance benchmarks through the SIN database used widely by charterers and shipowners. While not a direct performance software competitor, Clarksons' benchmark datasets and ship-specific performance data overlap with the analytical outputs of CASPER for commercial and charterer decision-making.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Propulsion Dynamics social profiles
Digital presencePropulsion Dynamics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Propulsion Dynamics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Propulsion Dynamics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Propulsion Dynamics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Propulsion Dynamics
What does Propulsion Dynamics do?
Propulsion Dynamics operates the CASPER (Computerized Analysis of Ship Performance) Operations platform, a proprietary full-scale Digital Twin hydrodynamic model that calculates speed through water, fuel consumption, and resistance for ocean-going vessels. The service delivers daily Speed-Power-RPM-Weather analysis, hull and propeller fouling assessments, trim optimization, drydock analysis, sea trial analysis, and charter party validation without requiring any onboard hardware or software installations.
Is Propulsion Dynamics a public or private company?
Propulsion Dynamics is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Propulsion Dynamics founded?
Propulsion Dynamics was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Propulsion Dynamics based?
Propulsion Dynamics is headquartered in Long Beach, United States, in the North America region.
How does Propulsion Dynamics make money?
One revenue line is on record: CASPER Subscription Service.
Who are Propulsion Dynamics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Wärtsilä SmartShip, ABB Marine & Ports, Kongsberg Digital, Lloyd's Register (iDMSS / FOCAS) and DNV (Veracity / Fleet Analytics). RightShip is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are BMT Group, StormGeo and Veson Nautical (IMOS Platform). Clarksons Research (Clarksons Shipping Intelligence Network) is listed as an others.
Does Propulsion Dynamics have an API?
Yes. APIs are set up for various onboard data collection systems. The service supports data transmission via email, APIs, and Veslink integration for collecting vessel performance data (Speed-Power-RPM-Weather readings).
What industry is Propulsion Dynamics in?
Propulsion Dynamics's product category is Maritime Performance Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAGAB, Hydrodynamics & Performance Engineering (Resistance, Propulsion, Seakeeping, Maneuvering), with a secondary code of IMAJAGAE, Propulsion, Power & Energy Systems Design (Diesel, Hybrid, Electric, Alternative Fuels). Its NAICS code is 4883 and its SIC code is 3730.