Clear Seas

Marine Shipping Research and Knowledge Mobilizationclearseas.org

Company typePrivate
Founded2015
HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

Clear Seas firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Clear Seas
Legal name: Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping
Website: https://clearseas.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2015
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Clear Seas industry classification

Industry

Product category: Marine Shipping Research and Knowledge Mobilization
akta.pro primary industry: Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)
akta.pro secondary industry: Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services (TLAHAFAE)

Keywords

Marine shipping research
Maritime safety analysis
Shipping decarbonization research
Marine environmental impacts
Indigenous maritime programs

Where Clear Seas is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Vancouver
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Clear Seas business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

Government Funding: Clear Seas receives funding from government sources, as detailed in annual audited financial statements. This constitutes a portion of the organization's revenue for operations and research programs.
Industry Funding: Clear Seas receives funding from industry partners, as detailed in annual audited financial statements. This supports research activities and Indigenous programs.
Donations for Indigenous Programs: Indigenous programs are funded by industry donations and matching government funds, supporting internship and career advancement programs for Indigenous peoples.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Clear Seas product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Clear Seas is a Canadian not-for-profit research organization that produces independent, fact-based information on marine shipping. Its offerings include research reports, interactive mapping and dashboard tools (Marine Traffic Mapping Tool, Maritime Incidents and Accidents Dashboard, Maritime Governance Tool), bilingual educational microsites on topics such as hydrogen, LNG, underwater noise, and oil spill response, public opinion polling, and Indigenous-led programs including the Internship Program, IMCAP, and NICO/SOC-I. All outputs are provided free of charge to governments, industry, Indigenous communities, coastal communities, and the public.

Product overview

Clear Seas is a Canadian not-for-profit organization that provides independent, fact-based research and information on marine shipping. The organization operates as a research and knowledge-sharing platform offering various interactive tools (including the Marine Traffic Mapping Tool and Maritime Incidents Dashboard), educational microsites on topics like hydrogen, LNG, and underwater noise, and Indigenous programs including internship and career advancement opportunities. The portfolio consists of research reports, interactive data tools, topic-specific microsites, and community programs, all focused on enabling informed decision-making on marine shipping issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Marine Traffic Mapping Tool Interactive mapping project illustrating the state of marine shipping in Canada, providing coastal communities with tools to understand shipping risks, including historical vessel track data and spatial analysis.
Maritime Incidents and Accidents Dashboard Interactive dashboard integrating Canadian and American incident and accident data from the past decade to analyze cross-border incidents and understand high-risk areas in Canadian waters.
Hydrogen & Marine Shipping Microsite Interactive microsite explaining hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels (ammonia, methanol, methane) as sustainable fuel sources for maritime shipping, including production methods, storage requirements, regulations, and challenges.
LNG & Marine Shipping Microsite

Quantifiable outcome

60% projected increase in international marine traffic on the Pacific coast by 2040
+2 more outcomes

Companies that use Clear Seas

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Clear Seas technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Clear Seas partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

MEOPAR (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In Fall 2019, Clear Seas partnered with MEOPAR to launch the Canadian Marine Shipping Risk Forum (FCRTM) community of practice, supported by exactEarth. This collaboration facilitates knowledge sharing and dialogue among maritime stakeholders on shipping risks.
Angus Reid InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClear Seas has partnered with the Angus Reid Institute for multiple public opinion polls (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) to understand Canadian attitudes toward marine shipping. This provides valuable data for research and policy discussions.
Westmar AdvisorsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClear Seas contracted Westmar Advisors to conduct the vessel traffic forecasting study for Canada's Pacific region, projecting traffic growth to 2040.
Canadian Academies of SciencemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClear Seas commissioned the Canadian Academies of Science to convene expert panels studying commercial marine accidents (Understanding Risks in Canada) and the value of commercial marine shipping to Canada.
Indigenous Communities and OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClear Seas works with Indigenous communities across Canada including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations for research programs, internship opportunities, and career advancement initiatives. Partners include Coastal Restoration Nunavut, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Squamish Nation, and others.
C40 CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClear Seas published 'Increasing Port Investments - A Practical Toolkit' in partnership with C40 Cities to support port development and trade diversification.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Clear Seas competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF): A UK-based, industry-funded non-profit that maintains expertise on oil spill response, risk assessment, and shipping incident analysis. ITOPF's mandate parallels Clear Seas's origin (tanker safety research, oil spill preparedness) and its industry-funded independent-research model is structurally analogous.
World Maritime University: A Malmö, Sweden-based IMO-founded graduate university and research center specializing in maritime safety, environmental policy, and ocean governance. WMU is the leading academic institution in the same subject-matter domain as Clear Seas and produces comparable research outputs for global maritime stakeholders.
Sustainable Shipping Initiative: A London-based multi-stakeholder coalition driving sustainable practices across the global shipping industry. SSI is a comparable non-commercial, independent coalition model that convenes shipping stakeholders and produces research with the same stakeholder-engagement approach Clear Seas uses.
Ocean Networks Canada: A University of Victoria-hosted non-profit operating ocean observatories across Canadian coastal waters. Clear Seas's founding Board Chair was Ocean Networks Canada CEO Kate Moran, and both organizations deliver independent, Canada-based marine science with a similar non-profit, multi-stakeholder funding model.
MEOPAR (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network): A Canadian Networks of Centres of Excellence funding marine environmental research and training. MEOPAR co-founded the Canadian Marine Shipping Risk Forum with Clear Seas, operates with multi-stakeholder funding, and produces research of directly comparable scope to Clear Seas's mandate, making it the closest operational and structural peer.

Emerging players

Clean Shipping Coalition: An international NGO coalition focused on shipping air emissions, scrubbers, and decarbonization policies. The coalition overlaps with Clear Seas's exhaust gas scrubber and zero-impact shipping research, making it a comparable advocacy-and-research niche player.
WWF Canada: A Canadian environmental non-profit with significant marine conservation and sustainable-seafood programs. WWF Canada shares the multi-funder, non-commercial independent-advocacy model with Clear Seas and engages many of the same coastal communities on shipping-related environmental risks.

Broad incumbents

RightShip: A commercial maritime intelligence and risk-ratings company. Board member Anthony Teo is RightShip's Americas lead. RightShip produces commercial shipping safety data and ratings that partially overlap with Clear Seas's maritime incident dashboards, but is broader in scope and commercial in model.
DNV (Det Norske Veritas): A global maritime classification society and risk-management advisory with deep involvement in shipping decarbonization standards. Clear Seas board member Anthony Teo previously held senior roles at DNV-GL, and DNV's research and advisory work covers the same maritime safety and decarbonization topics Clear Seas studies.

Regional players

Transport Canada Oceans Protection Plan: The federal Canadian program that funds much of Clear Seas's domestic stakeholder engagement and Indigenous programming (e.g., NICO -). It is a direct regulatory counterpart in Canadian marine safety and a primary funder, making it the most relevant Canadian government analog.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Clear Seas financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Clear Seas leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Clear Seas funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Clear Seas M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Clear Seas

What does Clear Seas do?

Is Clear Seas a public or private company?

Clear Seas is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.

When was Clear Seas founded?

Clear Seas was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Clear Seas based?

Clear Seas is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.

How does Clear Seas make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Government Funding is the primary driver. The others are industry Funding and donations for Indigenous Programs.

Who are Clear Seas's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), World Maritime University, Sustainable Shipping Initiative, Ocean Networks Canada and MEOPAR (Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network). Emerging players are Clean Shipping Coalition and WWF Canada. Broad incumbents are RightShip and DNV (Det Norske Veritas). Transport Canada Oceans Protection Plan is listed as a regional player.

Does Clear Seas have an API?

No public API is recorded for Clear Seas.

What industry is Clear Seas in?

Clear Seas's product category is Marine Shipping Research and Knowledge Mobilization. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAI, Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management, with a secondary code of TLAHAFAE, Nautical Safety, Navigation Aids & Hydrographic Services.