lomarlabs

What lomarlabs does

Lomarlabs is a London-based innovation catalyst and venture arm established in 2023 as a subsidiary of Lomar Shipping, a commercial shipowner. The company partners with early-stage maritime technology startups across decarbonization, onboard AI, and autonomous navigation, providing them with catalytic funding, business design support, and critically, real-world pilot access aboard Lomar Shipping's commercial fleet. Lomarlabs takes sweat-equity positions in its portfolio companies rather than operating a traditional venture fund structure, aligning its financial upside with the founders it supports. Since inception it has built a portfolio of 10+ partnerships spanning hydrogen-diesel retrofits, at-sea methane removal, multi-fuel reforming, AI crew monitoring, onboard carbon capture, wind-assisted propulsion, and autonomous navigation. The business model is a corporate venture-catalyst model: capital is sourced from the parent, value is captured through equity stakes in portfolio companies, and deployment is anchored to the parent's fleet as the testbed. Lomarlabs does not sell products or services to external customers directly; its commercial relevance is derived from the success and scale of the startups it backs and the strategic optionality those stakes provide to Lomar Shipping. The company's strategic positioning sits at the intersection of shipping decarbonization, regulatory pressure on emissions, and the broader maritime technology maturity curve.

Name

lomarlabs

Website

https://lomarlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lomarlabs is the London-based venture arm of Lomar Shipping, partnering with early-stage maritime technology startups by providing catalytic funding, business design support, and fleet pilot access in exchange for sweat equity, with a portfolio spanning decarbonization, AI, and autonomous navigation technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Core offering

Lomarlabs partners with early-stage maritime technology companies to pilot decarbonization and digital technologies on the Lomar Shipping vessel fleet. It provides live vessel pilots, business design support, and catalytic funding in the form of sweat-equity investments, helping startups validate hardware such as hydrogen-diesel retrofits, wing sails, onboard carbon capture, AI crew monitoring, and autonomous navigation systems in real operating conditions.

Product overview

Lomarlabs is the innovation arm of Lomar Shipping, operating as a venture catalyst that develops and pilots maritime decarbonization and safety technologies. The portfolio includes methane removal systems, fuel reforming technology, wind-assisted propulsion (wing sails), hydrogen engine retrofits, AI-powered crew monitoring, autonomous navigation, and carbon capture solutions. These products function as independent technology pilots and partnerships rather than a unified software platform, each addressing different aspects of maritime sustainability and operational safety.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hydrogen-Diesel Engine Retrofit Pilot A pilot program deploying a hydrogen-diesel engine retrofit system on a Lomar Shipping vessel to validate reduced fuel consumption and emissions performance in commercial operating conditions, targeted at maritime engine technology providers and ship operators seeking decarbonization pathways.
• Containerized Automated Wing Sail Pilot A pilot of containerized, automated wind-assisted wing sails retrofitted on a Lomar Shipping vessel to capture wind propulsion and reduce fuel burn, offered to maritime wind-propulsion technology developers and shipping operators seeking emission reductions.
• At-Sea Methane Removal System Pilot A vessel-deployed pilot of an at-sea methane removal system, designed to capture methane slip emissions while ships are in transit, offered to climate-tech developers and shipping operators targeting methane reduction.
• Flex-Fuel Reformer Pilot A pilot of a flex-fuel reformer unit that produces hydrogen onboard from conventional marine fuels, enabling lower-carbon combustion without dedicated hydrogen bunkering, targeted at alternative-fuel technology developers and ship operators.
• Seabound On-Board Carbon Capture Pilot

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel savings of up to 30% with hydrogen-diesel engine retrofits
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Bennu ClimatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026U.S.-UK partnership led by California-based climate technology company Bennu Climate and Lomarlabs has launched the first-ever pilot project testing an at-sea methane removal system on a 57,000-dwt Lomar supramax bulk carrier over a 12-month period. The device uses advanced photochemistry to permanently eliminate fugitive methane emissions during normal commercial ship operations. The technology is currently seeking carbon credit certification from the Gold Standard program.
• Blaze EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Lomarlabs and Blaze Energy formed a partnership to pilot a compact onboard fuel reforming system called Flex-Fuel Reformer for multi-fuel engines in commercial maritime shipping. The system converts ammonia, methanol, or LNG into hydrogen directly onboard vessels. The pilot will be installed on a Lomar vessel for testing under real marine operating conditions, with the goal of validating the technology as a pathway toward first commercial retrofit and newbuild deployments.
• Signal FusioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2026Lomar Shipping plans to pilot AI-powered data analytics from Signal Fusion on its vessels in 2026 to monitor, analyze, and predict crew behavior and decision-making to improve safety. The technology will be deployed through Lomarlabs and will provide insights for staffing, training, and real-time operational safety by translating crew assessments into decision-ready intelligence.
• Advanced Wing SystemscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Lomarlabs partnered with Advanced Wing Systems to develop containerized automated wing sails for commercial shipping, aiming to enhance shipping technology through wind propulsion solutions.
• STAX EngineeringsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2025California cleantech company STAX Engineering is bringing its barge-based emissions capture and control technology to the UK following a £1.1m government grant, partnering with UK carbon capture startup Seabound on the PortZero project at Southampton port in collaboration with Associated British Ports and Lomarlabs. The integrated system removes up to 99% of particulate matter and 95% of NOx from vessel exhausts.
• Associated British PortssecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2025Associated British Ports collaborated with STAX Engineering, Seabound, and Lomarlabs on the PortZero project at Southampton port, bringing barge-based emissions capture and control technology to the UK with £1.1m government grant support.
• SeaboundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2025UK startup Seabound developed a compact carbon capture unit for cargo ships using quicklime to convert CO2 emissions into calcium carbonate, achieving up to 78% carbon capture efficiency during pilot testing. Partnered with Lomarlabs for trials conducted through the UK Department for Transport's Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, raising $4 million in funding. Seabound plans to charge $150 per tonne of captured CO2.
• CalcareasecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025Scientists at USC and Caltech, in partnership with startup Calcarea, developed a shipboard carbon capture system that can remove up to half of CO2 emissions from vessels by converting exhaust CO2 into bicarbonate through a seawater-limestone reaction process. Calcarea is pursuing commercialization through a partnership with Lomarlabs.
• Newlight Marine TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2025Lomarlabs and Newlight Marine Technologies are collaborating to pilot hydrogen-diesel engine retrofits on ships, aiming to lower emissions and fuel consumption by up to 30%. The pilot took place aboard a vessel in summer 2025 following successful workshop trials, with the hydrogen retrofit package successfully completing Factory Acceptance Testing supervised by class society RINA.
• Mythos AIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Mythos AI and Lomarlabs announced a collaboration to develop autonomous maritime navigation technology, combining Mythos AI's autonomous systems with Lomarlabs' maritime sustainability expertise and access to Lomar vessels for pilot testing. The partnership focuses on Mythos AI's award-winning Archie unmanned survey vessel featuring COLREGs-compliant autonomous navigation.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wärtsilä: Major marine technology and engine manufacturer with deep involvement in alternative fuels (hydrogen, ammonia, methanol), decarbonization services, and shipowner partnerships. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose offerings overlap with several technologies Lomarlabs is piloting.
• DNV: Global maritime classification society and advisory firm with extensive decarbonization, verification, and innovation programs (including Veracity). Comparable as an established maritime-industry incumbent setting standards and validating emerging technologies relevant to Lomarlabs' portfolio.
• Lloyd's Register: Global classification society and maritime advisory with active decarbonization, autonomy, and digitalization programs. Comparable as a broad incumbent influencing certification pathways that determine commercial viability of the technologies Lomarlabs pilots.
• Shell Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Shell with material investments in maritime and shipping decarbonization (alternative fuels, e-fuels, emissions tech). Comparable as a large, energy-major-owned capital provider competing for the same maritime-tech deal flow Lomarlabs targets.

Direct peers

• Maersk Growth: Corporate venture and innovation arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world's largest container shipping line. Directly comparable to Lomarlabs as a shipping-major-owned vehicle that invests in and pilots early-stage maritime decarbonization and digital technologies using the parent's fleet and balance sheet.
• Stena Line's Innovation Lab: Innovation function within Stena Line, a major European ferry and shipping operator. Operates a shipping-owned testbed model for piloting alternative fuels, electrification, and digital technologies on owned vessels — closely mirroring Lomarlabs' CVC/pilot-catalyst approach.
• Cargill Ocean Transportation: The ocean transportation and innovation arm of Cargill, one of the world's largest charterers and operators of dry-bulk vessels. Like Lomarlabs, it leverages its parent's commercial fleet to test and scale maritime sustainability and operational technologies in real trading conditions.

Emerging players

• Trafigura Innovation Initiatives: Commodities and shipping major with growing investment in maritime decarbonization, including partnerships on ammonia and methanol propulsion. Comparable as an emerging player with a shipping-major-owned innovation model adjacent to Lomarlabs' approach.
• Ocean Impact Accelerator: Ocean and maritime-focused startup accelerator and investor network supporting early-stage companies across shipping, aquaculture, and ocean health. Comparable as an emerging ecosystem player working with maritime-tech founders on pilots and commercialization.
• Berge Bulk: Large independent dry-bulk shipowner with active decarbonization and innovation programs, including fleet trials of alternative fuels and emissions-reduction technologies. Comparable as a peer shipowner-operator also using its own fleet to pilot emerging maritime decarbonization solutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lomarlabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about lomarlabs