Windward Expands its AI Insights to Include the Geopolitical and Economic Risks of Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) Fishing

Windward will provide law enforcement and government agencies a holistic view of all the implications of IUU fishing 

LONDON, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Windward (LSE: WNWD), the leading Maritime AI company, announced today the expansion of its AI insights to include maritime risk related to illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. The expansion will allow new and existing customers, including law enforcement and government authorities to have a comprehensive view of IUU fishing related risks through AI-powered behavioral models that analyze and flag all fishing vessels and supporting fleets involved.

IUU fishing is one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems and fish-based economies to the extent that it has replaced piracy as the top maritime security threat by the US Coast Guard. IUU fishing has a significant environmental impact with an estimated fifth of fish being captured illegally, a significant threat to the marine ecosystem and survival of fish species.

However, the implications of IUU fishing go beyond environmental concerns into economic and geopolitical issues. In recent years, domestic and long-distance fishing fleets have become tools used by nations for maintaining presence, asserting power, and enabling geopolitical expansion. It's therefore critical for authorities to closely monitor these fishing fleets with a clear overview of all actors involved including connected countries, companies, and vessel owners.

Windward's behavior-based model, powered by cutting edge AI and domain expertise, is designed to look further than basic monitoring of illegal fishing, supporting law enforcement entities and intelligence units in their investigations of the broader criminal and political implications of such fishing operations. These include a variety of illegal activities ranging from human trafficking, food fraud, and tax evasion to forced labor violations.

"Illegal fishing is a major concern in and of itself, but it's also a symptom of other issues plaguing the maritime industry," said Matan Peled, Co-Founder and Head of US Business at Windward. "Fishing ships that engage in IUU fishing are quite often involved with slave labor and other criminal activity, in some cases on behalf of foreign governments encroaching on other sovereign governments' exclusive economic zones. Governmental authorities need to move beyond siloed methods of maritime domain awareness and gain a holistic view of malignant actors to mitigate the geopolitical, economic, and environmental risks involved with IUU fishing."

Windward's AI platform is powered by advanced machine learning and behavioral analytics models, empowering its clients across the government, finance, shipping, energy sectors, and beyond to optimize business practices and efficiently navigate all aspects of maritime risk in real-time.

About Windward

Windward (LSE:WNWD), a publicly traded company on the London Stock Exchange, is the leading Maritime AI company, enabling organizations to achieve business and operational readiness. Windward's AI-powered solution allows stakeholders including banks, commodity traders, insurers, and major energy and shipping companies to make real time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions, providing a 360° view of the maritime ecosystem and its broader impact on safety, security, finance, and business. For more information visit: https://windward.ai/.

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SOURCE Windward