Large shipyards on the mainland flourished due to the order boom of 2007. While the financial downturn has weakened demand, seasoned maritime companies view the ebb as an opportunity to upgrade existing equipment, anticipating the next market swell. Offshore vessels need strong information technology (IT) and communications tools to remain competitive. Maritime companies invest hugely in these tools and rely on Palantir to ensure their investments are used efficiently. A leading provider of state-of-the-art IT solutions and services for the maritime and onshore sectors, Palantir offers KeepUp@Sea - an automatic, standardised and user-friendly IT infrastructure solution. "The biggest effect of our KeepUp@Sea solution is a happy crew," says Arvid Dregelid, Palantir president. " KeepUp@Sea ensures ship applications run smoothly on board, cutting the crew's maintenance and reporting times." Maritime companies run varying sets of applications on ships. Managing these applications can be costly as crewmembers cannot simultaneously monitor the applications efficiently. Palantir guarantees full control of fleet operations by gathering applications data, installing them in the KeepUp@Sea platform and managing applications for companies remotely. "We do it automatically through the internet," Dregelid says. "We answer the phone 24 hours, seven days a week." Palantir also developed Pandora@Sea , an add-on service that allows onboard computers to run software applications and digital content. Palantir's Singapore office is marketing Pandora@Sea to shipping companies in the region. "It's not just about high technology but understanding the culture. We study the organisation to understand its needs," Dregelid says, citing its project with BW Maritime to implement and support a common IT infrastructure across all BW vessels. Focused on Asia, Palantir is seeking experienced partners that have access to the shipping market, particularly shipowners. "We offer management services, therefore we need to build relations. We need to build trust through the right partners," Dregelid says. Palantir www.palantir.no