United States-based Celarix is soon to launch an Asian headquarters in Hong Kong as part of its drive to sell Internet software to the region's shipping industry. The company, established 15 months ago, offers software which allows shippers to book transport services on the Internet and monitor the progress of their shipments. 'Celarix offers shipping lines a new way to increase their revenue and lower their internal operating costs,' chief executive Evan Schumacher said. He said the company was expanding its operations into the intra-Asia trade lanes before going to Europe because most big shipping lines and global companies were represented in Hong Kong. Celarix recently raised US$43 million in a third round of venture-capital funding, bringing the total to more than $59 million. The company recently signed an agreement to buy Management Dynamics, a US company that produces software that tracks tariffs and manages ocean-carriage contracts. Among Management Dynamics' better-known clients are Maersk Sealand, Evergreen Marine and Hamburg-Sud.