Icelandic maritime-technology company behind IMAS, an AI-based onboard system that turns vessel sensor data into real-time guidance on safety, fuel use and maintenance. Its Portuguese company, Hefring Marine, Unipessoal Lda (NIF 517718561), was incorporated in Lisbon on 6 September 2023, and the €2.2 million funding round Hefring announced in May 2024 was led by the Lisbon venture-capital firm Faber.
Hefring traces its origin to 2018 vibration research between the Icelandic boat builder Rafnar and the University of Iceland, which found that wave-slam events on high-speed vessels were damaging hulls and injuring crews. The company was established in 2019 and developed a patented wave-slam monitoring system that became the basis of IMAS, which combines data from existing onboard sensors into guidance for captains and fleet managers on safety, fuel optimisation, fleet management, predictive maintenance and operator training. In January 2026 Hefring was selected for the NATO DIANA Challenge Programme 2026 with ODIN, its maritime-awareness system, as one of 15 companies chosen in the maritime domain.
The Portuguese link came with Portuguese capital. In May 2024 Hefring announced a €2.2 million round led by Faber, a Lisbon-based venture-capital firm, with Innoport VC, Two Ravens, MD-One, Riverstone Ventures, Idlewild Management LLC and Sukna Holdings also taking part. Jornal de Negócios reported that the money would fund expansion into southern Europe, including Portugal, and Human Resources Portugal reported that the company planned to base part of its team in Portugal to strengthen software development, sales and business development. Faber’s portfolio lists Hefring Marine under 2023.
Hefring Marine, Unipessoal Lda (NIF 517718561) was incorporated on 6 September 2023 with share capital of €2,500 and is registered at Avenida António Augusto de Aguiar 19 in Lisbon; Racius shows accounts filed for 2023 and 2024. The Icelandic company, Hefring ehf., also holds a Portuguese tax number (NIF 980795478). In September 2026 Hefring showcased ODIN and its safety systems for uncrewed surface vessels at REPMUS 2026, the maritime unmanned-systems exercise held in Portugal (Janes).
Hefring shows a Nordic deep-tech company reaching Portugal through a Portuguese investor rather than a distributor: the Lisbon company was set up in 2023, the year Faber records as its investment, and the 2024 round was earmarked in part for a team in Portugal. For Portuguese search-and-rescue, defence, pilotage, fisheries and leisure fleets, it is an Icelandic vessel-intelligence supplier with a registered base in Lisbon.
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