Nereus Digital Bunkers Maritime Software

Feb 11
5 min read

Updated: Feb 16

Bringing efficiency, transparency, and real-time intelligence to bunkering

Mission

Nereus’s mission is to bring efficiency and clarity to the global marine fuel market by digitizing and transforming the traditional bunkering process through advanced software, real-time data, and streamlined digital workflows.

Problems in Bunkering Operations

Nereus empowers maritime fuel buyers and vendors with digital tools that replace spreadsheets, scattered emails, and manual negotiation workflows, bringing efficiency, transparency, and real-time intelligence to bunkering operation. Common problems are:

Lack of price transparency — pricing is often opaque, relationship-driven, and difficult to benchmark in real time.
Fuel quality & quantity disputes — mismatches between ordered vs. delivered fuel specs or volumes can cause engine damage and financial loss.
Manual, outdated processes — heavy reliance on emails, paper documents, and spreadsheets leads to errors and inefficiencies.
Fragmented communication — buyers, suppliers, brokers, surveyors, and vessels operate in silos with no shared digital workflow.
Regulatory complexity — evolving IMO and environmental rules make compliance harder and increase operational risk.
Infrastructure gaps for new fuels — not all ports are ready for LNG or alternative fuels, limiting flexibility.
High price volatility — bunker prices fluctuate with global oil markets, creating budgeting and timing risks.
Frequent disputes & delays — documentation, claims, and delivery issues can disrupt vessel schedules.

Solution

The software solution by Nereus Digital Bunkers comprises the following modules:

Centralized Bunker Inquiry Management. All RFQs, offers, and negotiations are handled in one platform — no lost emails, no scattered threads.

Structured Supplier Communication. Conversations, revisions, and clarifications are linked directly to each transaction, creating full traceability.

Market Data & Price Visibility. Access to live and historical bunker pricing helps users benchmark offers and avoid overpaying.

Offer Comparison & Decision Support. Buyers can evaluate multiple suppliers side-by-side with organized commercial and technical information.

Reduced Disputes & Documentation Gaps. Digital records, stored documents, and clear communication trails lower the risk of claims and misunderstandings.

Operational Oversight. Managers gain visibility into who requested what, from whom, at what stage — improving internal control.

Efficiency & Time Savings. Less manual follow-up, fewer repetitive emails, and faster quotation cycles.

Scalable Across Fleets & Counterparties. Works whether managing a few vessels or large fleets with multiple suppliers and ports.

Nereus Digital Bunkers software screenshot — *click to enlarge*

Market Opportunity

Market Size

TAM

Global marine fuel spend: €125bn (2024) → €161bn (2030)
Global maritime lubricants spend: €8.6bn (2024) → €14.1bn (2029)
Combined economic base: €130bn+ annually (Defines urgency and value of procurement digitization; Nereus does not take GMV risk.)

SAM

Digital bunker & lubricants procurement software within ShipTech
ShipTech market projected at €345bn by 2030
~55k–60k commercially active vessels globally
Subscription-based SaaS per vessel → multi-bn € software opportunity

SOM

Initial focus on medium & large fleet operators
485 vessels in signing and implementing process , 1,100+ 1^st Half 2026,
Mid-term target: 5–10% fleet penetration
Implies €10–30m+ ARR potential at scale

Sources: Grand View Research, Research and Markets, Management

Target Customers

Shipowners & operators with centralized bunker procurement
Small to large fleets (5–500+ vessels)
Procurement, operations & finance teams purchasing fuel and lubricants
Bunker traders & suppliers (analytics, performance, marketplace access)

Buyer: Head of Bunkers, Procurement Manager, Fleet Ops, CFO,CEO

Value Driver: Cost savings, transparency, risk reduction, and automation at fleet scale

Go-to-Market Strategy

Founder-led enterprise sales
- Direct relationships with shipowners and operators
- High-touch onboarding with fleet-wide expansion
Pilots, referrals & word-of-mouth
- Enterprise pilots converting into multi-year SaaS contracts
- Strong referrals in a concentrated buyer market
Industry presence
- Active participation in key maritime conferences and exhibitions
- Direct access to decision-makers and qualified enterprise leads
Partnerships (in progress)
- Preparing local sales partnerships in Japan, Singapore, and Dubai
- Structured to support international expansion
Cross-sell
- Existing bunker clients adopting the lubricants platform via signed MoUs

Exit Strategy

Companies that might find Nereus strategically interesting are those with end-to-end maritime software solutions, such as platforms managing voyage operations, fleet management, or fuel consumption optimization, but who are currently missing a specialized module for bunkers and lubricants. Nereus fills that niche, providing a digital ecosystem specifically for marine fuel and lubricant procurement, supplier interaction, and operational intelligence.

Our priority is to capture market share, expand globally, and establish Nereus as the leading platform for bunkering and lubricants. The long-term vision is to build a fully integrated bunkering and lubricants ecosystem that becomes a core component of maritime operations worldwide.

Traction

KPIs

Vessels currently integrating on platform: 485
Vessels contracted / expected by 1st Half 2026: 1,100+
Ports covered: 200+ globally
Verified vendors: 100+
QoQ platform revenue growth (Q1 2024–Q2 2025): ~26%
Key customers: Latsco, Laskaridis, Marine Trust, Arcadia, Stem Shipping
Pipeline:
- 400 vessels with signed MoUs for Lubricants
- 250–300 vessels expected to onboard by Q2 2026
- 200–250 vessels expected to onboard by Q3 2026
Product efficiency impact (customer-reported):
- ~80% workload reduction
- Up to 5% fuel cost savings

Financials

Business Model

Subscription-based SaaS, charged per vessel / per month
Multi-year contracts with fleet-wide rollouts
Tiered pricing based on:
- Fleet size
- Modules activated (bunkers, lubricants, analytics, AI)
No transaction fees, no fuel GMV exposure
Future upside:
- Lubricants platform subscriptions
- Supplier & trader platforms
- API access & integrations (enterprise pricing)

Where We Spend Money

R&D / Product development
- Core bunkering platform
- Lubricants platform
- AI, analytics, automation
Technology & IP
- Platform upgrades
- Security, scalability, integrations
Go-To-Market
- Sales teams & international sales partners
- Marketing, conferences, brand
Operations
- Customer support (24/7)
- Infrastructure & cloud costs

Revenue & Forecasts (Brief)

Revenue model: High-margin SaaS
QoQ growth (Q1 2024–Q2 2025): ~26%
2029 revenue forecast: ~€8.4m
Revenue CAGR (2024–2029): ~210%+
Operational EBITDA (2029): ~€5.9m (~70% margin)
Break-even expected as scale ramps post-2026

Team

Nikolas Gkikas – Founder & CEO

19+ years in marine fuel procurement, trading & operations (Greece & US)
Founded Nereus in 2019 after identifying a structural gap in digital bunkering
Fortune 40 Under 40
Lloyd’s Greek Shipping Award: Big Data

Kelly Dritsa – Co-Founder & Marketing Director

MSc in International Marketing
Leads brand, go-to-market, communications & partnerships
Instrumental in building credibility with Tier-1 shipping groups and early traction
Fortune 40 Under 40
Lloyd’s Greek Shipping Award: Big Data

Savvas Kabouridis – Chief Technology Officer (appointed 2026)

14+ years as CTO / Head of Engineering in maritime software
Former senior technical roles at MarineTraffic / Kpler / Benefit
Leads platform architecture, in-house engineering build-out, scalability and security
Focused on transforming Nereus into a robust, enterprise-grade SaaS platform

Employee Stock Incentive Scheme (ESOP)

An enterprise stock incentive scheme is in place
Equity incentives allocated to key executives and senior technical roles
Performance-based vesting aligned with long-term value creation and retention
Scheme designed to scale with future senior hires as the company grows internationally

Funding

The company has been primarily self-funded by the founders, with additional capital raised through a friends-and-family round.

The company is currently in an active fundraising process to support the development and launch of new software modules for lubricants and suppliers, and to accelerate product expansion.