Ocean surveillance company Quartermaster has secured $140 million in Series B funding, significantly expanding its mission to provide real-time maritime data collection. The funding round, led by Insight Partners and including defence-focused firm Overmatch Ventures, was accelerated by geopolitical tensions and shipping disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran, which underscored the critical need for reliable oceanic awareness infrastructure.

Quartermaster's "SmartMast" technology integrates cameras and radios onto ship masts to capture real-time maritime data, offering substantially more detail than traditional automatic identification systems (AIS). The company now has over 650 vessels equipped with its technology across 25 countries, with more than 800 units shipped to date. Each SmartMast generates tens of gigabytes of data daily, opening opportunities for collision avoidance, shipping lane optimisation, and maritime rescue operations. Approximately $100 million of the Series B came from equity investors, whilst the remaining $40 million was provided as a debt facility from investment bank Stifel.