Sunset over the harbour and lighthouse at Urk, the Netherlands

Urk, the Netherlands · Marad HQ since 1999

Built by ex-maritime engineers, for the people who run fleets.

Our story

Marad, short for ‘maritime administration’, started in 1999 with my friend Gerrit and me. I was a maritime engineer, Gerrit worked as a programmer for Royal Huisman. We built the whole thing in a place you might guess where: the garage.

What began as a simple tool for planned maintenance has grown into a trusted ecosystem used by thousands of vessels and companies around the world. Thank you for being part of our journey, we're just getting started.

Pieter van Urk

Pieter van Urk

Founder, Marad

The founders of Marad

The founders of Marad posing for a Christmas card

25 years, one milestone at a time

1999

Pieter van Urk and Gerrit de Wit started MaraSoft as a side project to digitise vessel maintenance.

2012

Launch of the cloud platform.

2017

DNV type approval achieved.

2022

ISO/IEC 27001 certification achieved.

2025

Rebranding from MaraSoft to Marad.

2026

Reached 5,000 vessels, with continuous improvement of the platform.

The people behind Marad

Pieter van Urk

Pieter van Urk

Founder

Maritime career as an engineer and nautical engineering teacher, licensed for merchant shipping and inland waterways. The original vision behind Marad, a system that works the way engineers actually think.

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Johannes van Urk

Johannes van Urk

Chief Executive Officer

IT background and certified maritime officer. Multiple degrees in Business Administration, combined with deep expertise in architecture and infrastructure. Serves as CISO, driving the information security programme.

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Mission

To deliver secure, innovative fleet management software that helps maritime organisations run more efficiently, stay compliant, and move their operations forward, without ever compromising the information behind them.

Vision

To become the trusted standard for digital solutions in the maritime industry, enabling safer, more efficient, and more sustainable operations through technology and partnerships built to last.

Marad's office at the entrance to Urk's harbour

We're hiring

Join the team

Marad stays small on purpose, so we do not always have a role open. If you care about maritime software, we would love to hear from you.

View open positions