Windward

Windward is a maritime intelligence platform founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in London and Washington D.C.

Reviewed by 7wData
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Windward is a maritime intelligence platform founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in London and Washington D.C. It uses proprietary AI models—over 15 of them—to detect sanctions evasion, deceptive shipping, and counterparty risk by fusing AIS data, satellite imagery (electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar), radio frequency signals, and behavioral analytics. The platform serves financial institutions (for trade finance due diligence and sanctions screening), shipping companies (for operational compliance and supply chain visibility), government agencies (for maritime domain awareness and border security), and port authorities.

In 2024, Windward claimed to flag 99% of vessels later sanctioned before official designation, outperforming static watchlist screening. The company's Remote Sensing Intelligence (RSI) layer, launched in 2025, addresses AIS spoofing and signal manipulation by correlating uncrewed satellite detections with vessel behavior patterns and ownership records. Integration happens via GraphQL API with webhook support for real-time alerts into existing TMS, ERP, and risk platforms.

Windward operates as both a cloud SaaS (available via AWS Marketplace) and private cloud deployments for government customers. The platform includes a new Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC, launched February 2026) offering agentic automation for investigations, reducing mean time to decision by 80% according to the company. Trade-offs include significant implementation complexity for organizations unfamiliar with maritime data, high enterprise pricing with no public tiers, and ongoing user training requirements as regulations evolve.

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How it works

  1. Behavioral Risk Detection

    Analyzes real-time vessel movements, ship-to-ship transfers, route deviations, and ownership changes to identify sanctions evasion and deceptive activity before formal designation.

  2. Remote Sensing Intelligence (RSI)

    Fuses satellite imagery (EO and SAR), radio frequency signals, and AI detections to identify vessels turning off AIS or manipulating signals, functioning in darkness and through clouds where AIS fails.

  3. Multi-Source Data Fusion

    Integrates LSEG WorldCheck sanctions lists, Dun & Bradstreet data, AIS feeds, proprietary maritime datasets, and open-source intelligence into a single vessel identity and risk score.

  4. GraphQL API & Webhooks

    Delivers vessel risk scores, ownership transparency, container tracking, and Bill of Lading verification directly to existing systems without UI dependency; supports event subscriptions for real-time notifications.

  5. Counterparty Due Diligence

    Combines maritime and non-maritime entity data including Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO), flag history, and ownership changes to provide comprehensive counterparty vetting for trade finance.

  6. Gen AI-Powered Expert (MAI Expert™)

    Automated risk assessment and adverse media scanning that performs rapid vessel screening and regulatory analysis; customers report 20-minute reduction in manual screening time per vessel.

  7. Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC)

    Agentic AI layer automating complex investigations, monitoring, and escalation workflows; embeds Forward Deployed Engineers as operational extensions for decision-ready intelligence delivery.

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

  • Predictive sanctions detection beats static watchlists by identifying risky behavior months before formal designation; integrated SAR/RF signals expose AIS spoofing that competing platforms cannot see
  • GraphQL API enables rapid integration (hours not weeks) and seamless embedding into existing TMS/ERP/risk platforms without UI dependency; webhook support fits modern automation architectures
  • Trusted by U.S. government (Coast Guard, CBP, DEA, DHS, DoD) and financial institutions (trade finance, insurance underwriters) on three-year and five-year contracts; used to increase ETA accuracy from 30% to 80% during COVID disruptions

Trade-offs

  • Enterprise-only pricing with no public tiers or transparent fee structure; acquisition via AWS Marketplace does not eliminate custom negotiation; no free trial or freemium option limits evaluation by mid-market firms
  • Requires maritime domain expertise from users; ongoing regulatory training and vendor support needed as sanctions and trade rules change; integration effort significant for organizations without data infrastructure
  • Deceptive actors continuously adapt tactics faster than regulations; AIS gaps and intentional spoofing mean behavioral detection remains probabilistic, not deterministic; satellite coverage and RF data remain constrained by geopolitical access

Pricing context

Windward is an enterprise SaaS platform with fully custom pricing negotiated by scope, data volume, integration depth, and user seats. No public pricing tiers exist. AWS Marketplace listing for government and public sector solutions references approximately $300,000 USD per user per 12-month contract, but commercial deals are private offers.

Pricing is usage-based (API calls, data volume, alerts) combined with subscription and seat licensing. Cloud (AWS), private cloud, and on-premise deployment options each carry different pricing structures. The company does not publish free trial availability.

Getting started with Windward

  1. Sign up for Windward

    Contact Windward's sales team to initiate a custom enterprise agreement. Provide your organization's scope, data volume, and integration needs. No public self-service sign-up exists; expect a negotiated contract with seat licensing and usage-based pricing.

  2. Connect your data sources

    Integrate your existing systems via Windward's GraphQL API. Configure webhooks for real-time alerts. Connect AIS feeds, satellite imagery sources, and third-party data like LSEG WorldCheck or Dun & Bradstreet to enable multi-source fusion.

  3. Configure risk detection models

    Set up behavioral risk detection parameters for vessel movements, ship-to-ship transfers, and ownership changes. Define sanctions screening rules and counterparty due diligence thresholds. Enable Remote Sensing Intelligence to detect AIS spoofing.

  4. Run a vessel risk assessment

    Use the platform to screen a specific vessel or counterparty. Input a vessel's IMO number or entity name. Review the generated risk score, behavioral analysis, and adverse media findings. Verify results against satellite imagery and RF signals if available.

  5. Deploy automated alerts and workflows

    Set up event subscriptions via webhooks to receive real-time notifications for high-risk activities. Configure escalation workflows in the Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC) for automated investigations. Schedule regular compliance reports for regulators.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Windward and how does it detect maritime sanctions evasion?

Windward is a maritime intelligence platform founded in 2010 that uses over 15 proprietary AI models to detect sanctions evasion and deceptive shipping. It fuses AIS data, satellite imagery, radio frequency signals, and behavioral analytics to identify risky vessels before official designation.

How does Windward's Remote Sensing Intelligence handle AIS spoofing?

Windward's Remote Sensing Intelligence (RSI) layer, launched in 2025, correlates uncrewed satellite detections with vessel behavior patterns and ownership records. It uses electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar imagery along with radio frequency signals to identify vessels manipulating AIS or turning it off.

What is Windward's pricing model and can I try it for free?

Windward uses fully custom enterprise pricing negotiated by scope, data volume, integration depth, and user seats. No public pricing tiers or free trial exist. AWS Marketplace lists government solutions at approximately $300,000 per user per 12-month contract, but commercial deals are private offers.

How does Windward integrate with existing systems like TMS or ERP?

Windward integrates via a GraphQL API with webhook support for real-time alerts. It delivers vessel risk scores, ownership transparency, container tracking, and Bill of Lading verification directly into TMS, ERP, and risk platforms without requiring UI dependency, enabling rapid integration in hours.

What are the main strengths and weaknesses of Windward?

Strengths include predictive sanctions detection that flags vessels months before designation and integrated satellite signals exposing AIS spoofing. Weaknesses include enterprise-only pricing with no public tiers, requirement for maritime domain expertise, and ongoing user training needs as regulations evolve.

What alternatives exist to Windward for maritime risk and compliance?

Alternatives to Windward include Splunk, Varonis, Microsoft Sentinel, Dynatrace, and Temporal. These platforms offer different approaches to data analytics and security monitoring, though they may lack Windward's specialized maritime intelligence capabilities for sanctions detection and deceptive shipping analysis.

Alternatives

How Windward compares

Direct head-to-head against 2 competitors. Picked by 7wData.

This tool

Windward

Pricing
Windward is an enterprise SaaS platform with fully custom pricing negotiated by scope, data volume, integration depth, and user seats. No public pricing tiers exist. AWS Marketplace listing for government and public sector solutions references approximately $300,000 USD per user per 12-month contract, but commercial deals are private offers. Pricing is usage-based (API calls, data volume, alerts) combined with subscription and seat licensing. Cloud (AWS), private cloud, and on-premise deployment options each carry different pricing structures. The company does not publish free trial availability.
Target
Windward is a maritime intelligence platform founded in 2010 and headquartered in Tel Aviv with offices in London and Washington D.C.
Strength
Predictive sanctions detection beats static watchlists by identifying risky behavior months before formal designation; integrated SAR/RF signals expose AIS spoofing that competing platforms cannot see
Watch for
Enterprise-only pricing with no public tiers or transparent fee structure; acquisition via AWS Marketplace does not eliminate custom negotiation; no free trial or freemium option limits evaluation by mid-market firms

Splunk

Pricing
Usage-based or ingestion-based; contact sales for quote.
Target
Security teams needing deep log analytics and SIEM.
Deployment
Cloud, hybrid, on-premises.
Strength
1,500+ curated detections with risk-based alerting.
Watch for
Complex setup and high total cost at scale.

Microsoft Sentinel

Pricing
Pay-as-you-go per GB ingested; Azure consumption meter.
Target
Organizations already in Microsoft/Azure ecosystem.
Deployment
Cloud-native on Azure.
Strength
Native UEBA and SOAR integrated with Microsoft 365.
Watch for
Surprise costs from storage and search; Azure-only lock-in.

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Sources

Reporting on this tool draws on these publicly available sources.

  1. windward.ai — Founded over 15 years ago (2010), CEO Ami Daniel, headquarters London and Washington D.C., mission-grade maritime intelligence delivery
  2. windward.ai — Sanctions screening, deceptive activity detection via 15+ proprietary AI models, counterparty due diligence, MAI Expert™ generative AI, flags 99% of sanctioned vessels before designation
  3. windward.ai — GraphQL API architecture, webhook support for real-time events, integration into TMS/ERP/risk platforms, vessel risk scores, ownership data, container tracking, Bill of Lading verification
  4. windward.ai — Remote Sensing Intelligence (RSI) fuses electro-optical, SAR, RF signals with AIS and behavioral models to detect vessel spoofing and manipulation across all weather and lighting conditions
  5. windward.ai — U.S. government customers include Coast Guard, CBP, DEA, DHS, DoD; three-year and five-year contracts; Maritime Intelligence Operations Center (MIOC) launched February 2026 for agentic automation
  6. windward.ai — Trade finance use cases: faster funding decisions with behavioral screening, live asset monitoring post-funding, Bill of Lading verification against satellite imagery, regulator-ready audit trails
  7. www.prnewswire.com — Remote Sensing Intelligence announcement including SAR, EO, RF integration with AIS and vessel behavior for end-to-end maritime operations intelligence
  8. aws.amazon.com — Government and Public Sector Maritime AI Platform available via AWS Marketplace, cloud deployment option for enterprise customers