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OceanPal Unveils SovereignAI With $120 Million PIPE, Plans Big NEAR Token Bet as Shares Drop

Investors question an early-stage pivot that pairs a privacy-first AI cloud on NEAR with a sizable token treasury.

Overview

  • The Nasdaq-listed shipper formed SovereignAI Services LLC to build a confidential AI cloud using NEAR Protocol integrated with Nvidia technology.
  • OceanPal disclosed a long-term plan to accumulate at least 10% of NEAR’s total token supply as an operating digital-asset treasury.
  • The $120 million private investment in public equity will fund the venture, with reported participation from Kraken, Proximity, Fabric Ventures, the G20 Group, and the NEAR Foundation.
  • NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin will chair SovereignAI’s advisory board, and OceanPal appointed Sal Ternullo as co-CEO and David Schwed as COO to lead the effort.
  • OP shares closed down about 21% to $1.74 after the announcement, extending steep year-to-date losses, and the company says its shipping operations will continue.