LONDON/FRANKFURT, March 28 (Reuters) - Oakley Capital is

weighing options, including a sale, for its Norwegian maritime

training software company Ocean Technologies Group (OTG), three

sources close to the matter told Reuters.

The London-based private equity firm has hired advisers at

Houlihan Lokey ( HLI ) and Goldman Sachs ( GS ) to gauge interest in the

business, which could be worth more than $1 billion, two of the

people said.

Deliberations are at an early stage and Oakley Capital is

planning an auction for the business over the summer, the

sources added.

OTG referred a request for comment to Oakley Capital, which

declined to comment. Goldman Sachs ( GS ) and Houlihan Lokey ( HLI ) also

declined to comment.

The provider of online courses, testing and compliance

services for maritime professionals was formed in 2019 when

Oakley Capital merged its Seagull and Videotel businesses into

one entity.

OTG is targeting core profit of up to $50 million this year,

one of the sources said, adding that large private equity firms

are showing interest in the company and that a sale could prompt

consolidation in a fragmented maritime services sector..

Under Oakley's ownership, OTG has already made a handful of

acquisitions, most recently of Danish software company DanDocs.

($1 = 0.9272 euros)