Winter in the northern hemisphere is always a brutal reminder for the shipping industry that routing vessels efficiently is a big challenge. Winter storms bring low visibility conditions, freezing spray, and sea ice, all of which can lead to catastrophic results if not appropriately navigated, including lost cargo, damaged hulls and even potentially toppling a ship in the most extreme weather. But this January adds additional pressures to the sector with new and enacted regulations around greenhouse emissions and carbon usages. The beneficial news is that in both scenarios, weather intelligence can help those navigating the open seas better plan and safely and efficiently navigate these waters.
While most of us know that weather impacts nearly every aspect of shipping, we likely think of it in terms of safety of people and cargo. According to The Swedish Club 2020 loss prevention report, heavy weather is cited in half of all claims and contributes to 80 % of the financial losses. Weather optimized routing uses real-time weather forecasts, oceanic data, and the vessel’s current position to keep captains at sea and voyage managers on land about changing conditions. If there is hazardous weather, most voyage routing algorithms can make numerous calculations in real time and provide one or more alternatives for a ship operator to optimize a route. While ultimately this may not be the most efficient route, it will likely be the safest route for current conditions.
Weather intelligence is also critical in evaluating, and potentially adjusting, greenhouse gas emissions based on vessel performance and fuel usage. The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) introduced in 2023 is a rating framework that evaluates how efficiently a ship transports goods or passengers from a carbon emissions standpoint. This is the first year that ships will be assigned a rating. The data from the previous year is used in an efficiency conversion ratio. Each ship is assigned an individual CII rating from A to E, with A being the best possible rank.
This year will also see the phasing in of the EU’s Emissions Trading System Directive for the shipping industry. Shipping companies will now be obliged to surrender allowances for their verified carbon dioxide emissions, and it will start with 40% of verified emissions in 2024 and rise to 100% by 2026.
How does weather data help reduce emissions? Again, weather-optimized routing has proven to be an effective tool for shipping companies. Shipping routes are planned ahead of voyages with the goal of the least amount of voyage time and minimum fuel consumption. Routes also depend on the weather forecast, sea conditions, and vessel performance metrics. Recent research by the IMO found that by using weather routing and optimizing vessel speed, ships can reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 10 to 50% per voyage.
Weather intelligence also accounts for secondary impacts on fuel emissions. Vessel performance, the linchpin in the CII ratings, compares the ship’s “as-built” performance characteristics to actual performance and if retrofits are necessary to enhance energy efficiency. Weather insights are important to understanding if wave energy, bad weather, or a combination of both impacted the vessel performance for a particular voyage that will be added to the CII annual data reporting.
The shipping industry is facing many challenges right now, including unsafe routes or forced longer routes that are increasing journey times and require more fuel. Weather analytics can help the shipping industry plan for disruptions ahead of time, chart the best route and adjust as needed for unforeseen factors, while still working toward meeting new sustainability goals.
