What is Weather Routing?
Weather routing is the use of real-time weather data to find the optimal route for a ship’s voyage. This technology is advancing rapidly, and now, shipping companies can use this tool to improve their business from a safety, financial, and environmental standpoint. Here’s what you should know about weather routing and its benefits.
Although weather routing sounds simple, it requires complex calculations. This method seeks out the best route based on a variety of factors, including:
• Weather forecast
• Ship characteristics
• Cargo requirements
Because weather routing seeks to avoid inclement weather, the route selected may not be the shortest. The “optimized” voyage is the one that avoids poor conditions, protects the crew, and optimizes fuel consumption.
Benefits of Weather Routing
It makes a lot of sense to incorporate weather into ship routing. However, it can also be expensive to invest in, which can slow progress in this area. Here are the advantages of incorporating weather routing for shipping companies.
• Reduced operating costs
When you run a shipping company, every dollar can count and matter when you’re working with a tight margin. Weather routing optimizes fuel efficiency and delivers goods on time. A company that incorporates weather routing into its practices can save significant money, reduce insurance costs, avoid fees from port operators, and reduce money spent on crew overtime pay.
• Improved safety
Weather routing permits navigation teams to re-route vessels as necessary.
• Enhanced environment
Weather routing can help us meet decarbonization goals, which improves the environment. The Marine Environment Protection Committee set a big goal to reduce shipping carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. Weather routing can be key to helping us achieve this by optimizing all routes for fuel efficiency and avoiding poor weather conditions where ships may not run in an eco-friendly manner.
• Lower fuel costs
It’s estimated that weather routing saves at least 3 percent in fuel consumption, and for container ships, that number can increase to 10 percent. Given that fuel costs make up an estimated 50 to 60 percent of total ship operating costs, these savings can be significant. An upfront investment in weather routing is well worth it for shipping companies.
• Minimized delays
You’ve probably heard the term “supply chain” more often than you’d like to in the last few years. Pandemic-related shutdowns prompted bottlenecks at ports worldwide. To keep goods flowing smoothing and minimize delays, understanding marine weather is essential. A lack of understanding of marine weather accounts for 80 percent of the impact on performance.
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