“The launch of our Manila office emphasizes our commitment to the APAC region,” said Petty Leung, Executive Director, Shipping Services, StormGeo. “The increasing digitalization of voyage optimization holds tremendous benefits for the shipping industry, while human engagement is still necessary for countless decisions. I am especially pleased that our extensive maritime expertise in Asian time zones enhances our ability to meet our customers’ needs and foster closer relationships with all our customers, partners, and stakeholders in Asia Pacific.”

The Philippines is a logical choice for StormGeo to establish the operation center since over 90% of trade in the Philippines is moved by sea, making the shipping sector a noteworthy business in the country. The new APAC operations center will focus on providing professional route advisory services 24/7, as well as allowing StormGeo to create new business opportunities in the region. The new office expands StormGeo’s network of locations in APAC to seven, including offices in key cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Taiwan, Tokyo, and Seoul.

As part of the expansion, Michael Krch has been appointed APAC Operations Manager and will lead the company’s efforts in servicing its growing customer base across Asia. Michael has over 20 years of experience in meteorological operations, including maritime transport risk management and route analysis. He joined StormGeo as a route analyst supervisor in 2008 and has led the weather route analyst team to provide analytical support to a fleet of over 5,000 commercial vessels.

“The decision to establish the new operations center in Asia-Pacific supports our growth plan,” said Michael Krch, APAC Operations Manager, StormGeo. “We’ve been active in this region for 25 years and are excited to be formally establishing an operation center in the Philippines.”

In 2022, StormGeo provided route optimization services to our customers for 71,000 voyages. This equates to saving 488,125 MT of fuel and the removal of 1.4 million MT of CO2 and more than 24,000 MT SOX from the atmosphere and ocean.

StormGeo has pushed the evolution of voyage optimization even further by offering a novel way to optimize fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions without compromising arrival windows. This method, called Strategic Power Routing, effectively makes weather routing a vital component of any decarbonization effort.