The message was loud and clear at Weathernews Inc’s ‘Explore the Future of Maritime Operations’ cruise reception during London International Shipping Week, with unanimous agreement that joining forces in constructive, transparent partnerships is the only way the shipping industry can successfully navigate urgent challenges both today and tomorrow.

With London’s spectacular riverside as a backdrop, the networking event onboard the London Rosegathered industry leaders and experts from around the world, sparking crucial discussions on the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing to solve present and future challenges. Weathernews also took the opportunity to officially launch its pioneering Sea Navigator operational optimization platform.

Addressing impact of climate change

WNI meteorologist and Head of Sales and Marketing Americas, Jesse Vecchione, delved into the profound effects of climate change on weather patterns and the consequences for forecast accuracy and voyage optimization. “Shipping is, of course, not isolated in facing these challenges. To effectively and adapt to changing climate conditions requires a clearer and faster global effort involving both individuals and the whole of society, companies and industries,” he said.

“For me, the major takeaway is the urgent need for collective action, and at Weathernews, we’re actively contributing to this global effort. We’ve been actively engaged in ESG topics, including TCFD frameworks, for our Japanese supporters, and now we’re excited to expand our international efforts in the same direction. We see synergies between these broader disclosures and industry-specific regulations like IMO and EU-ETS. As a result, we’re actively exploring opportunities in these areas as well.”

Routing with Probabilistic Forecasting
Showcasing Weathernews’ commitment to maritime safety and excellence, Marine Group Operations General Manager (Europe and Americas), Amy Buhl, explored the power of this pioneering technique that equips shipping companies to adapt and mitigate the impacts of climate change. “Operational challenges and uncertainties are increasing as extreme weather events and wave energy disruptions become more frequent. Leveraging quantitative analysis of climate change risks, advanced technologies for predicting extreme weather and state-of-the-art visualization techniques, we can proactively manage voyage risks and help shipping companies achieve optimization effectively,” she said. The big lesson here is to embrace big data and make it work to enhance safety and operational efficiency, safeguarding both assets and crew wellbeing.

‘A tailored, all-in-one platform’
Niels Kjærgaard, Director of European Business Development, and Senior Sales Manager Ioannis Sideris took to the podium to launch the Sea Navigator platform, which is purpose-designed to simplify operational management and empower vessel operators with real-time insights. Offering customization options, risk mitigation and revenue maximization tools, it addresses the pressing environmental concerns of the industry by facilitating active emissions reduction and supporting shipping companies’ green agendas. “It’s a ground-breaking solution that marks a significant step towards streamlining operations while increasing profitability and promoting environmental responsibility. We’re also very focused on continuous improvement and our customers are our greatest source of feedback,” said Kjærgaard.

He added that Sea Navigator has been exhaustively tested by customers in the field and proven to save significant amounts of CO2 emissions, time and fuel consumption.

Networking mission accomplished
The event certainly achieved its goal to get people mixing, with Jesse Bryce, Commercial Fleet Performance Manager, commenting on behalf of all the guests: “Thanks to Paresh and his stellar team for a wonderful evening on the river. It was valuable hearing how the company approaches forecasting to enable safe and efficient shipping. It was also great to ‘geek out’ with others on opportunities for the future of sustainability in shipping.”

Summing up the event, Paresh Parekh, Head of Business Development in UK at Weathernews, says that although the collaboration message isn’t new, it needs to be repeated time and time again. “Our objective was to create a space where clients, business partners and colleagues could meet and share insights to address the daily challenges they face. To say that I was impressed by the enthusiasm and the depth of those conversations is an understatement. Everyone agrees that cooperation and joint industry partnerships are vital to unleash the creativity we need to secure maritime sustainability,” he said. “The event far exceeded my expectations and I am genuinely optimistic about the future. Thanks to my colleagues for their hard work preparing the event and to our guests for their active input to all the discussions.”