VesselFront, a maritime software company based in Piraeus, announces that its Vesselfront.AI software has received Type Approval from the international classification society Bureau Veritas.

The approval certifies the software’s capabilities in fuel consumption calculation, emissions forecasting and support weather routing decisions. Vessels running the software can be assigned the additional class notation SMART EnE3-Em-W (rule note NR675) which .The approval is valid until March 2031 and each installation is surveyed by a Bureau Veritas representative as part of assigning the SMART EnE3-Em-W notation to the vessel. In parallel, the classification society has certified VesselFront’s quality management system in Piraeus (BV Mode II, NR320).

Vesselfront.AI is a weather-routing system for commercial fleets. It accounts for the applicable regulatory framework and the operational voyage plan and, with safety of navigation as the primary criterion, determines the optimal route for each voyage. Specialised agents continuously assess weather, fuel oil consumption, compliance with environmental regulations and the vessel’s exposure to adverse sea conditions. Every recommendation is explained leg by leg, so that the master and the ship’s management can verify the reasoning behind it.

“Today, the master receives a recommended route from shore with no real justification, despite bearing full responsibility for the ship and her crew. Likewise, when a speed or consumption claim arises, the charterer has to reconstruct what happened after the fact, often from incomplete data. Both need the same thing: to know why the route was chosen. The master needs it before departure, the charterer after arrival”, said Katerina Karampasi, VP Engineering at VesselFront.

Vesselfront.AI on a Corpus Christi – Rotterdam voyage: the optimised route (orange) versus the shortest route (blue), over the North Atlantic wave-height forecast.

Every route calculated by Vesselfront.AI is subjected to binding safety constraints, including maximum significant wave height along the route, maximum and minimum sailing latitude, and no-go areas. These constraints always take precedence over fuel savings, while the system also minimises time spent in Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

A patent application for Vesselfront.AI has been filed with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). The innovation of the company’s approach is also highlighted by its research contract with the European Space Agency (ESA).