AWT Weather Routing/Routeing: Applied Weather Technology

Ship Routing – Fuel Optimization

Minimize Fuel Consumption

For companies looking to minimize their feet’s fuel consumption, AWT provides ship-routing services to specifically meet that goal. Clients have reported fuel savings of up to 8% with the combined services of weather routing and optimum speed recommendations while still maintaining their schedules.

Economical Speed

When there is plenty of time in the schedule, AWT will automatically adjust the ETA based on the most economical speed. AWT’s Route Analysts are automatically notified day or night via our AWT Route Optimization alert system when the required speed changes from the speed provided in our last message to the Captain. The Route Analysts will then quickly update the recommended speed. The sooner the Captain makes the speed adjustments during the voyage, the less fuel consumed and the more money saved.

Schedule Optimization

AWT will advise the Captain and the ship’s operator when a required ETA cannot be met based on the vessel’s speed capability and the weather and currents over the remaining portion of the voyage. Customers can then make the appropriate adjustments to their schedule and AWT will respond with the optimal speed based on the new required ETA. By determining as early as possible into a voyage when you can no longer meet the required ETA, you can minimize the time that the vessel is sailing at full speed (maximum consumption) and thereby maximize fuel savings.

Safety and Efficiency

The combination of the most experienced ship routing staff and most sophisticated tools ensures the highest probability of a safe and efficient voyage. AWT has developed a ship routing system using artificial intelligence with an extensive alarm system which continuously monitors the vessels and alerts Route Analysts when action is needed. Alerts are prioritized so the analyst can quickly address those vessels with potential problems. These alarms cover all facets of the voyage from administrative details, data quality, vessel and voyage to performance and safety. Examples are:

• Potential of encountering freak waves, tropical cyclones and explosive deepening storms
• Probability of putting sensitive cargo at risk

AWT is the only shore-based ship routing company to use vessel and voyage specific severe motion alerts based on the vessel size, draft, stability, speed, heading and wave conditions. These alerts provide both strategic and tactical guidance to our experienced Route Analysts when evaluating a vessel’s route. The alerts show where severe motions are most likely to occur at a specific time along the route, and give an indication on which headings and/or speeds could be used to avoid these areas thereby minimizing the potential of heavy weather damage. These types of alarms allow AWT to find the most efficient route while keeping the crew, vessel and cargo safe.

Experienced, Full-service Ship-routing Support

Our offices are staffed with experts in forecasting, forensic meteorology, oceanography, computer science and voyage planning. Because ships are on the job 24 hours a day, every day during a voyage, AWT provides ship operators and Masters 24-hour support year round. The services provided by AWT include interactions with shipping company offices, initial routing messages for shipmasters, continuous monitoring of the vessel’s progress and issuance of voyage performance reports. AWT has extensive experience and data to help plan your voyage ahead of time and to support speed and consumption claims for routed and unrouted voyages.

AWT Utilizes Numerous Sources of Environmental Information:

• State-of-the-art oceanic and atmospheric modeling
• Sophisticated and precise remote sensing instrumentation on-board various earth-orbiting satellites
• Direct surface-based environmental observations
• Naval Coastal Ocean Model (NCOM) currents

Combining Meteorology with Actual Ship Response

Ship routing demands an understanding of the complex relationship between the science of meteorology and the science of naval architecture ship-response algorithms. Voyage analysis that defines the exact relationship between the actual weather encountered and the true effect on speed of advance of any specific vessel requires considerable skill and experience. Industry-renowned scientists in this specialized science head the AWT voyage analysis group.