Shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has partnered with Sofar Ocean on a dynamic voyage optimization platform, Wayfinder, designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by improving fuel efficiency.
Shipping contributes roughly 3% of global GHG emissions. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the shipping industry was responsible for 858 million tons of CO2 emissions globally in 2022.
MOL and Sofar’s new platform aims to reduce emissions by 6% per voyage by identifying the optimal speed and route for safe and efficient navigation for each ship daily. The route is determined using real-time weather forecasts based on information from Sofar’s global network of ocean sensors, the ship’s fuel efficiency calculated using a data-driven model, and market and safety constraints.
Sofar Ocean CEO, Time Janssen said, ”The broad deployment of Wayfinder across the global MOL fleet will drive immediate efficiency gains and emissions reductions. Wayfinder is powered by the best weather data and forecasts. This weather advantage produces more accurate vessel performance models and superior guidance, which translates to maximal gains voyage after voyage for MOL Group’s vessels.”
Sofar’s Wayfinder platform. The Dashboard shows a vessel’s current route (black line), the suggested route optimized by Wayfinder (pink line), and real-time weather and voyage information.
A Sofar Spotter buoy.
Sofar’s spotter buoys collect ocean data such as wave spectra, wind, sea surface temperature, and atmospheric pressure in real time, and are used by various government agencies. By combining the collected ocean data with weather data from satellites and other sources, Sofar said its weather forecasts, including wave field predictions, are up to 50% more accurate than other operational forecasts. The company said waves have a significant impact on the efficient operation of a ship.
MOL and Sofar conducted tests with 40 of MOL’s 101 operating vessels and confirmed that they achieved an average fuel/GHG emission reduction of about 6% per voyage. MOL has decided to introduce the Wayfair platform for all its vessels and operators, with the goal of realizing real-time information sharing.
MOL Group aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 and reduce GHG emissions intensity by 45% by 2035 (versus 2019) under the “MOL Group Environmental Vision 2.2.”
