Danish maritime firm Weilbach is adding technology firm Optimum Voyage's voyage optimisation technology to its platform, Weilbach Optimizer.

The tool will work with routes created in Weilbach Viewer and will use vessel performance data, weather forecasts, ocean currents and other information to recommend route and speed options, the companies said in an emailed update on Monday. It evaluates millions of possible route and speed combinations while taking navigability and the planned route into account.

The aim is to help crews cut fuel use, avoid heavy weather and improve ETA reliability. The final routing decision remains with the crew. Fuel savings are a growing priority for shipping lines as the industry faces both high bunker costs and tightening emissions rules, including the IMO's strategy to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by around 2050, which has pushed owners and operators to adopt digital tools such as voyage optimisation and performance monitoring.

"With Weilbach Optimizer, crews get practical, navigable route options built on the same engine that optimizes more than 700 vessels every day, and the final decision always remains on the bridge," Martin Hjorth Simonsen, CEO of Optimum Voyage, said.

"With more than 50 shipowners already using the technology with great success worldwide, we are very excited to bring Weilbach Optimizer to market," Daniel Friis, CCO of Weilbach A/S, said.

Weilbach, a long-established Danish supplier of maritime publications and voyage planning products, has been building out its digital offerings, and the partnership with Optimum Voyage extends its platform with weather-routing capabilities that compete with established providers in the voyage optimisation market, where a growing number of shipowners are integrating such tools into fleet operations.

Source: Ship & Bunker