Routing the 2018 Hurricane Season

Hurricane season is again upon us, while memories of the 2017 season are still fresh in many minds.

The maritime shipping industry was heavily impacted in the Atlantic last year, with September being the most active hurricane month in recorded history.

While Hurricane Irma and Maria received much of the headlines, they were largely well-predicted. Hurricane Jose however, presented serious challenges for forecasters with a track that stalled and made a loop across a major shipping lane.

A ship captain potentially sailing within close proximity of such a storm has to make prudent decisions well in advance to ensure safe passage. Ship routing guidance from StormGeo provides an essential service to help keep mariners safe in these situations.

When a storm tracks slowly like Hurricane Jose did, a ship will often need to decide whether to increase or decrease speed, or make changes to the intended course. In the example presented below, StormGeo was able to guide a bulk cargo vessel to pass safely around Jose without any additional delays. This was done by recommending speed adjustments to remain safely north and west of the looping storm.

StormGeo’s proprietary Tropical Storm Probability guidance, actively utilized by our routing operations team and available on BonVoyage System 8.0, showed high confidence with the computer models retrogressing Jose southeast-ward, creating a safe routing window to the north. By maintaining direct passage without drifting or adding excessive distance, the ship was able to avoid several days of delay and arrived on-time for cargo operations. This collaborative effort between StormGeo, the ship operator and ship captain kept the crew and assets safe while avoiding a substantial increase in costs.

StormGeo’s Route Advisory Services constantly strive to keep vessel safety as the primary goal. With the aid of leveraging powerful computer model simulations and engaging in effective communication between all stakeholders, StormGeo can identify situations where operating costs can be reduced as well. The example of the cargo vessel avoiding Hurricane Jose is just one example of how safety and savings can coexist.