ABSTRACT: The aim of the TOPVOYS project supported by the MarTERA ERA-Net Cofund program within the European Commission is to advance and implement analyses tools and decision support system for voyage optimisation. Based on marine weather analyses and forecasts combined with near real time satellite-based observations of wind, wave and surface current conditions as well as sea surface temperature fields the best shipping route are examined. The proposed approach aims to identify the optimum balance between minimisation of transit time and fuel consumption as well as reduction of emissions without placing the vessel at risk to damage and or crew injury. As such it is compliant with the International Maritime Organization guidelines [6] for ship routeing to keep the traffic smooth and avoid accidents, notably in the presence of unfavorable marine meteorological conditions. The tool performances will be demonstrated both in post-voyage analyses and real time operations for the North Atlantic Ocean crossings, voyages from Europe through the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Channel to the Far East (e.g. China, South Korea) and voyages around Southern Africa.

KEYWORDS: Route Optimization, Route Optimization Algorithm, Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Voyage at Sea, Optimization Tool, Finite-Size Lyapunov Exponent (FSLE), Sea Surface Temperature (SST)

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