The algorithm seeks to allow the shipping industry to better use ocean currents, thereby minimising energy and maximising environmental standards.
It was developed by Associate Professor Shane Keating of the University of New South Wales, an expert on eddies and circular currents, using advanced ocean models and artificial intelligence.
“With better ocean forecasts, ships can use the power of currents as they travel, reducing fuel use and cutting emissions,” A/Prof. Keating said.
“The algorithm is like a Google Maps for the sea, giving the most efficient route in real time based on the behaviour of ocean eddies.”
This innovation is to deliver ocean forecasts via the UNSW Sydney company CounterCurrent.
The company has studied ocean currents for 15 years, focusing on forecasting and remote sensing and data science.
A/Prof. Keating states that by better incorporating ocean eddies in forecasts, commercial ships can harness currents to find more efficient routes across the sea.
Moreover, while ships typically travel the shortest distance between two points, the great circle route, this is not necessarily the most fuel-efficient option.
By sailing with ocean currents, ships can travel slightly longer distances over the surface of the Earth but travel more efficiently.
A/Prof. Keating examined how satellites could be used to measure the ocean from space after completing his PhD in astrophysics at the University of California San Diego.
“In the past few decades, satellite technology has completely revolutionised the way we look at the ocean,” he said.
“Before the satellite era, our picture of the ocean was of a giant bathtub of seawater with just a few large ocean currents – like the Gulf Stream and the East Australian Current.
“Thanks to satellites, we now know that the ocean is highly turbulent and chaotic, like our atmosphere, and is filled with thousands of ocean eddies that can range in diameter from ten to 300 kilometres and depths of up to 2000 metres.”
“My hope is that, within the next five years, this research will change the way that ships cross the ocean” — UNSW Associate Professor Shane Keating
A/Prof. Keating is a member of the international science team for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite and leads the Australian SWOT working group (AUSWOT), a consortium of researchers and stakeholders working to support the SWOT mission in the Asia-Pacific region.
A/Prof. Keating and a team of UNSW oceanographers boarded the advanced CSIRO research vessel RV Investigator in October 2023 to gather essential ocean data under the satellite’s path as it orbits Earth.
Data collected from commercial vessels also plays a vital role in helping improve our understanding of ocean currents.
In April 2024, A/Prof. Keating sailed on board a cargo ship travelling from Newcastle to Auckland, as part of the Ships of Opportunity Program (SOOP), a global partnership between the maritime industry and research scientists.
“It was amazing,” A/Prof. Keating said. “You are travelling across the ocean at the speed of a golf cart, so you can really see the impact of ocean currents on the vessel.”
A/Prof. Keating’s voyage onboard the cargo vessel provided further insights.
“Shipping is the lifeblood of the global economy… but we almost never hear about it unless something goes wrong,” A/Prof Keating said.
“All of that shipping has a huge carbon footprint – over a billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year is emitted by the shipping industry.”
The International Maritime Organisation has set a target of zero shipping emissions by 2050, with mandatory uptake of zero emission fuels such as green hydrogen and green methanol.
However, it is expected to take time to replace the existing merchant fleet with ships that can use alternative fuels and even then, these fuels are expected to be several times more expensive than traditional bunker fuel.
A/Prof. Keating’s ship routing technology allows vessels to cut costs and emissions by making small adjustments to the ship’s route to take advantage of natural currents.
Having tested his technology on more than a hundred vessels, A/Prof. Keating reports being able to demonstrate consistent fuel savings of up to 20%.
He is now engaging with several shipping companies and ship builders to commercialise the technology and make it accessible.
“It’s a win-win for shipping companies,” A/Prof. Keating said.
“They can save money and meet their emissions reductions targets right now, without any modification to the vessel or change in the vessel transit time.”
“My hope is that, within the next five years, this research will change the way that ships cross the ocean so that shipping companies can meet their emissions targets.”
A/Prof Keating’s research was backed by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility, the Ships of Opportunity Program, the Australian Research Council Linkage scheme, the Australian Economic Accelerator Seed Grant and the TRaCE Enterprise Academic Fellowship.