Associate Professor Shane Keating, a researcher in oceanography and applied mathematics at UNSW Sydney, is utilising his research through spinout company CounterCurrent.
“With better ocean forecasts, ships can use the power of currents as they travel, reducing fuel use and cutting emissions,” Keating says.
“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.”
Keating’s expertise lies in the study of eddies, and by incorporating them in forecasts, he says commercial ships can harness these currents to find more efficient routes across the ocean.
It will allow ships to travel the shortest distance in real time by following ocean currents. This is possible due to improved satellite technology, which now provides images that allow eddies to be tracked.
“In the past few decades, satellite technology has completely revolutionised the way we look at the ocean,” Keating says.
“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.”
In April 2024, Keating participated in a voyage on board a 140 metre-long cargo vessel travelling from the Port of Newcastle to Auckland, as part of the Ships of Opportunity Program (SOOP), a global partnership between the maritime industry and research scientists that uses commercial vessels to gather ocean observations for marine weather forecasts.
“It was amazing,” he says.
“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.”
Keating says his 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, he has been able to demonstrate consistent fuel savings of up to 20 per cent.
“It’s a win-win for shipping companies,” Keating says.
“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.”