November 17th 2011, 13:30 – 17:30 at SHIRASE

Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR)Coastal Ship Routeing (CSR)

and Polar Routeing“True Routeing Service”

in JAPAN

The 14th

Total Fleet Management ServiceTFMS Forum

Summary

Forum AttendeesNYK-Hinode Line, Ltd.

Ocean Tokyu Ferry Co.,Ltd.

SK SHIP MANAGEMENT Co., Ltd.

TAIYO NIPPON KISEN CO.,LTD.

The Sanko Steamship Co., Ltd.

TOKYO MARINE CO., LTD.

TOYOFUJI SHIPPING CO.,LTD.

Iino Marine Service Co., Ltd.

INUI STEAMSHIP CO., LTD.

JFE Logistics Corporation

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

Kiwi Car Carriers

MC SHIPPING LTD.

Mitsubishi Ore Transport Co.,Ltd.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

NIHON TUG-BOAT CO.,LTD.

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha

Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co., Ltd.

Nissho Shipping Co.,Ltd.

Nordic Bulk Carriers

NS UNITED KAIUN KAISHA, LTD.

NYK Global Bulk Corporation

ACT MARITIME CO.,LTD.

COTRA SYSTEM CORPORATION

EASTERN CAR LINER, LTD.

Evergreen Marine Corp.

Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd.

Höegh Autoliners

Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd.

HyundaI U & I Technology Co., Ltd.

At the 14th Total Fleet Management Service (TFMS) Forum on the SHIRASE (a Weathernews-owned vessel), 73 attendees from 30 companies shared information on the latest improvements of the Weathernews Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR) service, as well as the vision of “Coastal Ship Routeing Service” and “Polar Routeing Service.”

─ MOL Environmental Strategy ─ Mr. Masahiko Hibino, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.

The MOL Environmental Strategy includes safety issues as well.

The MOL Environmental Strategy includes a technical approach called “ISHIN,” as well as SEEMP in order to achieve 10% emission reduction by 2015.

MOL has already adopted SEEMP to their currently-operated vessels.

SEEMP management needs the establishment of a new scheme with the involvement of all concerned parties.

Ship trim optimization is contributing to emissions reduction more than expected.

MOL expects Weathernews Quick Report Template (QRT) to incorporate EEOI items.

─ Sea Ice Prediction and Ice Navigation Support System ─ Prof. Hajime Yamaguchi

Voyage simulation indicates Polar Routes can achieve shorter passage time compared with Suez routes, especially in September.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has started a project to develop a Sea Ice Prediction and Ice Navigation Support System under the “Green Network of Excellence” (GRENE) project, which analyzes ice coverage and thickness as well as simulates ship's accidental damages and economical impact due to hitting ice.

─ “Weathernews as the True Routeing Service Company” ─ Chihito Kusabiraki, Weathernews Representative Managing Director

The first Weathernews-owned satellite for observing polar sea ice will be launched in September 2012 to enhance the Polar Routeing Service.

The vision of a new “Coastal Ship Routeing Service” will be discussed, capitalizing on Optimum Ship Routeing service technology and expertise.

The core values of Optimum Ship Routeing service assist shore-side ship operators and masters on board in voyage planning, as well as information sharing among all parties involved, and ultimately to promote the establishment of EEOI.

Opening Remarks

─ “NSR Project 2011” ─ Mr. Mads Boye Petersen, Nordic Bulk Carriers

Nordic Bulk Carriers successfully completed two Polar Route voyages under favorable weather and sea ice conditions. This symbolizes the first stage of Polar Route navigation development.

Infrastructure development is integral for navigating the Polar Routes.

Best-case scenarios cannot be always expected due to unstable factors, including weather conditions, but Nordic Bulk Carriers continues to discuss the possibility of formal Polar Route development.

Directional Speeches

The 14th Total Fleet Management Service (TFMS) Forum on the SHIRASE

QRT standardization should be discussed within the shipping circles, in order to help ship masters onboard to reduce their reporting burdens.

WNI services including OSR, CSR and performance monitoring should be flexible, taking into account a variety of sea-land communication bandwidth.

The WNI TFMS forums give us a good opportunity to meet many shipping companies, including those outside of Japan as well.

WNI has been generating lots of innovations. We sincerely hope WNI continues the good work with good partnership with the shipping industry.

Others

Weathernews ice forecast is very helpful for Capesize vessel operations when they navigate into the Saint Lawrence River and Bohai. The industry has great expectations for the enhancement of Weathernews ice forecast accuracy.

Information shared by Nordic Bulk Carriers and Sanko Shipping was very useful to discuss business aspects of Polar route navigation. The Japanese shipping industry should lead this project involving the Japanese government and universities.

Directional speech of MOL was very impressive and we felt they are trying to speed up their responses to sensitive environmental issue.

Directional Speech

It is good to hear that WNI is striving to improve OSR service such as researching for better parameter modeling.

We leaned that WNI is confident to provide OSR for bulkers not only for large owned vessels, but also one trip handy size vessels.

I was impressed by WNI’s advanced ideas and operations equipment. I really looking forward to seeing further enhanced communication service.

It's evident that OSR is very effective for fuel reduction. In order to enjoy the values shipping companies should establish navigation management structures.

I fully understood the differences between OSR and conventional weather routing service, especially advantage of speed allocation advisories in encountering heavy weather conditions.

OSR provides us with the latest ship-specific performance information which is not necessarily fully available at shipping companies.

Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR)

CSR is a good service when the vessel is involved in special occasions such as typhoon evasion, but not sure if shipping companies also should take the service on all short legs.

CSR would be a big challenge for WNI in view of finding each vessel's schedule information and the latest correct ship positions on short legs.

A concern is CSR may give too much business pressure on the ship masters.

Another concern is compliance with QRT (Quick Report Template) may give additional burden on ship masters, but thanks to the introduction of QRT, ship masters can obtain useful information on DOSCA terminal on board.

Fuel reduction on short legs is another outstanding issue, especially those out of Japan. I expect CSR will help us in optimization of port rotation in view of weather and safety.

Coastal Ship Routeing (CSR)

Weather forecast accuracy should be at the forefront of all WNI endeavors.

URE station information should be effective for PCTC because they are especially vulnerable to weather conditions.

We are looking forward to seeing the new index of ship hazard which may replace Beaufort Force scale. This would be revolutionarily significant in view of legal aspect.

Weather Forecast Accuracy Enhancement

Attendee’s Feedback

Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR) + Coastal Ship Routeing (CSR) + Polar Routeing “True Routeing Service”

It has been confirmed that OSR helps fuel savings and EEOI programs through close communication with ship masters and operators. OSR can now help bulk carriers as well.

Optimum voyage planning service can help Polar route navigations as well.

The new ship navigation index is now being discussed to enhance OSR service. The index represents ship motion damage factor taking into account weather/sea conditions and ship-specific parameters with partnership with the shipping industry, universities and Weathernews.

Capitalizing on experience with OSR for ocean going voyages, CSR will be launched for the total voyage optimization.

Total voyage optimization for economic and environmental issues can be established when ship, voyage, weather and business performance are monitored and shared among all parties involved 24 x 7.

About Total Fleet Management Service (TFMS)

“Coastal Ship Routeing Service” is widely requested by many customers, in addition to OSR for ocean crossing voyages.

Market requirements for CSR include the issues of safety, fuel savings, optimum voyage planning, ship performance monitoring, navigational hazard information sharing for all vessels on entire voyages.

Coastal Ship Routeing (CSR)

OSR trial service for bulk carriers including capesize, panamax, handymax and handy size vessels since February 2011 demonstrated that an average of 20 mt / voyage can be saved thanks to OSR service.

Weathernews learned that voyage planning discussions are made in balance of Charter Party compliance navigation and speed reduction for bunker savings before and during the voyage. The same concept is employed in post voyage evaluation.

Bulk carrier performance is inherently low compared with other ship type vessels, which makes OSR ship-specific performance model significantly important and useful for optimum voyage planning on the next voyages. This realizes the idea of making a “poor performer” a “predictable performer.”

OSR continuously updates each ship performance model during voyage based on ship reported QRT information.

Optimum Ship Routeing (OSR) for Your Business

Weathernews weather forecast model enhancement is being made by the process of “(1) issuing forecast -> (2) forecast accuracy evaluation -> (3) model calibration -> (4) issuing forecast,” always taking into account ship reports and other weather observation data.

WNI is trying to establish a new safety risk index which analyses potential ship motion due to weather/sea conditions.

Quick OSR model construction: Ship type-wise OSR generic models can now be prepared for quick service start up when all relevant voyage information is not available.

The OSR model has been enhanced with a new speed reduction algorithm taking into account observed ship pitching motion under bad weather conditions.

Weather Forecast Model Enhancement and OSR Model Construction