Weathernews Inc. has launched SeaNavigator for Master, a new AI-driven platform aimed at reducing the long-standing information imbalance between vessels at sea and shore-based operations teams.
Rather than relying on email exchanges or satellite phone calls, the system allows captains to interact with an onboard conversational AI through chat, asking practical questions about weather risks, route options, fuel use and speed forecasts during a voyage.
The platform provides real-time access to high-resolution weather data, including wind, wave and tropical cyclone forecasts, alongside a voyage route simulation function that compares route options using wave conditions and historical sailing tracks.
Weathernews said the service is intended to give captains greater autonomy by placing the same operational data available ashore directly on the bridge. Voyage plans can also be reviewed and approved through chat, streamlining coordination between ship and shore.
The company plans to further refine the system by drawing on insights from more than one million voyages it has supported worldwide.
