Toqua, Weathernews Join Forces for AI-Driven Vessel Voyage Optimization

Weathernews, a Japan-headquartered weather intelligence firm, and Belgium’s Toqua, a developer of physics-informed AI for ship performance modeling, have entered a strategic partnership to integrate vessel-specific performance models into Weathernews’ voyage optimization systems.

The collaboration aims to improve fuel efficiency and operational predictability by combining Toqua’s AI-trained vessel performance models with Weathernews’ weather routing and optimization algorithms, enabling more accurate voyage planning based on how individual ships perform under varying operational and environmental conditions.

The integrated system uses physics-informed AI trained on real vessel operational data, capturing factors such as hull fouling, weather sensitivity, and speed-power relationships across different sea states.

Controlled validation programs showed the integration could yield up to 3% additional fuel savings beyond existing Weathernews optimization and reduce arrival time uncertainty by 50%, according to the companies.

“Routing optimization consists of three main components - weather forecast, the optimization algorithm, and the performance model.

“The better the model understands how a specific vessel performs at a given speed, in given weather conditions, at a certain draft, the better the optimization algorithm can simulate different scenarios and choose the most optimal route,” said Casimir Morobé, Founder of Toqua.

“Combining our probabilistic weather forecasting with Toqua’s vessel-specific models empowers our meteorologists to provide better guidance to customers. We’re strengthening our human-in-the-loop approach, giving our people more accurate tools to maximize both safety and earnings for voyage operations,” added Jacob Iversen, Head of Partnerships at Weathernews Europe.