Weather Navigation featured in The Conversation Weekly

This month, Daniel Precioso from the Weather Navigation team was featured on an episode of The Conversation Weekly, a global podcast that brings together expert voices on some of today’s most pressing global challenges.

In this episode, Daniel presented our research on maritime routing algorithms. We leverage real-time environmental data (such as wind, wave, and ocean current forecasts) to support lower-emission, safer, and more efficient shipping. These optimization techniques are designed to reduce fuel consumption and travel time, offering practical tools for the transition toward a more sustainable maritime sector.

He was joined by Professor Alice Larkin from the University of Manchester, who contributed a broader view on decarbonizing the shipping industry, from sail-assisted propulsion to the future of alternative fuels.

Daniel’s participation in the podcast follows his involvement in an interdisciplinary research initiative between IE University and Universidad de Cádiz, focused on the optimization of maritime routes for safer, more efficient, and more sustainable transport. This ongoing project aims to develop high-precision routing algorithms using real-time environmental data from sources like NOAA, Copernicus, and HYCOM. The models integrate vessel-specific parameters (such as displacement, hull geometry, and engine specs) with ocean conditions to estimate fuel usage and CO₂ emissions.

This research is supported by:

• BBVA Foundation via the project “Mathematical optimization for a more efficient, safer and decarbonized maritime transport”.

• Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación under grant TED2021-129455B-I00, “Optimization of maritime routes with real time oceanographic and meteorological data”.

You can listen to the full podcast episode here.