World - GAC

page 14SolutionsGAC-SMHIWeather Solutions:Charting a course through stormy waters1997 - The Azores, mid-Atlantic Ocean: The ‘MSC Carla’ breaks in two inheavy seas. The front part of the vessel sinks, but the aft is salvaged and towed to theCanary Islands.1998 - The Pacific Ocean: The ‘APL China’ is hit by very rough weather en routefrom Asia to the USA, causing the worst container disaster ever.2007 - The English Channel, South-West of England: Battered by awinter storm, the ‘MSC Napoli’ almost capsizes and is pushed aground with a crackin its hull. Many containers are lost overboard and beached, and escaping oil causespollution along the southern coast of England.2009 - Makassar Strait, Indonesia: A ferry sinks in rough seas, with an estimatedloss of more than 300 lives.When a ship is delayed by bad weather,there are big costs – more steamingtime, more bunkers, lost business and inextreme cases disasters like the above thatcan run into millions.Throughout recorded history, shipshave been at the mercy of the wind andwaves. These have claimed countlessvessels along with their cargo and crew.Wild cardEven today, the weather remains the ‘wildcard’ when calculating a ship’s course.And with ship operators liable not onlyfor damages to their vessels and cargoes,but also for the environmental impactof any losses or accidents, the stakes arehigh. The Scandinavian Central Union ofMarine Underwriters (CEFOR) reports analarming increase of 86% in average hullclaims over a five year period.Joining forcesIt was with all that in mind that GAC joinedforces with the Swedish Meteorologicaland Hydrological Institute in October 2007to form GAC-SMHI Weather Solutions.The strategic alliance brings together thespecialist knowledge of the Institute– one of the world’s top five weatherrouting services providers – with theGAC Group’s capabilities in shipping,logistics and marine to offer customisedproducts and meteorological expertiseto help global maritime business achievegreater profitability and safety.Life, fuel, time, moneyIn December last year, GAC-SMHI’sProducts Manager Lennart Cederbergand Commercial Manager Syed FakhrulIslam addressed the Maritime ArbitrationConference in London about the benefitsof leveraging weather intelligence toachieve optimum routes that increaseefficiency and reduce costs.“It is one thing to have loadsof information and data – it is quiteanother to use them for benefit,” saysSyed. “We do this by harnessing newmethods and technologies to help shipowners plan proactively to achieve safersea transportation and cargo handling,realistic ETA planning, lower bunkerconsumption, minimal environmentalimpact and fewer acrimonious claims.“It’s all about saving lives, fuel, timeand money.”Costs under controlOne of the key GAC-SMHI benefits isin cutting bunker fuels consumption.Research indicates that ship owners cansave 5-10% on their bunker costs byusing the GAC-SMHI weather solutionsportfolio.Customised weather routingservices are currently offered separately oras part of an integrated service which caninclude GAC ship agency, bunker supply,and logistics services for ship spares orother necessities. Further research &development to expand and enhance theservice package is underway.For further information contact Syed FakhrulIslam at syedfakhrul.islam@gacworld.com