StormGeo Shipping - Experts & Thought Leaders

The safety and efficiency of offshore oil & gas operations have always depended on the weather – but now operators are navigating far more volatile conditions, in deeper waters and harsher environments than ever before. In this new operating reality, data-driven weather intelligence is becoming a powerful enabler, helping companies stay ahead of fast-changing conditions and make confident decisions as operational windows tighten, says StormGeo. “Offshore operators are seeing a clear trend: more frequent, more intense, and less predictable weather across every major basin,” says Alan Binley, StormGeo’s Global Industry Manager Offshore Oil & Gas. “That variability is reshaping how the industry plans, executes, and safeguards offshore operations.” Dealing with weather volatility Deep-water production platforms, drilling rigs, and offshore fleets face amplified safety and performance risks as weather uncertainty grows. Storm-driven shutdowns, crew transport limitations, and structural stresses from high seas, icing, and tropical systems now occur with greater regularity, putting pressure on production schedules and operational budgets alike. “With weather becoming more extreme, offshore teams need to factor these conditions into every facet of planning,” Binley explains. “Doing so not only protects personnel, it also helps optimize exploration, construction, and production timelines while avoiding costly disruptions.” Real-time monitoring to ensure vessels Greater weather variability is shrinking planning horizons and tightening safety windows for lifts, personnel transfers, construction work, drilling operations, and maintenance campaigns. That means the industry must operate with far more precision to avoid unexpected delays and budget overruns. Rapid weather swings – whether sudden squalls, mesoscale convective systems, or sharp sea-state shifts – demand continuous, real-time monitoring to ensure vessels and assets stay within safe operating limits. Even small deviations in storm tracks or intensity can significantly influence evacuation decisions, mooring integrity, and production downtime, especially as exposure to tropical cyclones and severe storms increases. Asset and regulatory challenges These challenges intensify as new asset types gain prominence. Floating installations, FPSOs, walk-to-work gangways, and hybrid vessel fleets (CSVs, SOVs) each respond differently to motion, heave, and wave directionality, requiring more refined thresholds and insights. Layered onto this is rising regulatory and ESG scrutiny, with operators expected to demonstrate transparent decision-making, top-tier safety performance, and more efficient fuel usage across their marine operations. “Put simply, volatility leaves far less margin for error,” Binley says. “That makes predictive accuracy and decision support more essential than ever.” Beyond safety, weather predictability carries major commercial weight. Optimal weather windows are central to planning installation campaigns, maintenance schedules, shuttle tanker offloading, seismic surveys, and other marine operations that can quickly rack up vessel costs when delayed. Tapping into weather intelligence Yet despite its increasing influence, weather remains one of the least optimized data streams offshore – a gap with enormous potential. “Weather intelligence can be transformative,” Binley says. “It leverages high-quality data and AI analytics to support earlier decisions, tighter operating windows, and lower risk thresholds. It’s an operational multiplier for offshore oil & gas.” This intelligence integrates high-resolution atmospheric, marine, and metocean insights with analytics, expert meteorology, and decision-support tools. Key components include: Metocean forecasting: Waves, currents, wind shear, icing, tropical cyclone trajectories Operational thresholds: Vessel motion limits, access windows, helideck compliance Impact modelling: Translating forecasts into O&M, construction, and logistics decisions Decision guidance: Dashboards, automated alerts, and scenario-planning tools Cyclone forecasting and storm-surge modelling By translating complex weather patterns into clear operational guidance, offshore teams can enhance safety and performance across the entire lifecycle from exploration and site selection to construction, operations, and emergency response. “Accurate, timely forecasts allow operators to proactively adjust schedules before conditions deteriorate,” Binley notes. “That minimizes risk for personnel, reduces downtime, and streamlines evacuations or shut-in decisions when necessary.” Cyclone forecasting and storm-surge modelling play an especially critical role, providing rapid guidance during threatening events and enabling smoother emergency response efforts. Impactful applications StormGeo is currently providing advanced weather intelligence for over 2500 offshore sites worldwide – issuing more than 2.7-million-point forecasts annually – with 24/7 year-round support from meteorologists working out of 10 global operations and support centres. Binley says some of the most impactful applications of weather intelligence are occurring in construction and commissioning, where precise forecast planning supports heavy lifts, cable laying, and other critical-path activities. Operational teams benefit from advanced threshold monitoring for helideck activity, flare management, offloading, and mooring integrity. Marine coordinators rely on vessel-motion forecasting to refine safety windows for walk-to-work operations, crew transfers, and supply vessel scheduling. In drilling, forecasting supports riser management, BOP operations, and downtime avoidance during sensitive phases. Efficient shutdown and restart sequence Real-world applications show measurable value. In the North Sea, one major operator increased safe crew transfer windows by 15-20% using vessel-specific motion forecasts during a construction campaign. The result: fewer standby hours, smoother workflows, and maintenance completed ahead of schedule. In the Gulf of Mexico, a multi-platform operator used early cyclone intensification alerts to execute a streamlined personnel evacuation without helicopter congestion. The same intelligence supported a more efficient shutdown and restart sequence, cutting total downtime by roughly 18 hours compared with historical averages. Controllable variable Weather intelligence is also driving sustainability gains. Tailored wave and current forecasts, combined with vessel-specific routing guidance, have helped operators reduce fuel consumption during shuttle tanker operations serving FPSOs while avoiding offloading delays. Inside control rooms and marine coordination centres, integrated atmospheric and oceanographic data supports real-time decision-making. Weather intelligence is also becoming a key pillar of remote operations through AI-driven failure prediction, production optimization, and integration with digital twins. “The offshore operators of the future will treat weather as a controllable variable,” Binley concludes. “With the right intelligence, they can turn environmental uncertainty into safer operations, lower emissions, and stronger profitability.”

ClassNK has partnered with StormGeo for seamless sharing and verification of emission data. The collaboration marks a significant milestone for the two as it establishes the sharing and verification of emission data, to meet the requirements of their shared clients. Shipping companies that use StormGeo’s s-Insight platform will be able to share their validated emissions data to the ClassNK MRV Portal via API, for a seamless verification process. This process enables shipping companies to maximise their reporting accuracy and accelerate their decarbonisation strategy, according to regulations. Advancing maritime decarbonisation Mr. Espen Martinsen, Executive Vice President Sales, StormGeo, said, “This new agreement to share data for MRV, EU-ETS, and broader decarbonisation initiatives is not only a significant stride towards advancing maritime decarbonisation but is also a testament to our shared commitment to operational excellence and high data quality." Dr. Yoshiya Yamaguchi, Executive Vice President, ClassNK, said, "We expect that this API integration will lead to improved convenience for the clients. ClassNK will continue to contribute to maritime decarbonisation by fostering collaborations transcending industry boundaries."

DNV’s independent cloud platform, Veracity expands its integrated partner network and grows its reach to 35,000 vessels, helping shipping companies and charterers meet their emissions data verification and reporting needs. With major regulatory shifts on the horizon and 2024 inching closer for the sector’s inclusion into the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), decarbonisation and carbon control have become central focus points for shipowners and operators of late. Automated, and real-time access Veracity’s expanding network of integrated partners is proving pivotal for more and more customers. It enables easy, automated, and real-time access to verified emissions data for seamless and secure reporting across the value chain. This is specifically tuned for supporting new emissions clauses in the contracts requiring timely and trusted emissions data. Need for trusted data source There’s no question the impact of the EU ETS will be felt across the entire value chain" Mikkel Skou, Executive Director at Veracity said, “There’s no question the impact of the EU ETS will be felt across the entire value chain. Carbon tax is factored into freight rates and commercial agreements, but while the cost will be shared across the maritime value chain the initial pressure and responsibility lies heavy on ship owners and managers." Mikkel Skou adds, "This has necessitated the need for constant access, control, and confidence in emissions and operational vessel data. Simply put, a trusted source of data that can help the industry players collaborate on emissions reduction measures.” StormGeo partnership One of the first partners to integrate with the Veracity platform, weather intelligence, and advanced analytics provider to the shipping industry, StormGeo, shares the benefits that the network unlocks for joint customers and the industry at large. Petter Andersen, Senior Vice President, of Shipping Digital at StormGeo said, “The integration between StormGeo and Veracity is proof that collaboration is a means to an end to create true value for the end user." Ensuring data quality Petter Andersen adds, "United in our mission to ensure the quality of data, together we help the end-user structure their data flow, ensure data quality, and automatically share data with DNV for verification so they do not need to do it themselves." He continues, "The end-user saves considerable time on the process and improves the quality of their data with this data pipeline.”  Network of integrated partners In Q2 alone, Veracity onboarded seven new partners to the programme One year on, Veracity has grown a powerful network of integrated partners including Coach Solutions, Wärtsilä, Navtor, Vessel Performance Solutions, ZeroNorth, Dynamarine, and 90POE to name a few. In Q2 alone, Veracity onboarded seven new partners to the programme, including pioneering maritime technology provider Yara Marine. Streamline operational data Mikael Laurin, Head of Vessel Optimisation, Yara Marine Technologies said, “Integration with Veracity by DNV will help our customers streamline their operational data processes and simplify compliance and continuous data verification." Mikael Laurin adds, "We are proud to work with DNV and make Veracity available for all our customers using our reporting tool in Fleet Analytics™. This ensures that they have future-proof and cost-effective solutions." Simplifying workload As the first joint customer to use the integrated system between Veracity and Yara Marine, Tanker operator Stenersen was quick to recognise the integration as a key ingredient to reaching net-zero maritime emissions. Christopher Stenersen, Environmental Advisor at Rederiet Stenersen AS, commented, “Through our longstanding relationship with Yara Marine Technologies, we know that they are committed to supporting customers' sustainability and decarbonisation journeys. We already use Yara Marine’s Fleet Analytics™ for our voyage and MRV reporting, and the new integration with Veracity will further simplify our workload and streamline our data analysis process.” The Network Effect Connecting and decarbonising the industry through trusted data As the regulatory arena intensifies, data integrations, such as these, will be more instrumental As the regulatory arena intensifies, data integrations, such as these, will be more instrumental than ever to customers, particularly towards CII reporting and EU ETS compliance that will become mandatory as of 1 January 2024. Mikkel Skou, Executive Director at Veracity said, “Our partner programme is integral to helping shipowners and managers to effectively operationalise the process of emissions reporting." Real-time, daily verified data Mikkel Skou adds, "I hope to see more data providers and partners join us in helping customers gain seamless access to real-time, daily verified data in a secure environment. With this single source of truth, we are not only heeding the call for trust, traceability, and transparency but injecting confidence in the commercial and sustainable decision-making of all stakeholders.” Veracity Integrated Partner (VIP) programme The Veracity Integrated Partner (VIP) programme was launched in 2022 to help shipowners add ease and efficiency to their emissions reporting process. As part of the programme, established data providers connect with the Veracity platform through a secure, digital pipeline. This allows a continuous feed of consented and real-time data from the customer’s vessels into Veracity’s Operational Vessel Data (OVD) standard and DNV’s extensive suite of verification services. Programme benefits Full benefits to the customer include: Automated and streamlined data flows. Reduction in manual data input and crew effort. Instant access to DNV’s integrated verification services, hereunder verified Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and ETS data and reports. Easy and efficient data transfers; e.g., ready-to-submit Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) and Data Collection System (DCS) verification. Enabling data quality improvement, through increased data ingest frequency, validation algorithms, and feedback loops. A single source for trusted data to share with stakeholders.