Theyr to use ai to define the sustainability of commercial shipping

Theyr, a premium met-ocean data provider for the marine sector, has signed up to the national SPRINT business support programme. Theyr will collaborate with SPRINT partner, the University of Southampton on the development of an industry-leading marine vessel routing application that will enable a cleaner future for commercial shipping.

The SPRINT project will focus on the real-time exploitation of space data used in the development of voyage optimisation solutions for commercial vessels. The project combines the very latest in high fidelity metocean forecast data with leading edge genetic algorithms to create a route optimisation module that will produce the most efficient routes for vessels and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The University of Southampton will provide Theyr with expertise in best-in-class genetic algorithms and optimisation to exploit increasingly higher fidelity satellite data. Theyr will also use the University of Southampton’s IRIDIS5 supercomputer, the UK’s largest academic supercomputer to speed up the verification process.

The latest International Marine Organisation (IMO) regulations compel the shipping industry to significantly reduce its GHG emissions from the start of 2020, which in turn, has led to a major increase in the cost of compliant fuels. These latest regulatory requirements continue to fuel the digital revolution within the industry, facilitating the transition to a greener future.

David Young, CEO of Theyr said: “We’re delighted that this SPRINT project has been given the green light. Combining our expertise with the substantial knowledge and resources of the University of Southampton will facilitate the future sustainability of commercial shipping by effectively reducing fuel costs and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the industry through the use of AI and high-fidelity metocean data.”