August 2006: SPOS weather planning systems for new COSCO giants

European weather forecasting company Meteo Consult has received an order for the supply of SPOS weather systems for the five largest COSCO container vessels each carrying about 9500 containers. The first installations have already taken place. The vessels are operated by Costamare who have used SPOS successfully on other vessels chartered to Maersk, MSC and Hapag.

With SPOS, the master can receive detailed weather forecasts onboard for display and use them for accurate route and ETA planning taking wind, waves and ocean currents into account. Benefits for the charterer lie in the fuel savings that are possible when berthing times and good weather permit slower sailing speeds. More important however is the possible reduction of damage due to lost containers which is considered a nightmare for logistical companies. When rough conditions are expected, SPOS automatically presents a heavy weather checklist so the onboard staff can make necessary preparations.

In September, Meteo Consult will release a special version of SPOS focussing on short-sea shipping with local forecasts for European, Asian and American waters. Today, SPOS is operational on over 800 vessels world-wide.