The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) jointly launched a report on extreme maritime weather, reports Safety4Sea.
First International Symposium
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) jointly organised the first International Symposium on “Extreme Maritime Weather last year, Towards Safety of Life at Sea and a Sustainable Blue Economy”. Recently IMO and WMO launched the report recently.
Understand the forecasting process
According to the report, to build a broader understanding among various stakeholders will require forecasters to have a clearer understanding of forecast-dependent maritime operations and decision making and likewise will require mariners to understand the forecasting process.
Weather forecasting
Accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasting over the last decades has improved, says the WMO in it’s earlier facebook post.
However, millions of dollars in goods and thousands of lives are still lost at sea each year due to extreme weather conditions. In the maritime environment, vessels of any size are exposed and vulnerable to the elements.
https://www.facebook.com/WorldMeteorologicalOrganization/videos/2488422164814551/
The value of early warnings of extreme maritime weather events cannot be underestimated. Ships traverse the oceans in hazardous conditions. Industry platforms at sea must withstand the most extreme storms and conditions.
Outcome of the Symposium
The Symposium noted the importance of tightening connections in the value chain between:
- the collection of metocean data,
- metocean data assimilation,
- marine weather forecasting, and
- the dissemination of marine forecasts and services to users and stakeholders.
Increased metocean data collection
The participants addressed opportunities for increased metocean data collection through the extant WMO Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) programme as well as private industry (e.g. oil and gas).
The need for more explicit encouragement for ships to actively participate in programmes as well as an improved understanding of how to better facilitate the onboard collection of metocean data was also observed.
Metocean forecasters and the maritime industry
The Symposium concluded that better communication between metocean forecasters and the maritime industry is urgently needed to ensure the safety of life and property at sea while increasing the efficiency of maritime operations.
How to achieve a better relationship?
To achieve a better relationship between the shipping industry and the environment, the participants proposed:
- Educational training for mariners and forecasters could help close gaps in communication between these communities
- The establishment of accredited forecast sources could increase confidence in marine hazard forecasts from such sources
- Strengthening of public-private partnerships can help increase observational data and help improve forecast products.
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Source: Safety4Sea, WMO
