Weathernews mobile application for shore staff to monitor vessels and confirm voyage plans

Weathernews Inc. has launched SeaNavigator Mobile, a dedicated mobile application for iOS and Android designed to transform how shore-based operations teams monitor vessels, manage communications and confirm voyage plans.

SeaNavigator Mobile is the first version of the SeaNavigator platform built specifically for shore users. The application provides real-time vessel position monitoring, AIS-based behavioural alerts and a structured mobile workflow for receiving and confirming voyage plan notifications – replacing the ad-hoc email and phone call processes that operations teams have historically relied on to manage time-sensitive decisions.

In one documented case, a route change notification that previously required a follow-up phone call and email reply before an updated voyage plan could be sent to the vessel took approximately 24.5 hours from start to finish. With SeaNavigator Mobile, the operations manager received the notification, reviewed the proposed route change and replied directly through the app, allowing Weathernews to issue the updated plan to the vessel within 30 minutes.

In volatile conditions, these delays can have direct operational costs: a weather deviation adds time, time increases fuel burn, and a confirmation that arrives hours late means the updated route cannot reach the vessel until the optimal weather window has already passed. SeaNavigator Mobile is designed to close that gap, replacing ad-hoc communication with a structured, mobile-first workflow that keeps operations teams connected and responsive wherever they are.

SeaNavigator Mobile provides three core capabilities for shore-based operational teams:

A real-time map view of vessel positions and navigation data, giving teams immediate fleet oversight from any location.

Vessel Group organisation, allowing vessels to be arranged into private or shared groups synchronised with the SeaNavigator web platform.

Notification filtering by vessel group, reducing alert volume and focusing attention on the vessels that matter most to each user.

The application's AIS-based alert system analyses vessel speed data at hourly intervals, automatically detecting two categories of abnormal behaviour:

Slowdown Alerts, which are triggered when cumulative speed reduction exceeds a threshold calibrated to vessel type.

Drifting Alerts, which are triggered when speed falls below 0.5 knots for two or more consecutive hours.

Both alert types incorporate anomaly filtering to eliminate false positives and are automatically suppressed within designated port or pilot areas, providing a proactive layer of fleet awareness without requiring constant manual monitoring.

When a voyage plan requires confirmation, operations managers receive a mobile notification with a clear view of the proposed options and any items awaiting response. Users can confirm or request revisions directly from the app. The status of each notification – awaiting response, confirmed or informational - is clearly indicated, reducing the volume of follow-up calls and email exchanges that have historically added hours to the confirmation process.

Weathernews plans to extend SeaNavigator Mobile with push notification reminders for unanswered confirmations, automatic plan transmission upon approval, off-track alerts and a request function enabling operators to submit changes to destination, speed and estimated time of arrival directly from the app.

Craig West, CEO Europe at Weathernews, said: "For years, the conversation about decision-making at sea has been dominated by the quality of the data going to the bridge. What we hear consistently from our customers is that the limiting factor is no longer the data itself – it is how quickly the people responsible for acting on it can communicate with each other.

“SeaNavigator Mobile is our answer to that, putting the operations team back at the centre of the decision chain rather than at the end of an email thread, and the early evidence is showing what becomes possible when the shore side can respond at the same speed as conditions are changing at sea."

SeaNavigator Mobile has been developed alongside SeaNavigator for Master, Weathernews' browser-based intelligent co-pilot for onboard navigation. Launched in December 2025 as the world's first conversational AI designed specifically for masters, SeaNavigator for Master uses AI-powered analysis and probabilistic weather modelling to support captains in route assessment, weather risk analysis and voyage planning – independently, at any time, and without waiting for the next email window.

Early adopters of SeaNavigator for Master have described the shift in how voyage plan approvals are now handled. One shipping company using the service noted: "We used to exchange large files via email to obtain approval for voyage plans, but now we can discuss them almost in real time. Improving the onboard network environment has resulted in significant operational benefits."

Together, SeaNavigator Mobile and SeaNavigator for Master address the same underlying challenge from both sides of the communication chain – one giving operations teams on shore the tools to stay connected and respond faster, the other giving captains onboard the data, analysis and direct communication channel to make more informed decisions independently.