The Role of Operational Ocean Forecasting in E-Navigation

Advances in ocean modelling have led to improved performance for operational ocean forecasting and the availability of continuously reliable forecast information for certain ocean regions of the world. Although such forecasts are being increasingly adopted into a wide range of services across the maritime industry they have not yet been considered as candidates to supplement or to substitute conventional tide tables for navigation use. The issue is important in the context of climate change and the added uncertainty now placed on the use of conventional tide table for navigation in complex coastal waters. In the context of e-navigation it is timely to begin to explore the issue and examine how such forecasts might be used and adopted. This requires closer connectivity between ocean forecasting and navigation communities and the involvement of overarching organisations such as IMO and I GOOS. This paper raises the issue and opens the debate.