SYDNEY, June 13 (Xinhua) -- An innovative navigation system could dramatically cut the shipping industry's carbon emissions by harnessing the power of ocean currents, Australian researchers said on Friday.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) developed an algorithm to use real-time satellite data and artificial intelligence to chart the most efficient routes for cargo ships, allowing vessels to ride favorable currents and reduce fuel consumption, according to a release from UNSW Sydney on Friday.
"With better ocean forecasts, ships can use the power of currents as they travel, reducing fuel use and cutting emissions," said the project lead, Associate Professor Shane Keating, an expert in oceanography and applied mathematics at UNSW Sydney.
The innovation offers an immediate solution. Instead of following the shortest path between ports, the new system calculates routes that take advantage of swirling ocean eddies -- powerful, circular currents that make up the majority of the ocean's kinetic energy.
By riding these currents, ships can travel slightly farther but use significantly less fuel, cutting costs and emissions without altering transit times or requiring vessel modifications, according to Keating. ■
