Sofar Ocean has launched Wayfinder Explore, giving masters and shore teams direct access to voyage optimisation and simulation tools based on the company’s ocean sensor network and vessel-performance models. The system is designed for fleets that keep routing decisions in-house, allowing teams to test fuel, time and cost implications before activating a voyage plan.
Sofar Ocean said initial fleet trials of Wayfinder Explore are scheduled to begin in Q4 2026. The platform uses the same weather forecasts and vessel-performance models used by Sofar’s own routing team, giving ship operators a common technical basis for comparing routing decisions.
A key part of the system is Sofar’s Spotter network, which the company says is the world’s largest private network of ocean sensors. According to Sofar, peer-reviewed research has found that measurements from the network can improve forecast accuracy by up to 50% across all sea states.
The platform also uses individual vessel-performance models that retrain on noon reports and daily weather data. Sofar says these models predict fuel use within 2% and speed within 0.5 knots for most vessels.
The change is greater control over the routing process. Captains and shore-based teams can alter waypoints, adjust engine inputs such as RPM or power, and compare different options. The system recalculates fuel, time and cost after each change.
A one-click optimisation function can generate a fuel-minimising route while meeting the required time of arrival and vessel safety limits. Users can also lock sections of a route, share plans between ship and shore, and retain a record of the forecast, vessel model, options considered and activated route.
“Masters and shore teams want autonomy over their routing decisions, and they want to see what each one costs,” said Dennis Rong, Head of Product at Sofar Ocean.
“Having routed thousands of vessels, we know a route is only as good as the weather and vessel data behind it. Wayfinder Explore gives those teams the same foundation our own routers use every day.”
