NYK Rolls Out Sofar Ocean’s Wayfinder to Tanker Fleet After PCTC Success

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  • Demonstrating measurable impact: NYK’s PCTC program has delivered sustained gains and high route adoption.

  • Building on PCTC success: NYK Tanker expanded the partnership with Sofar Ocean after a 33-leg Wayfinder trial in 2025-26, which saved 335 MT of fuel and avoided 1,056 MT of CO2 emissions.

  • Turning ocean data into daily operating decisions: Wayfinder combines Sofar’s proprietary ocean sensor network, custom marine weather forecasts, vessel-specific performance models, and daily optimization guidance to help Masters and shore teams make safer and fuel-efficient route and speed decisions.

San Francisco and Tokyo — 14 July 2026 — Sofar Ocean, a leader in ocean intelligence and voyage optimization, today announced that NYK Group is deepening its partnership with Sofar Ocean by extending use of the Wayfinder platform from NYK’s Pure Car and Truck Carrier division to NYK Tankers. The expansion reflects NYK’s growing confidence in Sofar’s ocean data, vessel performance modeling, and daily optimization guidance to support safer, more fuel-efficient voyage operations.

NYK has made decarbonization a central pillar of its medium-term management plan, “Sail Green, Drive Transformations 2026 – A Passion for Planetary Wellbeing,” which places ESG at the core of growth and includes the acceleration of decarbonization and digital infrastructure. This partnership offers a practical, operational demonstration of those commitments: helping crews and operations teams turn strategy into measurable action through daily operating decisions.

Using custom weather forecasts, personalized vessel performance models, and daily optimization guidance, Wayfinder helps NYK’s Masters and shore teams make informed route and speed decisions that improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and reduce risk at sea.

NYK’s PCTC program has delivered sustained gains and high route adoption since the partnership began in 2024. Building on the success of the PCTC partnership, NYK Tanker started working with Sofar Ocean and completed a 33-leg Wayfinder trial that saved 335 MT of fuel and avoided 1,056 MT of CO2 emissions in 2025/26. During the trial, NYK Tanker captains praised Wayfinder’s guidance as easy to use and helpful for voyage decision-making, and noted that they trusted Wayfinder’s weather forecasts.

“Wayfinder gives our Masters practical, data-driven guidance for route and speed decisions while helping our shore teams maintain visibility into vessel performance and voyage risk,” said Capt. Tomoaki Nakanishi of NYK Tankers. “Before choosing Wayfinder we evaluated the available options for voyage optimization and weather guidance. Through our work with Sofar Ocean we have seen how high-precision weather data, vessel performance models, and daily optimization guidance support safer, more efficient operations as well as better informed conversations with charterers.”

“Since 2024 we have trusted Wayfinder to support route planning and execution across our PCTC fleet. We value its ability to give our Masters and shore teams timely, vessel-specific guidance they use with confidence to improve their ships’ performances,” said a representative of NYK’s Automobile Transportation Quality Department responsible for Quality and Operations. “Thanks to Wayfinder we can achieve safer operations, fewer CO2 emissions, and reduce our bunkering costs.”

“NYK is turning their decarbonisation strategy into practical action,” said Tim Janssen, CEO and co-founder of Sofar Ocean. “We are proud to support NYK Tankers with our weather data, performance modelling, and optimization tools to improve voyage outcomes while reducing fuel consumption and emissions.”

 

About Sofar Ocean

Sofar Ocean is the leading ocean intelligence platform. We’ve built the world’s largest real-time ocean sensor network, turning billions of measurements into insights trusted by scientists, governments, and shipping fleets. Our technology makes the ocean more predictable and sustainable, helping customers save costs, cut emissions, and unlock insights that were once out of reach.

Learn more at www.sofarocean.com/wayfinder and www.linkedin.com/company/sofar-ocean