Sofar Ocean

Our Wayfinder EMEA team continues to grow. 🌍 Meet Gijs Harmens , the new Wayfinder Customer Success Lead. With over a decade of maritime experience across voyage optimization, emissions, and vessel performance, Gijs works side-by-side with owners, operators, and charterers to navigate real-world constraints and turn ocean intelligence into measurable operational and commercial results. 📊 Curious what drew him to Sofar Ocean and what he’s most excited to build? 🔗 Read his Q&A: https://lnkd.in/gHUrHV_C Welcome to Sofar Ocean, Gijs. We’re so excited for what’s ahead. 🚀

🌊 Reflections from the Sofar Ocean On-Site, Bengaluru (8–17 Feb) 🌦️ What an inspiring week it has been at the Sofar Ocean on-site event in Bengaluru! Over the past 10 days, we’ve delved deep into conversations around ocean & weather intelligence, and emerged with a stronger sense of urgency and purpose. The discussions around ever-changing weather patterns and dynamic ocean behavior were both enlightening and sobering. From increased storm variability to shifting ocean currents and temperature anomalies, it’s clearer than ever that our climate system is in flux — and that high-resolution data and real-time insights are no longer a luxury, but a necessity. At the heart of our discussions: 🔹 The accelerating shift in ocean conditions and its impact on coastal communities 🔹 The critical role of advanced sensors, AI, and predictive analytics 🔹 How cross-sector collaboration — from research to industry to policy — can amplify impact 🔹 Real-world applications that turn data into decisions that save lives, protect assets, and safeguard our planet What stood out most? The collective drive to innovate responsibly and scale solutions that truly make a difference. Whether it was through technical demos, expert panels, or informal hallway chats, the passion for transforming how we understand oceans and weather was palpable. Huge thanks to Eric Martinez and Iolanthe Stronger, who shared invaluable insights, and fostered meaningful connections. Let’s keep the momentum going — bridging science, technology, and impact for a more resilient future. #SOFAROCEAN #WeatherTech #OceanInnovation #ClimateData #Bengaluru #WeatherRouting

🌊 Marine Protected Areas are under growing pressure. From rapidly rising sea surface temperatures to increasing pollution, emerging threats are reshaping our oceans faster than ever. And because every Marine Protected Area has its own unique baseline and challenges, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to stewardship. So how do we effectively monitor and safeguard these critical ecosystems? Join us to explore how real-time sensing networks enable faster, data-backed decisions for ocean management and conservation. In Sofar Ocean’s upcoming webinar, hear from: Evan Shapiro (Co-founder & CTO, Sofar Ocean) Thomas Parry (Partnership & Growth Lead, Sofar Ocean) They’ll share how connected ocean intelligence is transforming the way Marine Protected Areas are monitored and managed around the world. 🗓️ March 3, 2026 | 3 PM GMT 🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/45MCqi5 Can’t attend live? Sign up to receive the recording. #MarineProtectedAreas #SofarOcean

I had the opportunity to attend Converge at the Naval Postgraduate School and participate in a discussion on Contested Logistics. The conversations were timely, thoughtful, and focused on solving real operational challenges in increasingly complex environments. It was great to be back at the Naval Postgraduate School engaging with students and faculty who are helping shape the future fight. A special thank you to Mark Boothe for the opportunity to speak with his class about ocean observations and the evolving role of ocean intelligence. We discussed how Sofar Ocean's Spotter platform is helping unlock persistent, scalable environmental observations for Strike Group Oceanography Teams—delivering critical environmental intelligence in areas that are traditionally data sparse. By expanding access to real-time surface and subsurface data, the Spotter network is adding valuable inputs to numerical environmental prediction models—improving decision advantage, maritime safety, and operational readiness while reinforcing the home-field advantage in tomorrow’s fight. The intersection of contested logistics, distributed maritime operations, and environmental intelligence will only continue to grow in importance. Grateful to be part of the conversation. #Converge #NavalPostgraduateSchool #ContestedLogistics #Oceanography #MaritimeOperations #OceanIntelligence #NavalOceanography Naval Postgraduate School Foundation & Alumni Association Dave Ortiz-Suslow Todd Lyons

🌊 In honor of World Whale Day on February 15, Sofar Ocean is proud to partner with BIMCO to highlight important facts about whales and their intersection with global shipping. 🐋 Shipping routes overlap with much of the world’s whale habitat, making awareness and informed voyage planning critical to reducing the risk of ship strikes. Together with BIMCO, we’re exploring how improved visibility and better planning tools can support efforts to mitigate whale collisions and protect marine life. Swipe through to learn more and visit the BIMCO website to explore their guidance on whale protection.

We’re continuing to grow our Wayfinder EMEA team! 🚢 Please join us in welcoming Russell Claessens as our new Director of Sales for EMEA. Russell brings a strong track record of helping customers turn complex data into clear, actionable insights. He has spent his career building trusted partnerships and driving commercial growth by connecting innovative technology with real operational impact. 🔗  In his Q&A, Russell shares why he chose Sofar and what he’s most excited to build with Wayfinder — check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gMz8yXt8 We’re excited for what’s ahead. Welcome to the team, Russell. 🌊

In today’s episode of Cool Stuff I Built, meet Crystal Sno Riley, the lead of optimization and modeling on the Wayfinder team. Sno led the charge in developing a faster, more efficient route optimization system for Wayfinder. Instead of downloading the entire ocean’s wave, wind, and weather data to optimize a ship’s route, she built a tool that pulls only the specific region needed for each voyage. The result? Faster processing, improved reliability, and smarter optimization. This means safer journeys for captains, greater confidence in route planning, and increased efficiency for our customers. It's a great episode to watch on International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Which is every day at Sofar Ocean. #SofarOcean #CoolStuffIBuilt #OceanTech #Engineering

We’re excited to sign a #CRADA in partnership with NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Environmental Modeling Center. Learn more about how Sofar and NOAA will work together to deliver more accurate forecasts when it matters most 👇

Gagandeep Jindal, our Senior Sales Manager, presented Spotter at Xylem’s Smart Water, Sustainable Future: Environmental Monitoring in Action event this week! 🌊 Hear more about his conversations and takeaways below  👇

Iolanthe Stronger, our Head of Software Engineering, digs into how Wayfinder’s Vessel Performance Modeling combines the physics with real-world data to predict vessel behavior and fuel use in dynamic ocean conditions, connecting the technical approach to customer success. 🚢 Read more here 👉 https://lnkd.in/g_tntV-r