A ship routing system applied to the statistical analysis of the western mediterranean wave trends

The Western Mediterranean basin is a busy route by Short Sea Shipping with an important route between Barcelona (Spain) and Genoa (Italy), where climatic patterns show similarities but vary during the year. One essential topic for Short Sea Shipping competitiveness is the time because distances use to be covered in approximately 24–30 h. To optimize the transit time, meteorological variables must be kept in mind. In this contribution, we compare data collected by buoys and data simulated using the SIMROUTE (ship weather routing software), to draw a map of wave tendencies during the year. The resulting map of the investigation shows the wave height in percent. The result can be used to optimize the existing routes between Barcelona and Genoa improving his competitiveness and safety.Postprint (published version