Rick Shema Shared Insight about AI and Maritime Forecasting at the CMA (Connecticut Maritime Association) Shipping Conference – April 2025

ACM Members have wide-ranging areas of expertise that they contribute to diverse fields within the weather and climate community, weather-impacted industries, and education.

ACM Consulting Member Rick Shema’s recent presentation at the CMA Shipping Conference in Stamford, CT, highlights this fact. Rick specializes in maritime meteorology and forecasting, and he shared his knowledge and insight about the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in maritime forecasting and decision-making with CMA attendees in April.

For those who are unfamiliar with this conference, CMA describes the Shipping conference as connecting shipping professionals with opportunities to learn from industry leaders, source products and supplies from established and emerging brands, and take advantage of enviable networking opportunities. CMA Shipping is a cornerstone of North America's shipping and logistics industry. It brings a dynamic community of industry leaders, innovators, and individuals together for three invaluable days, jam-packed with opportunities to learn, network, inspire. Home to more than 80 suppliers and service providers, the supplier expo brings together the very best from across the world, a high concentration of equipment and technology to classification and environmental advice. The conference brings together a diverse group of influential individuals, representing some of the most powerful players across the shipping industry. Occasions to network is key to unexpected opportunities to meet with new and familiar faces.

Here's what Rick had to say about the experience:

“I spoke on AI and Marine Weather. AI will playing a significant role in improving the accuracy of weather models and the speed at which model output is available to users in the near future. AI models are not quite there yet and may have limitations regarding automation and lack of accurately accessing the atmosphere. It is expected AI-driven weather services could handle most forecasting tasks, allowing human experts to focus on decision-making at various levels of their unique operations. AI can assist in interpreting particularly complex events. AI generated administrative functions could automatically generate easy-to understand explanations of weather risks, such as “Expect long period, 20 second swell waves due to storm force winds 900 nm to the northwest. These waves could induce parametric rolling.” However, AI should not replace critical thinking. Humans should always be in place to make crucial decisions.”