## 2 Current Status of Ocean-Going Ship Weather Routing Services
In recent years, to improve shipping efficiency and optimize port operations, WNI has developed the Berth Waiting Forecast, a system designed to predict port congestion and capacity by incorporating weather factors alongside port operational efficiency. This service, as an extension of ocean-going weather routing, has been widely acclaimed by clients. WNI's Marine Division operates on a global scale, providing marine meteorological services to over 10,000 vessels annually. Since its establishment over five decades ago, the company has supported more than one million voyages. In addition to ocean-going weather routing services, WNI extends its meteorological services to offshore oil and gas exploration, marine engineering operations, and oceanic fisheries. In 2023, the Marine Division reported a sales revenue of 5.813 billion JPY (approximately 270 million CNY), contributing approximately 26% to the company's total revenue. Although initially specializing in ocean-going weather routing, WNI has continuously expanded its scope in response to advancements in meteorological science and evolving societal demands. The company has since extended its services to include aviation meteorology, environmental meteorology, sports meteorology, and media services, such as television broadcasting and mobile/internet-based meteorological applications. As part of  
Figure 1: Global major shipping routes distribution. (Source: drawn by authors based on internal data from the National Meteorological Centre (NMC)). its global expansion strategy, WNI currently operates thirty-two offices across twenty-one countries and maintains five service centers worldwide, further consolidating its position as a leading provider of meteorological solutions. In China, the development of weather routing services has followed a different path, largely driven by national meteorological institutions. In the mid-to-late 1980s, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) of the China Meteorological Administration initiated ocean-going weather routing services. Subsequently, in 1993, it established a joint venture with a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) through the founding of Beijing Globe Mertroute Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as \"CMRC\"). This strategic move positioned CMRC as one of the three dominant entities in China's weather routing market at that time, alongside American and Canadian companies then operating in China. During this period, the company achieved notable economic benefits through effective market competition. However, a pivotal organizational transition occurred in 2003 when CMRC underwent equity restructuring, transitioning from a joint venture to a wholly state-owned enterprise under the NMC. From 2005 onward, based on internal assessments and operational records, the company experienced progressive contraction at the operational scale, culminating in near-complete operational stagnation. This decline precipitated the loss of both domestic and international market presence, accompanied by technological stagnation in weather routing systems and software development. Consequently, CMRC forfeited key opportunities for continuous innovation and international competitiveness within the weather routing sector, ultimately resulting in the discontinuation of its continuous development trajectory. In 2017, the NMC collaborated with Huayang Maritime Center under the Ministry of Transport of China to reestablish its ocean-going weather routing service team. Through systematic technological advancements and market promotion initiatives, the center officially launched its independently developed weather routing system in 2019 [36]. Supported by the data and technical expertise of the China Meteorological Administration, and benchmarked against international weather routing service standards, the NMC constructed a shore-based integrated service platform and onboard service terminals utilizing next-generation information technologies.