For Immediate Release
January 16, 2025
(Halifax, NS) – Today Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) announced three new ocean innovation projects valued at more than $9 million, including the $4.5M Forecast AI Project led by Victoria, BC-based MarineLabs. This new, collaborative OSC project will support operational efficiencies, improve marine safety, and grow ocean AI technology.
MarineLabs’ Forecast AI enables hyper-localized, highly accurate weather forecasts for the marine industry. Current publicly available forecasting models struggle to capture the precise topographic features influencing local wind and wave formation, hindering marine operations such as mariner working conditions and vessel port approaches. More accurate weather intelligence for port operations and vessel pilots will mean significant efficiency advantages, improved overall marine safety, and reduction to greenhouse gas creation.
This project will leverage Artificial Intelligence capabilities to push Canada to the forefront of marine weather intelligence, further growing our competitive advantage and leadership in the sustainable ocean economy as well as in ocean AI. The use of AI combined with extensive observed data from MarineLabs’ expanding sensor network will provide access to high accuracy forecasts from numerous coastal locations around an area of interest, such as a port, offering actionable insights to optimize maritime operations and improve safety.
This project is led by fast-growing Canadian coastal intelligence company MarineLabs, in partnership with Go Deep International in Saint John, NB, and LeeWay Marine in Dartmouth, NS. With a total value of $4.5 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is investing $1.8 million with the balance of funding coming from project partners.
Job creation in data science, software engineering, marine operations, manufacturing, and engineering design, combined with international market sales, will support recurring revenue, boosting the ocean economy as well as Canada’s overall GDP. This project will directly support the creation and maintenance of more than 50 jobs and indirectly support the creation of 250 jobs.
The global ocean economy is expected to outpace the broader economy by 20 percent by 2030, and Canada’s ocean community has developed a bold, collective goal to grow the country’s ocean economy by 5X to $220B by 2035. Continued investment in the accelerated development and commercialization of globally relevant, made in Canada ocean solutions, including the projects announced today, will help us realize this transformative growth potential mapped out through Ambition 2035.
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Media Contacts
Nancy Andrews
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster accelerates the development and commercialization of made-in-Canada ocean solutions in energy transition, food security, future of transport, and climate change while also growing more companies, creating more jobs, and attracting ocean talent. As Canada’s national ocean cluster, the OSC is a convenor of members, partners, and networks and a catalyst for transformative growth that helps build the robust ecosystem needed to help realize Ambition 2035 – a 5X growth potential in ocean in Canada by 2035. To date, the OSC has approved more than 100 projects which will deliver more than 220 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world. For more information visit oceansupercluster.ca
About MarineLabs
MarineLabs is a coastal intelligence company, whose data is transforming marine safety and helping to build climate-resilient coastlines. Founded in 2017, the B.C.-based company offers high-resolution real-time, historic, and forecast wind, wave, and weather intelligence as well as AI-driven insights from a North America-wide fleet of cloud-connected, rugged instruments.
About GoDeep™
GoDeep™ is a Canadian customer-focused and innovative company located in Saint John, NB that creates reliable and durable marine products. For decades, the company has worked with experts from industry with intimate knowledge of its needs to develop creative and revolutionary solutions to navigation, aquaculture, and mooring challenges.
About LeeWay Marine
LeeWay Marine is a Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-based ship owner and operator, providing at-sea data acquisition, and vessel management services to their clients. Technologically forward-leaning, they are thought leaders in the maritime industry and lead the Royal Canadian Navy’s effort to test and evaluate novel maritime technology at sea.
Quotes
“Projects like these are helping to advance Canada’s ocean economy and materialize the growth potential of the sector. By integrating cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, these projects are improving operational efficiencies, driving innovation and unlocking the full potential of Canada’s vast ocean resources. They are pivotal in supporting the growth and sustainability of the marine, shipping and fisheries industries, among others, ensuring that the ocean economy remains a global leader in both economic growth and environmental responsibility.” – The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“Canada has a competitive advantage in Artificial Intelligence in ocean where, world-wide, we are delivering solutions in areas such as marine weather intelligence that fundamentally change the way we do business in the ocean. Today Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is excited to announce the $4.5 million Forecast AI project, which will benefit marine operations, safety, and long-term sustainable growth in the ocean.” – Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
“This investment in Forecast AI is a testament to Canada’s leadership in ocean-related AI innovation,” said Dr. Scott Beatty, CEO of MarineLabs. “By leveraging our expanding sensor network, hundreds of new sensor nodes, and thousands of machine learning models trained on our unique coastal observations, we’re setting a new standard in coastal intelligence. This project is more than a step forward for maritime safety—it’s about empowering marine operators with the precise, actionable insights needed to ensure safer operations and support sustainable growth in coastal environments.”