Human-in-the-Loop Route Optimization 

By Andrew Cutforth, Customer Success Manager 

“You have arrived.” Your phone announces your arrival at the beach house rental. The app indicates that it’s located on the East side of the road. You look out the passenger window of the car – there’s nothing in view except for an abandoned field. You continue ahead where you can safely turn around and then restart the navigation. “You have arrived” – you look up to only see the field again. If only there was someone around to ask for help. After several minutes of frustration, you look up at the West side of the road and see what appears to be a rental house. 

Prior to leaving for work each day, you check your local transit authority’s app for service updates – today, everything looks to be on time. You board the usual bus near your home that takes you to the subway. 10 minutes into the ride, the driver stops the bus, and you see that the intersection ahead has flooded due to a water main break. You check the transit app, and everything is still “on time.” If only someone had alerted you of this. You could have taken an alternative route and made it to work on time. 

Situations like the above have happened to most of us. In the era of ChatGPT, Google, Siri, and Alexa, we place a high level of confidence in Artificial Intelligence to facilitate our daily tasks. However, as seen in the examples above, sometimes these applications fall short. This is where the Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) approach has its advantages. HITL in artificial intelligence is the collaboration between human expertise/decision-making and machine learning. It is essentially a human expert who is responsible for overseeing and managing the actions of an algorithm, ensuring that the desired outcomes are achieved. 

At True North Marine, we employ the Human-in-the-Loop approach as a vital component of our Optimized Routing solution: OptiNav. With the TNM Operations team comprised mostly of ex-seafarers, our optimization service is further amplified by the experience they bring. TNM Analysts provide a bridge between our clients and OptiNav, working together to determine the optimal route. 

Human-in-the-Loop Route Optimization: A Real-World Example 

A bulk carrier was steaming from the Mediterranean to Bahia Blanca, Argentina to discharge a cargo of Barites in bulk and bags. The Client instructed the Master to follow the Least-Cost Optimization Plan as recommended by True North Marine’s OptiNav. 

Midway through the voyage, the client informed the Master and True North Marine that the Notice of Readiness must be tendered at an earlier time than the anticipated ETA and that RPM must be increased. 

The Master could have increased RPM and continued along the present route. However, thanks to their extensive industry knowledge, the TNM Operations team identified a high probability of a competing vessel. If the vessel arrived at the discharge port after the competing vessel, there would be a significant delay in the Estimated Time of Berthing, leading to added costs for the Client. 

As a result, three updated Voyage Optimization Plans were provided to the client: 

• Optimization based on a Required Time of Arrival (RTA) 

• Least Cost Overall 

• Commercial Speed as per the Charterparty 

Based on the Voyage Optimization Plans provided by the TNM Operations team, the client was able to make an informed decision – Optimization based on RTA was chosen. 

The Master followed True North Marine’s optimized route and RPM settings, successfully arriving at Bahia Blanca at the required time. This allowed the Client to make an informed decision that made the most financial sense for their business. When compared to the traditional route and non-optimal RPM settings, TNM’s OptiNav saved the client US$7,247 and 8.16mt HFO (equating to a savings of 25.7mt in CO2 emissions). 

OptiNav and the TNM Approach 

The True North Marine OptiNav solution is an AI enabled multi-objective model balancing Cost Factors with Safety of Navigation and GHG emissions. 

Supported by the TNM Operations team and its Human-in-the-Loop approach to Route Optimization, Clients can use one of the many optimization objectives, (i.e. Least Cost, Shortest Time, CP FULL or ECO, Least Fuel and Emissions, Required Time of Arrival (RTA), %MCR, or a Hybrid of more than one of these), to achieve their desired Optimization Goal.  

Key Advantages of the TNM Human-in-the-Loop Approach to Route Optimization: 

• Expert Decision-Making Support: Industry experts provide enhanced advice to ensure optimal routing decisions. 

• Supervised Adaptability and Customization: Human oversight allows for greater flexibility and customization in route planning. 

• Continuous Algorithm Improvement: The system continuously learns and improves with ongoing human feedback. 

• Increased Safety: Human intervention is available when needed, considering factors such as heavy weather and the nature of cargo. 

• Awareness of External Factors: The approach accounts for environmental, regulatory, and other external factors of which our Analysts are aware. 

• Trust Building: Our Analysts provide continual guidance, helping to build trust in this new technology. 

To learn more about the True North Marine OptiNav AI Route Optimization service, please reach out to Andrew at acutforth@tnmservices.com.