On Thursday, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster announced three new projects valued at over $9 million, including a partnership with Victoria’s MarineLabs on the Forecast AI Project.

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 better efficiency, improved marine safety, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

MarineLabs will lead the project, in partnership with Go Deep International in Saint John, NB, and LeeWay Marine in Dartmouth, NS. The Ocean Supercluster will invest $1.8 million, with the balance of funding coming from project partners.

“This investment in Forecast AI is a testament to Canada's leadership in ocean-related AI innovation,” said 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.”

The Forecast AI Project is expected to directly support the creation and maintenance of more than 50 jobs and indirectly support the creation of 250 jobs.

MarineLabs is an ocean economy company providing real-time and predictive intelligence on ports and coastlines to help vessel pilots, port operators, coastal engineers and local authorities improve safety and optimize operations. MarineLabs’ customers include the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Coast Guard, BC Ferries, the Prince Rupert Port Authority, and the Port of Halifax.