Captain Ketan Bhatia has spent 19 years working at the intersection of maritime operations and technology, routing vessels, optimizing voyages, and working closely with shipowners, charterers, and operators around the world.
Now, as Sofar Ocean's new Global Head of Routing, he's focused on scaling a routing organization that delivers real, measurable value to customers while pushing the boundaries of what voyage optimization can do.
We sat down with Captain Ketan to hear what drew him to Sofar, what he's building, and where he sees the biggest opportunities ahead.
19 years at sea have been shaped by a simple goal: helping vessels make smarter decisions when sailing. Over the years, I've worked across marine operations, weather routing, voyage optimisation and customer-facing roles liaising closely with shipowners, charterers and operators around the world.
What has consistently motivated me is the ability to bridge operational realities with technology. Whether supporting day-to-day voyage decisions or helping build optimisation capabilities, I've always been drawn to the intersection of maritime expertise, data and innovation.
What attracted me to Sofar the most was the opportunity to help shape the future of routing on a global scale. The industry is moving toward increasingly data-driven operations but success still depends on combining technology with practical maritime expertise. Sofar is uniquely positioned to do both and I'm excited to help build a routing organization that delivers measurable value to customers while continuing to push the boundaries of voyage optimisation.
As Global Head of Routing, my focus will be on strengthening and scaling Sofar's routing capabilities, supporting our customers worldwide and ensuring we continue to deliver routing recommendations that are operationally relevant, commercially valuable and trusted by mariners.
This matters because routing sits at the center of many critical decisions. Every voyage involves balancing safety, fuel efficiency, emissions, schedule commitments, weather risks and operational constraints. The better those decisions are, the greater the impact across an entire fleet.
Real-time ocean intelligence provides visibility into weather systems, currents, wave conditions and evolving ocean dynamics that directly influence vessel performance. When combined with vessel-specific characteristics and voyage objectives, that intelligence enables routing decisions that are safer, more efficient and better aligned with operational priorities.
The goal isn't simply to find the shortest route — it's to find the most optimal route for that vessel, on that voyage, under those conditions.
Firstly, deeper integration into customers' operational workflows, making routing a seamless part of everyday decision-making.
Secondly, greater personalization and vessel-specific optimisation, ensuring recommendations reflect the unique characteristics and objectives of each fleet.
Thirdly, helping customers navigate the industry's growing focus on efficiency, emissions reduction and compliance by providing clearer insights into the trade-offs behind every voyage decision.
Ultimately, I believe the future of routing lies in combining advanced technology, high-quality ocean intelligence and human expertise to create a platform that mariners and operators trust as an essential decision-support tool.
