Maritime Hydrographic Directorate

The METOC and Climatology Laboratory is the specialised structure of the Romanian Naval Forces responsible for providing the meteorological and oceanographic information required for planning and conducting maritime operations. The laboratory manages the entire meteorological data flow, from collection and processing through to archiving and analysis. It is the only structure of its kind within the Naval Forces that produces and distributes METOC products and services.

Main activities of the laboratory

• Collecting, decoding, validating and processing data from the 7 automatic weather stations located at DHM lighthouses, and from the weather stations of the National Meteorological Administration (ANM);
• Collecting, analysing and integrating oceanographic data from specialised sources;
• Managing and developing the meteorological databases used within the Naval Forces;
• Providing information on environmental conditions that may affect naval missions/exercises;
• Producing and distributing METOC products to beneficiary structures;
• Carrying out climatological studies and statistical analyses for the area of responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces;
• Producing the climatological products required for planning military exercises/missions;
• Operating, maintaining and modernising its own network of automatic weather stations;
• Cooperating and exchanging METOC data and products with similar structures in NATO member and partner states.

For viewing and analysing meteorological data, laboratory personnel use the professional application Visual Weather, specialised software that enables the integration of data from local observations, numerical forecasting models and international meteorological products.

Through continuous monitoring, processing and analysis of meteorological and oceanographic parameters — including sea state and marine currents — METOC support contributes to reducing operational risks, optimising transit routes, enhancing navigational safety, and improving the efficiency of the naval operations, exercises and missions in which the Romanian Naval Forces take part.

As such, the activity of the METOC and Climatology Laboratory within the Maritime Hydrographic Directorate represents a fundamental pillar in sustaining operational capability and ensuring maritime safety for the Romanian Naval Forces.

Products provided

• METOC Briefing — provided to RoN vessels taking part in missions/exercises;
• METOC impact matrices — using the traffic light colour format (where: green – insignificant impact, yellow – moderate impact, red – severe impact), adapted to meet the specific criteria of a given operation (MCM, ASW, ASuW, AAW, RAS);
• Environmental analysis reports;
• Climatological statistics;
• Charts showing the evolution of meteorological parameters.

Activity photos