The Ship of Opportunity Program (SOOP).

There are currently about 1,200 ships aiding NOAA in the collection of meteorological observation and more than 50 ships dedicated to collecting oceanographic data. More than 90 percent of data collected at sea for marine weather forecasts are from cargo ships. This brochure describes the different ways that ships can volunteer to participate in the Ship Of Opportunity Program (SOOP).

More info on SOOP from AOML.

And also here from GOOS.