Independent journal on economy and transport policy
12:04 GMT+2
CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE STUDI CONTAINERS
ANNO XXXVIII - Numero MAGGIO 2020
INNOVATION
PREMIER: DRONE DELIVERS PACKAGE TO VESSEL IN THE PORT OF
ROTTERDAM FOR THE FIRST TIME
On May 22, the port of Rotterdam was able to celebrate a Dutch
premier: the aerial delivery by drone of a parts consignment to
Allseas' Pioneering Spirit, the biggest vessel in the world.
Pioneering Spirit is currently moored at Alexiahaven in preparation
of upcoming offshore activities. This is actually the first drone
delivery ever made in the Netherlands to a vessel. This pilot
project, which was set up by Dutch Drone Delta, All-seas and the
Port of Rotterdam Authority, is intended to determine whether and
how drone deliveries could increase transport efficiency in the port
of Rotterdam. The airspace over the port area will be safely managed
under the slogan 'Rotterdam, the safest port to fly', allowing
parties to take optimal advantage of new technologies to make the
port safer, smarter and more efficient.
Drone evolution
The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry is going through an
exciting evolution, and the sector is primed for further growth.
Drone development is in full swing and this technology can have a
major impact on traffic and transport. New European regulations have
cleared the way for new applications. Ultimately, this may even
include autonomous unmanned freight and passenger transport. To this
end, the next few years will be devoted to the phased preparation of
airspace and drone technology. The recent delivery constitutes a
major first step in this process, since it involved the delivery of
an actual package following a long-distance flight by the UAV. While
in this case, the delivery was still directly monitored by human
observers, in the near future, it will be handled entirely beyond
the pilot's physical line of sight.
Port of the future
"Utilising new technologies allows us to make our port
smarter, more streamlined, more efficient and safer. The current
pilot project is a prime example: it makes a significant
contribution to more efficient transport in general; and in due
time, it will specifically help to reduce the pressure on our road
network. We intend to safely structure our airspace under the slogan
'Rotterdam, the safest port to fly'. The results of this pilot
project can also serve as input for the Ministry of Infrastructure
and Water Management when it drafts the required legislation and
regulations. This will enable Rotterdam's port business community to
take optimal advantage of these new developments," says Port
Authority adviser Ingrid Römers.
Options for drone deployment in the port area
Stephan van Vuren, one of the people behind the Dutch Drone
Delta initiative: "The sky's the limit when it comes to using
drones in the port area. Incident prevention and control, for
instance; or water pollution; firefighting; monitoring port
operations or damage. Other examples include everything from systems
and bridge inspections, construction and maintenance of
infrastructure, and deliveries to ships and oil rigs, to the rapid
medical transport of blood and human organs. And in the longer term,
we may even be seeing heavy freight deliveries and passenger
transport! This pilot project in the port of Rotterdam has allowed
us to directly demonstrate the added value of drone technology in a
complex environment."
Offshore sector also presents opportunities for drone
delivery
According to Allseas PR manager Jeroen Hagelstein, the offshore
industry could also benefit from this new delivery option: "As
a provider of technical services to the offshore industry, we are
continuously pushing the existing technical boundaries. Pioneering
Spirit is the example. With this pilot, we want to test whether
drones could be an effective means to quickly and efficiently
deliver materials to our vessels. Helicopter, for example, are not
always available on every location. Drone delivery can be of added
value when we are in urgent need of parts which we can't repair
ourselves - for example network switches or computer chips."
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