Posts Tagged ‘Shipping’
Pilot project In Rønne, drones are pointing the way to safer shipping
The concept of a maritime pilot is simple: a local mariner boards a vessel that is sailing unfamiliar waters and steers it safely through. Two projects being run by Danpilot, the Danish state pilot agency, may redefine key aspects of that job description.
In the first, begun last month, drones are being used to assist pilots operating on the water in the Port of Rønne, sending live aerial video to give pilots a top-down view when steering ships. Rønne serves as the staging point for several windfarms being built in the Baltic, and it is just this type of bulky traffic requiring complex manoeuvring the drones are well-suited to help with.
VesCo, the DanPilot-owned firm that is conducting the project, is hoping it will result in a system in which drones can automatically follow vessels to improve situational awareness, cutting risk during heavy-lift calls and reducing turn-around time.
A separate project, being run together with Danelec, a maritime-safety firm, may take this idea a step further by keeping the pilot on land entirely and instead navigating using the video beamed down by drones.
Trials in Esbjerg, on Denmark’s North Sea coast, suggest that using drones in this way makes piloting safer and faster. For local firms, the test flights are an opportunity to push their expertise in robotics and autonomy. Pilots, meanwhile, will be finding themselves in unfamiliar job territory
Read MoreThe Port of Gdansk with a direct container service to the USA
The Port of Gdansk has joined the European ports operating regular, direct container connections with the United States. Thus, it strengthens its position on the map of global logistics, becoming a real alternative to the largest ports in Northern Europe.
Gdansk was included in the transatlantic rotation, strengthening the MSC network between Poland and the US. Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world’s largest shipowner, has expanded its Albatros service with direct connections from Northern Europe to New York and Charleston, offering full integration of inland waterway and logistics services.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 2 Sep
Read MoreFirst Test of an Ocean-Going Vessel at the T3 Quay in Baltic Hub
Baltic Hub has reached another milestone in the implementation of the T3 project. For the first time, an ocean-going container ship – MSC Stacey – was handled at the new T3 quay. This impressive vessel, measuring 365.9 meters in length and with a capacity of 15,000 TEU, arrived in Gdansk on March 30 as part of an additional call, known as an “extra call.”
This event is of great importance both for Baltic Hub and the entire Pomeranian region. The commencement of test cargo handling at the T3 quay confirms that the project is progressing in the right direction and that full operational readiness is drawing closer. The new quay will enable the efficient handling of the world’s largest container ships, strengthening Gdansk’s position as a strategic port on the Baltic Sea.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 31 Mar
Read MoreCBSS Maritime Experts to Discuss Green Shipping Corridors and Digital Twin of the Baltic Sea
On 12 March 2025, maritime experts from CBSS Member States will convene online to discuss the priorities and initiatives of the Estonian CBSS Presidency on Green Shipping Corridors and Digital Twins of the Baltic Sea. The meeting is part of ongoing efforts to map current activities on these topics at both national and macro-regional levels in the Baltic Sea Region.
Read full announcement (external link)
Originally published on 6 Mar
Read MoreBaltic Sea shipping tax could pay for undersea cable protection: Estonian defence minister
Shipping firms may need to pay a fee to use the Baltic Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, in order to cover the high costs of protecting undersea cables, Estonia’s defence minister said on Wednesday following a spate of breaches.
Nato said last week it would deploy frigates, patrol aircraft and drones in the Baltic Sea after a series of incidents in which ships have damaged power and communications cables with their anchors in acts of suspected sabotage.
In addition to the patrols, Hanno Pevkur, the defence minister, said countries are weighing other measures to protect cables, including installing sensors to detect anchors dragged across the sea floor or constructing casings or walls around the cables.
But this will come at a cost, and, whether countries or cable operators end up paying for it, consumers may be left ultimately footing the bill through higher taxes or utility costs. Another option, Mr Pevkur said, would be to levy a tax on vessels that sail through the Baltic Sea.
Source: Reuters
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