Port of Rotterdam tests smart berth at ECT

Following the successful trial of one smart bollard along the quay of the Hutchison Ports ECT Delta terminal on the Maasvlakte, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has now installed six so-called ‘smart bollards’.

The six bollards, which were developed in collaboration with Straatman BV, Zwijndrecht, are positioned side by side at one berth for large container ships. Since the bollards measure the strength of the mooring lines, more insight is gained about what the consequences of berthing, docking and idling container ships at the quay are.

The installation of smart berths is in line with the Port Authority’s policy of making the port safer and more efficient through digitalisation.

Smart sensors
The Port of Rotterdam Authority specialises in the construction and maintenance of quay walls. It manages 80 kilometres of quay wall and 200 kilometres of bank shoring. In doing so, it now also uses information obtained from sensors in the quays. This information has shown, among other things, that quay walls have a longer lifespan than commonly believed. Thanks in part to this information, the European standards for structural design have been updated. The creation of the smart berth is part of a series of measures aimed at using digital technology to manage highly capital-intensive assets such as quay walls more efficiently.

Straatman
For more than a century, Straatman B.V., located in the Dutch city of Zwijndrecht, has specialised in the design, manufacture and supply of high-quality products for the global maritime industry.