Port of Hamburg to use autonomous drones for infrastructure inspections

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and HHLA Sky, a Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG subsidiary, will deploy autonomous drones, ground robots, and ROVs to perform port infrastructure inspections. The unmanned systems will also be used to provide an overview during calamities. The drones will be monitored remotely from a high-tech control center.

Flying, driving, and floating

“In the event of storm surges, accidents or other calamities, flying, floating or self-propelled robots can be on site considerably faster and provide high-resolution videos and photos for an exact overview of the situation. The time saved can be decisive in an emergency situation,” said Jens Meier, chairman of the HPA Board of Directors.

The flying, driving, and floating drones are not only suitable for calamities but also for inspection work.

Meier: “They make the maintenance and expansion of the port infrastructure considerably more efficient, for example in the case of facilities that are difficult, time-consuming or dangerously accessible.”

High-tech control center to monitor autonomous drones

HHLA Sky has developed a technology-leading control center for the operation and monitoring of autonomous drones. The system is integrated with the various applications that the port authority uses. The goal is to streamline labor-intensive processes and operate devices more efficiently.

“This partnership launches the next product development phase for our new drones as a service product. We will begin pilot operations this year,” said Phanthian Zuesongdham, head of the Port Process Solutions division at HPA.

“Our solution will display and control all associated processes in a secure and understandable way,” explains Matthias Gronstedt, General Manager of HHLA Sky. “In addition, the HPA can collect very different types of data using IoT sensors. By analyzing this data, we can use resources optimally.”

Let us know when the comments below what you think of the use of autonomous drones for harbor inspections in Germany. We are curious to hear your thoughts.

Source: Container News