Posted on April 3, 2023
The Port of Rotterdam Authority reports that it has now installed six ‘smart bollards’ to further digitalise berthing operations, following a successful trial of one smart bollard along the quay of the Hutchison Ports ECT Delta terminal on the Maasvlakte.
The six new bollards, which were developed in collaboration with Straatman BV, are positioned side by side at one berth for large container ships.
The equipment measures the strength of mooring lines and provides additional insight into the berthing, docking and idling activities of container ships at the quay. When force is applied to a bollard, it moves very slightly. A sensor measures the force and sends the results directly to the Port.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority manages 80 kilometres of quay wall and 200 kilometres of bank shoring, and in recent years has expanded its use of sensors to collect information within the quays. The creation of the smart berth is part of a series of measures aimed at using digital technology to manage port assets and operations more efficiently.
