Posted on June 17, 2026
By Martyn Wingrove
An autonomous container vessel was sailed between terminals in Europe’s largest port as part of a demonstration of the technology that has become available for unmanned inland waterways and harbour navigation.
Partners in the Magpie project showed how an inland vessel can sail independently from one terminal to another in the Port of Rotterdam.
HTS Group vessel, Letitia, sailed from Amaliahaven on the Maasvlakte via Europoort and the Nieuwe Waterweg to Waalhaven in the pilot project.
The conventionally powered, inland container vessel navigated safely among regular maritime traffic, demonstrating hazard detection, collision avoidance and autonomous undocking and berthing in the harbour, according to Magpie lead partner, the Port of Rotterdam Authority,
Project partners Alphatron Marine, Argonics and Argonav will integrate elements of this demonstration, argoPositionPilot and argoRadarPilot, in their assistance products for inland vessels with a fixed propeller and rudder.
“Autonomous sailing enables new logistics concepts that improve the flexibility, efficiency and reliability of inland shipping, which is an important hinterland transport modality for the port of Rotterdam,” said Port of Rotterdam Authority director of innovation, Oscar van Veen.
“Containers, bulk and liquids transported via inland waterway reduce pressure on the road network and are moved more energy-efficiently than by road,” he said.
“With growth in freight throughput, it is essential that inland shipping maintain and expand its share of freight transport. Autonomous sailing could play a role in this.”
During the pilot project, the autonomous navigation system continuously monitored Letitia’s position and surroundings, detecting other vessels and safely avoiding them where necessary.
According to Magpie, the master remains ultimately responsible and can intervene at any moment if required, while the system provides support for navigation and decision-making.
Autonomous shipping is one of the ten demonstration projects within Magpie, which seeks to demonstrate solutions to overcome some of the challenges encountered in busy European ports, such as energy transition, industrial competitiveness, climate targets, and strategic resilience.
These demonstrators across maritime, inland waterway, rail and road transport provide practical insights that ports can implement immediately to support the transition towards greener operations, said the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 (MFF 2014-2020) research and innovation programme under grant agreement 101036594.
