Posted on July 24, 2023
Wilson Sons has introduced a new management system in its Tugboat Operation Centre (COR) in Brazil to increase the efficiency, safety and sustainability of its fleet
Argonáutica has provided its operating and traffic management information system, Artemis, enabling Wilson Sons to conduct real-time monitoring of its growing fleet of 81 tugboats. Argonáutica took 12 years to develop, implement and test Artemis as a digital product.
This new solution is part of Wilson Sons’ strategy of investing in digital technology development in close connection with start-ups in the maritime and port business and adopting new technologies to increase the efficiency and productivity of Brazilian infrastructure.
Artemis improves navigation safety while saving fuel and mitigating the risk of accidents by using areas that are more suitable for shipping operations. Tugboat captains can also use Artemis to preset alarms in emergencies.
“Artemis is a highly relevant digital product with great potential for penetration in Brazil’s port industry,” said Wilson Sons director of digital transformation Eduardo Valença.
“It is already connected to more than 25 AIS antennas set up along the coast, while integrating maritime, meteorological and oceanographic traffic data, through which our COR will monitor all manoeuvres carried out by tugboats at multiple ports across Brazil,” he said.
“This system has been developed not only to manage Wilson Sons’ fleet, but also to support many other companies in this industry.”
Artemis monitors local meteorological conditions such as tide, current and wind, and provides an overview of how these variables affect towage operations, productivity and safety.
“Artemis represents a significant improvement to the management of Wilson Sons’ tugboat fleet,” said Wilson Sons director of towage operations Rodrigo Bastos.
Wilson Sons uses this new tool to monitor other operating parameters, optimising, for example, tugboat operations, positioning and utilisation.
“Among other advantages, we can reduce fuel consumption, generate positive effects on the environment and add sustainability to port operations in the country,” said Mr Bastos.
Argonáutica intends to use the success of Artemis to scale up other digital products, including ReDraft, which calculates dynamic under-keel clearance based on the characteristics of the vessels and waterways, while considering the environmental conditions during each manoeuvre.
The start-up also developed MeDuSa, which optimises berthing and quay operations for greater ship mooring predictability and safety, especially in ship-to-ship operations.
Argonáutica was founded by four naval engineering PhD graduates from the University of São Paulo: Guilherme Feitosa Rosetti, Felipe Ruggeri, Rafael de Andrade Watai, and Rodrigo Sauri Lavieri. It has implemented more than 180 projects, such as providing ReDraft to the ports of Santos (São Paulo state), Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Suape (Pernambuco), Port of Açu (Rio de Janeiro state) and Portocel (Espírito Santo state).
