Wärtsilä develops green autonomous port barge
Container shuttle in the port of Rotterdam (Source: Port of Rotterdam)
Finnish group Wärtsilä is to develop an autonomous, zero-emission barge for internal port logistics including container transport in the port of Rotterdam.
The company is part of an international alliance, headed by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, which has been awarded nearly 25 million euros in EU funding to implement projects aimed at sustainable and smart port logistics. Wärtsilä is set to receive the biggest portion of the grant for a sub-project to demonstrate a commercially viable autonomous intra-port inter-terminal container shuttle to address an emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container transportation.
The installation will include several of the latest in-house solutions; e.g. SmartMove Suite, which provides a unique pairing of sensor tech with navigation systems for safe, automated ship movement. Wärtsilä will deliver an autonomous e-barge concept that can greatly enhance efficiency for container transport in Rotterdam through automated seaborne cargo transhipment.
“Our ambition is to see these container shuttles introduced into a smart logistics network within the next few years,” said Mr Hendrik Busshoff, Business Development Engineer, Wärtsilä Voyage.
