Germany gets remote-controlled inland waterway shipping centre

•  Launched by Seafar

Belgian expert in remote-controlled shipping Seafar and its partners, HKG Shipping and Reederei Deymann, have reportedly set up Germany’s first-ever remote
operations hub.
The centre empowers captains to navigate their vessels on inland waterways from the dry land. According to Seafar, such a technology can counter the absence of specialist workers.

Five vessels have been prepared exclusively for the test phase of the assignment. The partners have been in touch with relevant public authorities to use permits for test operations underway in the lower Rhine region and earmark other navigation regions for the approach. They are involved in the application stage for the route sections located on the Mittelland Canal, the northwest German canal network and other compartments of the Rhine.
The concepts involving fewer crew members are being utilised for various vessels of inland waterways in the Netherlands and Belgium. Some of these will be controlled via the new Seafar centre in Duisburg-Ruhrort. The remote operations centre based in Duisburg offers three workplaces for the skippers to maintain their vessels and a workplace for the traffic controller, who monitors the movements of the vessels and is the senior
contact individual.

The skippers can remotely navigate the inland waterway vessels through a system resembling a wheelhouse with a camera system as if operating on the water. Remote-controlled operations from the dry land can make the profession more appealing. Combining family and job through an assignment close to the place of residence offers incentives for staying within inland waterway shipping or taking up a career in the business, informed Reederei Deymann MD
Martin Deymann.

(Reference: Splash247)