Germany's Hamburg Port Authority, together with the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services (Fraunhofer CML) and Kongsberg Maritime Germany, has launched a project that seeks to safely integrate semi-autonomous and remotely monitored, low-emission waterborne vehicles such as autonomous surface vessels into complex port environments.
The iPORTUS project is funded with approximately €1.7 million (US$2 million) by the German Federal Ministry for Transport under the IHATEC II funding programme.
The project will focus on ensuring nautical safety and cyber security, developing a high degree of autonomy for the deployed systems, and integrating them into a remote operations centre (ROC).
The project seeks to establish regulatory foundations for approval procedures and economic decision-making, thereby enabling the future routine operation of autonomous watercraft in German ports.
The iPORTUS project is supported by a number of associated partners, including the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, the City of Bremen, represented by Bremenports and Niedersachsen Ports, as well as HafenCity University Hamburg.
On Monday, January 26, the first consortium and working meeting will take place at Fraunhofer CML, where the project partners will set the central technical and organisational course for the coming months.