Peel has teamed up with ASV Global which has brought its C-Cat-3 to the Mersey. The vessel is ideal for shallow survey operations and is being used in Brocklebank Dock. Tony McDonough reports
Autonomous vessels are being tested at the Port of Liverpool and owner Peel Ports may roll them out across all their UK facilities.
Peel has teamed up with ASV Global (ASV) which has brought its C-Cat-3 to the Mersey. The vessel is ideal for shallow survey operations and is being used in Brocklebank Dock to carry out a seabed survey using a Norbit iWBMS multibeam echo sounder.
The successful demonstration has led Peel Ports Group to explore the possibility of using the technology at its other sites throughout the UK. It will facilitate access to its ports across the country for further test programmes.
To cement the partnership between the two companies, an official Memorandum of Understanding was signed in March by Gary Doyle from Peel Ports and Vince Dobbin from ASV Global.
The partnership will encourage shared learning and address the challenges relating to using autonomous vessels within UK ports. It will also explore possibilities for collaborative development projects.
Gary Doyle, group harbour master at Peel Ports, said: “Bringing the best in class expertise together, we will facilitate an increased understanding of the benefits of autonomous vessels within port operations.
“The industry is already pushing for their commercial use and autonomous vessels are already widely accepted by our customers, especially those in the energy sector.
“This partnership with global leader ASV will cement our commitment to ensuring we are at the forefront of research and the latest cutting-edge technologies which will provide the best possible service to our customers.”