Transport (Ports & Shipping)

Prime Contractor
ABP Mer (UK)

Contact
Alison Houghton - AHoughton@abpmer.co.uk

Partners
BMTARGOSS (Netherlands), StarLab (Spain)

Users
Association of British Ports (APB) for Grimsby, Hull, Goole, Immingham port management (UK), Groningen Seaports (Netherlands)

Main Aims / Objectives
Improve and extend current information available to port authorities for vessel traffic management.

Main Services

EO-derived information includes metocean, sea-state, bathymetry, ship position & routes for both the immediate port areas and extended beyond to include port approaches.

This information will provide support for vessels as they travel between ports, support to Vessel Traffic Services in managing port safety and to characterise (and thereby reduce) the risk of accidents to shipping both within the port environment and between ports.

The most critical areas recognized by the maritime community are the coastal waters, and in particular the port approaches, where conditions can be highly variable in space and time and therefore unpredictable. Reports published by the European Commission indicate an increase in maritime traffic of about 50% in the next five years. Increased shipping traffic will inevitably lead to more congestions and accidents within ports and on their approaches. The environmental and economical consequences can be huge.

The prospects for EO based solutions in this context are being assessed for the transport sector with Vessel Traffic Services and Port Authorities from the UK and the Netherlands. Humber Estuary Services (HES) is part of Associated British Ports (ABP) the UK’s biggest ports group, which owns and operates 21 ports, including the four Humber Ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole).