North Sea Port has announced it has joined an international effort to make transport and logistics more efficient through 5G, partnering with the Port of Antwerp and a coalition of European supply chain stakeholders.
According to a statement, ‘5G Blueprint’is a public-private partnership made up of companies from Belgium, The Netherlands,Switzerland and the Czech Republic, and has been granted $11.2 million (€10 million) from the European Union.
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, together with the Flemish Department for Mobility and Public Works, the port authorities North Sea Port and Port of Antwerp, the business community and the academic sector, has set up a consortium with 28 members.
It will investigate how how tele-operation can be used to make transport and logistics more efficient – including across borders.
In addition, they will look into how transport and logistics can be made more efficient with the aid of remote control (tele-operation) technology – including across borders. The 5G Blueprint project will commence on 1 September 2020 and run for three years.
The project will also look at safety, costs and benefits, division of responsibilities, collaboration and standardisation. The insights and lessons from this three-year project will be applied directly in this region where possible. But they will also be important as a new standard and working method – as a ‘Blueprint’ – for other areas and sectors.
The parties involved are investigating how exchanging real-time data to and from vehicles, between terminals and vehicles and between vehicles and their head offices can contribute to greater efficiency in the supply chain and help mitigate driver shortages.
The aim is to be able to remotely steer and support vehicles and vessels. This is expected to not only improve the accessibility of the important North Sea Port (Vlissingen, Terneuzen and Ghent) to Antwerp logistics corridor, but also to increase employment and strengthen the competitive position of that area. New 5G telecommunications technology will be one of the tools used.
