The Halifax Port Authority (HPA) has partnered with Marine Thinking, a member company at The PIER, to test new technology at the Port of Halifax.
Marine Thinking’s electric Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV), Acadia, will conduct an autonomous sonar assessment of Piers 20, 21, and 22.
The scans will collect data on the existing state of seawall infrastructure and seabed elevation to aid with future maintenance and project planning.
The RIB (rigid inflatable boat) is entirely electric, which reduces both noise and air pollutants at the source.
According to HPA, its infrastructure may be managed responsibly and pro-actively in an ecologically friendly manner.
READ: Ports of Halifax and Hamburg ink MoU for ‘Open Innovation Platform’
Govinda Jagdeo, Project Manager, Marine Thinking, said: “This trial will improve the understanding of emerging USV capabilities and will prepare HPA for the application and future use of autonomous vessels in the Halifax Harbour.
“Our autonomous technology solutions are helping the industry advance further and faster while ensuring a safer and more sustainable future.”
David Thomas, Executive Director, The PIER, said: “The PIER is where HPA and its members come to co-create, test and demonstrate emerging technologies.
“This is a great example of how we can leverage what PIER members are doing and test it in a real environment. Adopting solutions for infrastructure surveying could bring down deployment time and enable HPA to perform more surveys, including after major weather events.”
On 26 April 2023, the Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia welcomed the arrival of the 14,000 TEU ONE STORK.
Two months later, the Port of Halifax welcomed its fifth MSC Service with the arrival of the MSC Elma to PSA Halifax Atlantic Hub.
