Wilson Sons, a major port operator in Brazil, has acquired a minority stake and commercial exclusivity in Israeli start-up Docktech to monitor navigational depth in Brazilian ports.
Docktech, which utilises a digital twin algorithm, will integrate with Wilson Sons through the operator’s fleet of 80 tugs and provide Wilson Sons with information of how certain factors affect Brazilian ports in navigation and security.
Wilson Sons tugs will collect and process bathymetric – depth measurement – data of the ports it is operating in and using the Docktech algorithm will be able to monitor in real-time the depth of berths and waterways.
The technology is already in use at the Ports of Santos and Rio Grande. Wilson Sons plans to implement the measuring solutions in the ports of Rio de Janeiro, Açu, and Vitória – all areas where Wilson Sons operates.
This is Wilson Sons’ second investment in a start-up. In mid-2020, the company acquired a stake in AIDrivers, which specialises in the development of autonomous mobility systems for heavy port equipment.
“The worldwide port infrastructure still does not offer instruments capable of accurately determining the real depth of the access channels to the ports and the berths,” commented Márcio Castro, executive director of the Tugboats business unit from Wilson Sons.
“With the Docktech solution, it is possible to make this measurement more precisely and, thus, avoid underutilising the cargo capacity of the ships, in addition to wasting dredging resources.”
