Peel Ports to explore autonomous vessel technology through latest partnership

Peel Ports Group has partnered with ASV Global to develop autonomous vessel technology for UK ports.

To kick start the agreement, sealed last month with a memorandum of understanding, ASV’s team visited the Port of Liverpool to demonstrate the C-Cat 3 – an autonomous vessel designed for shallow survey operations.

The C-Cat 3 was used to carry out a seabed survey in Brocklebank Dock. On the back of the demonstration, Peel Ports Group is exploring the possibility of deploying the tech at its other UK sites.

Further to this, the partnership will see Peel give ASV access to its other ports for further test programmes. It will also encourage shared learning, as the two organisations work to address challenges relating to the use of autonomous vessels at UK ports.

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.”

He continued: “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.”

Vince Dobbin, ASV Global’s sales and marketing director, commented: “There is enormous potential for the application of ASV technology within UK ports; we are delighted to be partnering with Peel Ports to leverage our combined expertise to realise these opportunities.

“Autonomous vessels have been gaining ground globally over recent years, we have proven the application of ASVs in a number of offshore environments and are excited to explore new areas of application.”