Start-ups to Make Rotterdam Port Smarter

The Port of Rotterdam Authority signed individual Letters of Intent (LoI) with four enterprising new companies that are expected to help make the port more sustainable, more efficient and ‘smarter’.

Agreed during the fourth edition of PortXL, an annual innovation programme in which start-ups receive intensive coaching from private-sector experts, the firms that will partner with Rotterdam include Richtlijn Geodesie, Flower Turbines, Ladar Ltd and Planys Tech.

In addition, the Port Authority issued a so-called Letter of Support to Eco Wave Power.

PortXL is a three-month accelerator programme in which fledgling firms receive intensive coaching from mentors and experts from the private sector. This support is intended to supercharge the further development of their initiative.

The products presented by these promising start-ups range from new uses for compact wind turbines to the development of smart sensors that can be installed along quay walls. A total of 16 start-ups participated in the most recent edition of this innovation programme.

The Port Authority plans to jointly determine with Richtlijn Geodesie the feasibility of a pilot project – in partnership with the Municipality of Rotterdam – that involves installing smart sensors at various quay walls in the port area.

It will work together with Flower Turbines on a joint study into the sustainable, decentralised generation of power in port projects. These wind turbines are easy to fit due to their small size. Ladar Ltd’s sensors rely on laser technology and are used to increase our insight into the movements of recreational shipping traffic. The main objective of this pilot project is product comparison.

With Planys Tech, the Port Authority will be starting a joint pilot project that uses a remote-controlled vessel to measure the wall thickness of sheet pile walls. This project will mainly focus on locations that create safety issues for human divers.

Eco Wave Power is an innovative company that develops advanced floats that can convert wave motion into power. The Port Authority has issued this initiative with a letter of support and will be following the technological progress of this promising scale-up with keen interest.