Germany's first remote operations centre
Seafar, a Belgian provider of technology and services for remote-controlled and crew-reduced inland shipping, and its partners HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann have set up Germany's first remote operations centre in Duisburg.
Officially opened on 28 February in the presence of key players from politics, administration, and industry, the centre enables to steer inland barges on waterways from a control tower on land, addressing the shortage of skilled workers.
Plans include expanding operations to additional areas, with a current focus on the Lower Rhine, some sections of Northwest Germany’s canal network, the Mittelland Canal, and other parts of the Rhine.
The centre contains three workstations for remote ship operators and one for a traffic controller, using advanced IT and camera systems to steer ships from a distance. The partners aim to gradually gain approvals for operation in other areas of the country’s inland waterway network. (pb)