Aberdeen Harbour Board (AHB) said it was “one step closer to digital transformation”, thanks to a £161,000 grant to fund a three-year knowledge transfer partnership with Robert Gordon University (RGU).
The partnership, which is funded by Innovate UK and the Scottish Funding Council, aims to deliver a digital decision support system based on live data, allowing the port’s marine and operations departments to maximise the efficiency of the north harbour. Systems devised will be applied to the new south harbour when it opens in 2021.
AHB chief executive Michelle Handforth said the project would “revolutionise” planning and berth utilisation in the port’s busy north harbour.
She added: “By using valuable data which can be gathered from operations every day, we can provide our customers and port users with efficient, streamlined services, while also eradicating unnecessary journeys and waiting times, thus helping to meet objectives around carbon emissions.
“Ports operating in the 21st Century must make use of digital innovations, and we look forward to seeing the benefits this partnership will bring to Aberdeen harbour.”
Professor John McCall, head of computing science and digital media at RGU, said he and his team were “very excited to have the opportunity to apply our digital expertise to help optimise harbour operations, promote efficiency and to have a real impact on marine carbon emissions”.