In the field of inspection and control, the fully independent drone will test various use cases, the objective being to establish a network of autonomous drones in 2022.

These will include inspection of infrastructure, surveillance and monitoring, incident management, berth management, and detection of oil spills or drift waste.

An autonomous drone that has been developed in collaboration with the Dronematrix company is scheduled to be deployed for the first time this week.

“ Through our ‘Port of the Future’ innovation platform and cooperation with partners, such as DroneMatrix, we can accelerate technological innovation. Not just for drones, but also for promising evolutions in autonomous shipping, smart cameras and sensors,” said Erwin Verstraelen, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer Port of Antwerp.

The drone departs from a fixed base near the lock at Kieldrecht and follows the port on a fixed route. Moreover, in emergencies where an overview of the situation is important, for example, the drone can also fly on request.

The drone operates completely independently and charges itself through an intelligent docking station which, according to the port, is centrally managed from a web platform.

Maritime Business World