The initiative also aims to prepare the entire 42-kilometer-long port area for the future handling of networked ships. It will begin with the development of a central dashboard application that collects and processes water, weather, sensor and communication data in real time and analyzes it via IBM's IoT platform. This opens up numerous innovation opportunities for the port to manage shipping traffic more safely and efficiently.
"We have taken steps in Rotterdam to become the smartest port in the world," says Paul Smits, Chief Innovation Officer of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. "Fast and efficient processes are essential for our business and require us to use all the data available to us. Thanks to real-time information about infrastructure, water, air and many other areas, we can significantly improve the service for everyone using the port and prepare for the transition to connected, autonomous shipping."

As the largest port in Europe, the port of Rotterdam handles 140,000 ships a year and 461 million tons of goods per year. Until now, the port has used conventional radio and radar communication between captains, pilots, terminal operators and tugboats to coordinate port operations. As part of the port's digital transformation, sensors are now being installed along the quay walls, jetties and roads in the port area, which stretches 42 km from the city of Rotterdam to the North Sea. These sensors collect various data streams, including water and weather data on tides and currents, temperature, wind speed and direction, water levels, berth availability and visibility.

This data is analyzed by IBM's cloud-based IoT technologies and converted into information that the Port of Rotterdam can use as a basis for decision-making. In this way, the Port Authority aims to reduce waiting times, determine the optimal time for berthing and loading and unloading ships, make better use of the available space and increase the capacity for handling ships.

Thanks to the new initiative, port operators can also track all processes in the port synchronously and thus make processes more efficient. Shipping companies and the port will be able to reduce the dwell time of ships in the port by up to one hour, saving up to 80,000 US dollars. For example, the Port of Rotterdam Authority can use the water level to determine the optimum time for ships to enter or leave the port in order to achieve the maximum cargo volume by utilizing the draught possible at entry.

The port's digital transformation project is made possible by IBM's cloud-based IoT technologies. It is designed as a long-term collaboration between the Port of Rotterdam Authority and IBM to cover further innovative application areas for IoT and artificial intelligence. Cisco's network specialists and the IT and digitalization experts from IT service provider and software manufacturer Axians are also involved in the project.