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On water

The Northern Netherlands harbours about half of all Dutch rivers, canals and other waterways and can thus – for this reason alone – be considered to be quite suitable for testing autonomous transportation on water. Water sports and freight transportation are important for the northern economy. With the Eemshaven, the Province of Groningen also possesses a harbour, for which autonomous shipping can be a very interesting option.

Autonomous shipping can be implemented as a kind of urban taxi service (for instance in cities like Groningen and Leeuwarden) or as a ferry service in cycling and hiking areas. The advantage here is that it indeed is a fast, clean and flexible means of transportation both in urban as well as natural areas.

In addition, autonomous shipping can also be an interesting option for pilotage services for large ships for instance at the Eemshaven. Due to its narrow fairways, large ships typically have to be piloted by tug and pusher craft. Autonomous ships are quite suited for this task as they are capable of piloting ships safely and properly via the shortest and thus less energy-intensive route available into harbours.

To sum it up: our Northern water-infrastructure – with its broad canals, big lakes and numerous (sea) ports – will surely prove to be the perfect spacious aquatic region for autonomous transportation on water.

Recent news

  • Hive.Mobility partner of the Netherlands Forum for Smart Shipping

    Recently, Hive.Mobility became a partner of SMASH!, the Netherlands Forum for Smart Shipping. SMASH! – short for smart shipping – aims to bring the Dutch maritime sector together in order to implement smart shipping and thus strengthen the international competitive position of the Dutch maritime sector. Smart shipping means: highly automated sailing at sea, in…

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  • Sailing without a skipper with the bicycle ferry near Drachten

    Fancy a minor cycling trip in the vicinity of the town of Drachten?That will soon be possible thanks to a bicycle ferry between the small towns of De Wilgen and Opeinde, which shall extend the existing ferry route around the De Alde Feanen National Park. The municipality of Smallingerland – in collaboration with the Province…

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  • @north festival: 5Groningen tests autonomous vessel in the port of Delfzijl

    Marinminds, KPN, Groningen Seaports and Huawei have jointly conducted a trial in the context of a 5G autonomous shipping pilot within 5Groningen, an initiative of Economic Board Groningen. A 5 metres long vessel was equipped with sensors and cameras, which provided real-time data transmission to Groningen Seaports Head Office. It was thus able to navigate…

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