Harwich Haven Authority and its partner, industry leading Entopy, receive funding to explore digital twin development
14 November 2024
Caption: William Barker, Marine Director & Harbour Master, Harwich Haven Authority (left) and Toby Mills, CEO, Entopy
Major trust port Harwich Haven Authority announces that they and their partner, Entopy, have been awarded funding towards a £350K project from the Department for Transport (DfT), Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund (SSAF) as announced on 17 October 2024.
The partnership has been forged between Entopy and Harwich Haven Authority to develop a fully operational Artificial Intelligence-enabled Digital Twin to deliver predictive and simulative intelligence to support operational and strategic decision-making relating to the operation of vessel arrivals/berthing at the Port of Felixstowe.
Sarah West, CEO, Harwich Haven Authority commented: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this funding from DfT as we have been working with Entopy for some time to look at every aspect of our berthing operation.
“Working with our Haven partners, Port of Felixstowe and towage operator Svitzer, we are keen to explore how technology could shape future operations not just in the Haven but at container ports across the world.
” Like all UK ports we are actively exploring ways to decarbonise our operation and provide better services for our customers. The implementation of Digital Twin technology will also significantly impact GHG emissions through a reduction in fuel use.
Toby Mills, CEO, Entopy added: “The planned feasibility study will run until March 2025 and builds on a baseline Digital Twin developed through our existing partnership with Harwich Haven Authority.
“The envisaged capability will combine multiple AI micromodels deployed to predict resource constraints across the entire berthing operation, which will combine with real-time data feeds to create a Digital Twin capable of identifying future constraints and informing mitigation strategies.
“This feasibility study will also assess the viability of using this intelligence to inform vessels ahead of their arrival to support ‘just-in-time arrivals’ – a vision that could offer significant impact in our collective drive towards GHG emission reduction.
“We are delighted to be working with such an innovative and forward-thinking partner in Harwich haven Authority and are confident in our collective expertise to drive real impact through the application of advanced technology.”
Steve Beel, CEO, Freeport East: “We are delighted to see the success of this emerging partnership, which will deploy cutting-edge digital technology applications into the UK maritime sector, as part of the growing Harwich Innovation Cluster. As well as supporting Harwich Haven Authority to strengthen vessel operations, this also supports our broader aspiration of putting Felixstowe and Harwich at the heart of the UK’s green corridor opportunities.
“With Freeport East having first engaged with Entopy in late 2022 to support their growth journey, we are particularly excited to see them now deploying their digital twin expertise in the heart of our local geography and look forward to continuing to support the partnership in the months ahead.”
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For further information contact: Fiona Brunning, Corporate Affairs Manager. Email: [email protected] or call: 07425 632090
Notes for Editors
About Harwich Haven Authority
Harwich Haven Authority is one of the country’s largest trust ports, with a jurisdiction that covers 150 square miles. With five port operators, including the Port of Felixstowe, in the Haven it’s one of the Europe’s busiest trade gateways with more than 40% of containerised goods arriving in the UK via this route.
The Authority ensures safety of navigation for all users of the Haven, from the world’s largest container vessels in operation to the 10,000 small leisure craft that visit the area each year. It is responsible for maintaining the depth of the navigational approach channel, which was deepened – from -14.5 metres Chart Datum to -16 metres Chart Datum – in 2023 at a cost of £130 million to facilitate the world’s growing breed of larger and deeper draught container vessels visiting the Port of Felixstowe. They also provide Pilotage, Vessel Traffic Services and maintain the navigation buoys in the Harbour and estuaries of the Rivers Stour and Orwell.
Statistics for 2023
Harwich Pilotage Acts = 3,384
Total tonnage of vessel arrivals = 167,900,00
Harwich Pilot external pilotage acts = 3,117
As a not-for-profit organisation, with no shareholders, Harwich Haven Authority generate income through the services they provide. Surplus profits are then invested back into the Haven for the benefit of stakeholders. Through its Environment, Social and Governance Strategy the Authority measures their impact, against defined TOMs (themes of measurement), using the Social Value Portal. In 2023 they delivered more than £4.2 million of social value, which included £85.6K for creating green spaces, improving biodiversity, and helping ecosystems.
About UK SHORE
The UK Government has allocated £206m Research and Development (R&D) funding to UK SHORE, a programme within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector. UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions between 2022 and 2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to Net Zero. Flagship competitions include the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme and the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).
The UK SHORE programme includes the Smart Shipping Acceleration Fund which provides match-funding to help bring pre-commercial smart shipping technologies closer to market readiness. SSAF allocated £8m to 31 projects across the UK to deliver innovative feasibility studies between November 2024 – March 2025. The projects are supported by over 103 partners and will leverage more than £3m of private investment.