Germany’s first centre for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping opens

SEAFAR, the Belgian technology and service provider for remote-controlled inland waterway shipping operations with reductions in crew numbers, has set up the first so-called Remote Operations Center in Germany; it has done so in conjunction with its project partners, HGK Shipping and Reederei Deymann. The site was officially opened on 28 February in the presence of important representatives from the worlds of politics and business and from public authorities. The Remote Operations Center enables captains to navigate vessels on inland waterways from dry land. This innovative technology is one way of countering the shortage of specialist workers. The partners are working with the public authorities to use the permits, which they have already received for the test operations that are underway in the lower Rhine area, and earmark other navigation areas for this forward-looking approach. They are currently involved in the application phase for route sections on the north-west German canal network and on the Mittelland Canal and for other sections of the river Rhine, for example.

“As a leading inland waterway shipping company in Europe, we view ourselves as a driving force for the development of this sector at all times – in constructing new, resource-saving vessels and in also making use of the innovative solutions that are being introduced into everyday life as part of the enormous trend towards digitalisation. If we’re going to reach ambitious climate protection goals during the next few years and decades, this will only be possible with inland waterway shipping and switching goods traffic to the waterways,” says Steffen Bauer, the CEO of HGK Shipping, emphasising his point.

Martin Deymann, the Managing Director of Reederei Deymann, adds his comments in the light of the fact that this sector faces the enormous challenge of attracting new skippers in order to ensure that it can transport significant quantities of goods. “Remote-controlled operations from dry land can make this profession much more attractive. Being able to combine job and family through a job that’s close to your place of residence provides valuable incentives for staying in inland waterway shipping or launching a career in this business. The Remote Operations Center and the associated boost in digitalisation offer very significant momentum for this long-standing profession.”

The Remote Operations Center in Duisburg currently offers three workplaces for skippers, called ROC operators, to remotely control vessels and there is one workplace for the traffic controller, who also monitors the vessels’ movements in the background and is available to be approached as the senior contact person. Using state-of-the-art IT operations, which meet the highest safety requirements, the skippers can remotely navigate the inland waterway vessels using control technology, which has been recreated to resemble a wheelhouse, and an extensive camera system as if they were operating on the water. The project partners are working closely with the responsible public authorities and offices to gradually increase the number of permits required for these kinds of operations on individual navigable areas of the German inland waterway network.