Port of Rotterdam Authority to collaborate with four new companies
During the finale of the 4th edition of the annual innovation programme PortXL, the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed individual Letters of Intent with four enterprising new companies that are expected to help make the port more sustainable, more efficient and ‘smarter’. The firms in question are Richtlijn Geodesie, Flower Turbines, Ladar Ltd and Planys Tech. In addition, the Port Authority issued a so-called Letter of Support to Eco Wave Power.
PortXL is a three-month accelerator programme in which fledgling firms receive intensive coaching from mentors and experts from the private sector. This support is intended to supercharge the further development of their initiative. The products presented by these promising start-ups range from new uses for compact wind turbines to the development of smart sensors that can be installed along quay walls. A total of 16 start-ups participated in the most recent edition of this innovation programme.
The Port Authority plans to jointly determine with Richtlijn Geodesie the feasibility of a pilot project – in partnership with the Municipality of Rotterdam – that involves installing smart sensors at various quay walls in the port area. It will work together with Flower Turbines on a joint study into the sustainable, decentralised generation of power in port projects. These wind turbines are easy to fit due to their small size. Ladar Ltd’s sensors rely on laser technology and are used to increase our insight into the movements of recreational shipping traffic. The main objective of this pilot project is product comparison.
With Planys Tech, the Port Authority will be starting a joint pilot project that uses a remote-controlled vessel to measure the wall thickness of sheet pile walls. This project will mainly focus on locations that create safety issues for human divers. Eco Wave Power is an innovative company that develops advanced floats that can convert wave motion into power. The Port Authority has issued this initiative with a letter of support and will be following the technological progress of this promising scale-up with keen interest.
Richtlijn Geodesie collects exact geo-data. Its DefoCube product is based on a low-cost GPS monitoring system that provides highly accurate insight into the real-time status of civil engineering assets.
Thanks to their modest span of 3 to 6 metres, Flower wind turbines can be used for a range of applications. In addition, they combine relatively high efficiency with low noise levels and are bird friendly thanks to their relatively closed surface. Through this partnership, the Port Authority hopes to give new impetus to the generation and consumption of sustainable power.
Planys Tech is a deep-tech start-up that presents innovative solutions for the inspection and maintenance of underwater assets in a range of sectors and segments, including ports, shipping, oil and gas, process industry, electricity, desalination, dams and bridges.
Ladar Ltd
Ladar Ltd develops laser-based sensor technology for various applications in the offshore and maritime sectors – autonomous shipping, for example. The collected data can be used for the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure, platforms and vessels and for surveillance purposes.
About the PortXL programme
PortXL was established in 2015 in Rotterdam by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, in partnership with Van Oord, Vopak, Boskalis EY, Uniper, Rabobank, Rotterdam Port Fund, InnovationQuarter and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. As the world’s only accelerator programme that focuses on port-related start-ups, PortXL has since expanded to local programmes in Singapore, Antwerp and Italy.
PortXL scouts worldwide for promising start-ups and scale-ups in the Transport & Logistics, Energy, Chemical & Refining and Maritime sectors. After being selected from a range of applicants, the 16 start-ups and scale-ups participating in this year’s programme worked hard over the past three months to raise their innovations to the next level. In this process, they could count on the intensive coaching support of mentors, partners and experts found within the PortXL network.
