I’ve recalibrated my media searches to instead read about sustainable technologies that are sprouting fast and offering transformation across market sectors. To give you a flavour of the potential of clean tech, China is spending $200bn on it, and the G20 group of industrialised nations $400bn. A large portion of this is spent shoehorning new tech into conventional business but that’s inefficient investment. More than ever, the new pace of disruptive market forces will help businesses replace current methods and improve growth.
We’re starting to see start-up technology companies flourish, so surely ports and terminals are fertile breeding grounds to pilot-test news ways of operating facilities? We’ve seen wireless platforms connecting plant and machinery with operating systems, LED lighting fit-outs, RFID tagging to track workers that enhances safety, and blockchain in the supply chain. The next slew of tech is on its way but needs bold engineering managers and forward-thinking executives to support them. We might soon see the 3D printing of spare parts, drones delivering packages and inspecting cranes, and driverless vehicles handling boxes.
At the recent UK Rushlight Awards, companies like Powervault and SolarPower showcased their sun-powered energy storage, and refrigeration and cooling units, respectively. Fiberight utilises the circular economy solutions to gain value from residual wastes, while Steama.co specialises in mini-grids and smart metering to manage them. These are game-changing because of the dramatic cost savings and environmental benefits over conventional technologies. They could easily be tested in ports.
I’m hardly aware of a port that properly measures its contribution to air quality, yet innovators such as enLight are starting to offer sensors in masts and street furniture that can measure pollution and post warnings in real time. This is offered at a fraction of the cost of traditional monitoring equipment so stands a chance of scaling-up rapidly.
One can see a future vision of a network of weather/vandal proof sensors collating big data on microclimate, noise and lighting, to help yard managers and maintenance teams pre-empt damage and be better prepared for the arrival of vessels and cargo. No doubt environmental health and safety colleagues will also be keen; not just to demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations but also to provide quantified data on KPIs.
The success of transformation in the maritime sector might come about from unusual partnerships and new models of earning income and access to funding streams. This is more likely to gain credibility where neighbours and the nearest local communities also stand to benefit from an increasingly clean and healthy environment. The CSR policies of ports and terminals can then be moulded to become more relevant to actual business activities, by supporting clean tech and the multitude of advantages it brings.
Charles Haine is technical director for Maritime at WSP.