Drone partnership

HHLA Sky, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, and the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) are joining forces to use drones at the Port of Hamburg for logistical, sensory and coordinative processes.

“In the event of storm surges, accidents or other unforeseeable disruptions, flying, floating or self-driving robots can be on-site considerably faster and provide high-resolution videos and pictures for an exact overview of the situation,” explained Jens Meier, chair of the executive board of the HPA.

“The time saved can be decisive in an emergency. Furthermore, they make the maintenance and expansion of the port infrastructure significantly more efficient – for example, in the case of facilities that are difficult, time-consuming or dangerous to reach.”

HHLA Sky has recently developed and marketed a control centre for the operation and monitoring of drones. It connects various HPA applications, streamlining processes that were previously labour-intensive so that devices can be operated more efficiently.

“Our solution will display and control all associated processes in a safe and understandable manner,” said Matthias Gronstedt, managing director of HHLA Sky. “Furthermore, the HPA is able to collect very different kinds of data using mobile teleoperated sensors. Analysing it helps us use resources optimally.”

The next phase of product development for the new ‘drones as a service’ product will be launched with this partnership and pilot operations are due to begin this year.