Record 29 contracts inked at PortXL Shakedown

Sixteen companies formed the cohort, five start-ups and eleven scale-ups. Among the corporates that entered in a co-operation with the cohort were Van Oord, Vopak and the Port of Rotterdam Authority. In their first year of partnership with PortXL, Mammoet and Royal IHC also confirmed several contracts.

The largest contract signed, and the largest to-date in four years of the PortXL programme, was by Australian scale-up Verton with a corporate consortium comprising Van Oord, Mammoet and Vestas. Together, they will develop a way to shorten the installation cycle times for wind turbines and make it safer for operators.

Four elements theme

For its fourth anniversary, PortXL, the world’s first port & maritime accelerator, started off its Shakedown event by showcasing the port in 4D – four dimensions to introduce this year’s theme: the four elements of water, wind, fire and earth. Four of the thirteen PortXL corporate partners each held a plenary session tied to one of the four elements, speaking about innovation in their fields.

The City of Rotterdam focused on the water element with a keynote speech by Corjan Gebraad about water innovation within the city and how they are planning to adapt to climate changes.

Van Oord spoke about the way the wind industry can have its moments of strong gales and how even the trickiest wind can mean smooth sailing for innovators willing to grasp the opportunities that arise.

The Port of Rotterdam described their efforts towards making Rotterdam the smartest port and the fiery passion of the innovators involved.

Earth was covered by Boskalis, who shared their experiences in building with Mother Nature, making beneficial use of soft sediments for the benefit of the ecosystem.

By Rebecca Jeffrey