Valenciaport tests the use of airships for aerial surveillance of port activities
It is part of the Autonomous Stratospheric Platforms for Maritime Monitoring (PLEAMMAR) project developed by the startup Smarthaps within the framework of the Ports 4.0 funds.
This test is used to test this system for port applications such as pollution control, logistics operations, security or traffic registration.
The main objective of the Fund is to actively promote and incorporate disruptive innovation in the Spanish port-logistics sector
Valencia, April 5, 2023.- An airship propelled by electrical energy with sensors and instruments to analyze environmental, security and maritime traffic control parameters flew over the Port of Sagunto to test the use of this technology. This is the Autonomous Stratospheric Platforms for Maritime Monitoring (PLEAMMAR) project, which is being developed by the startup SMARTHAPS within the framework of the Ports 4.0 program. promoted by State Ports and Port Authorities.
The purpose of the PLEAMMAR project is to carry out a feasibility study on the use of HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites) for port applications such as maritime and land traffic control, security and surveillance, pollution control and logistics operations, among others. Within the activities of the project, a test was carried out through the use of a captive airship (anchored to the ground) that could provide a demonstration of the capabilities of the future stratospheric platform. The trial had the collaboration and participation of the Valencia Port Authority (APV), the Valenciaport Foundation and the Sagunto Customs Administration.
The airship was deployed at a height of 100 meters previously coordinated and authorized by ENAIRE. The vehicle had a built-in gyro-stabilized optical camera for the acquisition of images that were sent in real time to the ground control station. During the in-flight operation, various activities and areas of the port were monitored, based on the indications of PAV personnel and which had been defined in previous phases as use cases of interest for port management.
disruptive innovation
This initiative is endorsed by Ports 4.0, in order to test this technology in the field of port applications. The Ports 4.0 capital fund is the corporate open innovation model adopted by Puertos del Estado and the Spanish Port Authorities to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship to the public and private Spanish port-logistics sector in the context of the 4th industrial Revolution.
In the case of the PAV, through these funds it wants to promote sustainability and decarbonization projects in renewable energies, efficient management of energy networks or circular economy; new business opportunities in the logistics chain; digitization of port processes; and integration with the immediate environment, both the city of Valencia and the Valencian Community.
SMARTHAPS is a startup specialized in the development of stratospheric vehicles known as HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo-Satellites) which are airships propelled by electrical energy, capable of flying for several months at a height of 20 km while maintaining a stationary position and providing continuous coverage over an area of ​​interest on the earth's surface thanks to different instruments and sensors that are incorporated.
The Ports 4.0 Fund was launched in 2020 in a determined commitment to innovation by ports with the aim that both port facilities and the logistics chain continue to gain competitiveness. And for this, the program looks for startups and technology companies that propose real disruptive solutions to the port challenges of the 21st century.