Saturday, February 7, 2026

Port Authorities News

© ohrim / Adobe Stock

S-100 has Value Beyond ECDIS

a recent UKHO webinar: “It is not only about port efficiency now. We are talking about the marine environment, protecting the marine environment. We are talking about food security. We are talking about climate change.“When marine pollution happens, it’s not only the maritime port authorities that are involved. You have got the National Environment Agency; you have got the land authorities. And we were using not only information on land but also drones as well. It’s all three components: land, sea and air that makes us more conscious of the marine environment.”Thomas

Image courtesy  International Hydrographic Organization Nautical Information Provision Work Group (IHO NIPWG)

IHO Nautical Information Provision Work Group endorses Guide for Nautical Data 2.1

Information Provision Work Group (IHO NIPWG) held a vote on the new Guide for Nautical Data 2.1. The guide was unanimously endorsed.The guide has been written, with contributory input from International Harbour Masters Association (IHMA) members around the world, to support hydrographic offices and port authorities in the discharge of their collective responsibilities as per the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter V, Regulation 9: Hydrographic Services.SOLAS sets out the minimum standards for the construction, equipment

©Fugro

Fugro's USV with eROV Wins UK Maritime Agency Approval

Blue Essence category 2 approval, meaning the vessel can be operated within 60 nautical miles of a ‘safe haven’; the next stage in the UK regulatory process will be to obtain Category 0 MCA approval, which will allow the vessel unrestricted service subject to the agreement of relevant port authorities.USV equipped with Blue Volta ROVThe uncrewed vessel, developed in partnership with SEA-KIT International, is equipped with Fugro’s Blue Volta eROV and, per Fugro, with an array of geophysical equipment to undertake subsea inspection and site characterization surveys."Blue Essence

Photo by Jack Rowley

Leveraging Unmanned Surface Vessels to Enhance the Effectiveness of Port and Harbor Security

, to Hong Kong, to Shenzhen and to other mega-ports, as well as hundreds smaller ports, ports and harbors are critical to world prosperity. A catastrophic event could close one of these ports for an indefinite time and spill an enormous amount of pollution into the oceans.Faced with this challenge, port authorities must ensure security twenty-four hours a day, every day. This task includes continuous inspection of port assets, threat detection and security response, ongoing surveys to ensure navigable waterways, hull inspections, and a wide-range of other missions.The magnitude of providing comprehensive

Copyright Sergey Nivens/AdobeStock

AI Set to Tackle Jetty and Port Corrosion Across WA

from two fronts – monitoring and repair. Concrete corrosion is a complex multifactorial phenomenon, so the team will develop a new AI-based decision-making tool that will be fed data and images on the marine structures and then the algorithm will produce reports of high-risk areas for the port authorities, so the maintenance strategies can be scheduled. We will also look at a better repair solution to lengthen the life and extend the inspection interval for these structures.”Professor Mariano Iannuzzi, Director of the Curtin Corrosion Centre, said this is an exciting opportunity for researchers

VADM Connor tapped to Tackle Autonomous Maritime Systems at MRS 2021

Vice Admiral (ret) Mike Connor, CEO of ThayerMahan, Inc., will discuss the use of autonomous maritime systems in minimizing risk for vessel operators, infrastructure owners, and port authorities. Admiral Connor has over 30 years of experience in the maritime security arena. He is the former commander of the US Submarine Force. As CEO of ThayerMahan, he focuses on delivering maritime domain awareness at reduced cost by leveraging emerging technologies for customers in government, industry, and academia.Register for the 2021 Maritime Risk Symposium at www.MaritimeRiskSymposium.org

A Coast Guard ATON (Aids to Navigation) buoy in Kings Bay, Ga., that will house one of the new PORTS current meters. (Photo: NOAA)

Sensor Systems Improve Marine Navigation Near US Naval Bases

reduce traffic delays,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, acting director of NOAA’s National Ocean Service. “They also provide real-time, resilience-ready data as coastal conditions rapidly change, potentially threatening our coastal communities.”PORTS is a partnership program with local port authorities, pilot associations, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Navy, academia and other stakeholders across the nation. In addition to other noted benefits, these systems also improve hazardous spill response and enhance recreational activities.“The PORTS system

Christine Spiten - a passion for ocean #ACTION. Photo Courtesy Norhipping

Interview: Christine Spiten, WWF & Cleaning Up Ocean Plastics

;s third most plastic-polluting country, after China and Indonesia, despite the fact that around half of its 100 million strong population depend on ocean fishing for their livelihoods.Grieg and WWF are launching a multi-faceted initiative where they will work with local partners, including port authorities and waste management firms, to map the waterborne pollution in three key harbour areas. Innovation projects to address the issue will then be initiated, again with local involvement, while education campaigns will engage the businesses that are seen to have an impact on localised plastic pollution

C-Job Naval Architects' concept design of an Autonomous Underwater Maintenance Dredger was presented at the combined Maritime and Port Technology and Development Conference (MTEC) and international Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (ICMASS) in Trondheim, Norway. (Image: C-Job Naval Architects)

Autonomous Underwater Dredger Unveiled

was envisaged via shore-based communication networks such as 4G/5G.Work remainingTim Vlaar, Technical Director at C-Job, said, “In order for autonomous vessels like the Autonomous Underwater Maintenance Dredger to become reality more work is needed and requires all stakeholders such as class, port authorities, autonomous technology companies and launching customers to come together.“Of course, continued development of autonomous vessel designs is also needed to fully explore the possibilities autonomous shipping presents even further.&rdquo

As 2025 comes to a close, MTR explores trends for 2026 and the newest products and vessels in the maritime industry.
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