Trelleborg Marine and Infrastructure has supplied its advanced navigation and piloting solutions for pilotage applications to facilitate the safe and efficient berthing of vessels and to increase safety of larger vessels at Peel Ports Group’s Port of Liverpool, located in the North West of England, Clydeport on the West Coast of Scotland, and the Port of Sheerness in the South East of England.
The contract award follows the successful trial of Trelleborg’s portable pilot system at Peel Ports Group’s Port of Sheerness in 2021. Combining professional piloting software with portable pilot units (PPUs) to deliver situational awareness of a vessel to within one centimetre accuracy, the system has enabled the port to successfully, safely and efficiently accommodate larger vessels, including liquified natural gas (LNG) vessels, to enhance operational safety in support of the strategic drive to strengthen the UK’s stock of gas.
Trelleborg’s supply of navigation and piloting solutions to the Port of Liverpool and Clydeport includes a small and compact pilot unit primarily designed to connect to a ship’s AIS pilot plug to transmit data via Wi-Fi to the pilot’s tablet. There is also an additional add-on option that provides more accurate positioning than can be provided by the ship’s own positioning through the AIS pilot plug.
A dual antenna solution consists of heading and positioning units and is developed for applications that require the highest positioning accuracy such as confined waters and offshore operations.