The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has signed new Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Port of London Authority (PLA) and Peel Ports Group to enable greater collaboration in the port sector, the organization has announced today.
Strategic Partnership
The new strategic partnerships will help to improve the supply, management and sharing of hydrographic and marine data and support the UKHO’s ambitions to work more closely with the UK ports and harbors community. The agreements will help to foster improved data exchange between the ports and the UKHO. Taken together, PLA and Peel Ports Group are responsible for handling more than 120 million tonnes of cargo every year. The MoUs will also enable closer collaboration on the development and implementation of next generation navigational services. This will include the testing of new solutions based on the International Hydrographic Organization’s new S-100 data standards and joint efforts to find more opportunities to digitalise the port environment.
Speaking on the MoUs, Paul Marks, Head of Data Partnerships at UKHO, said: “Maintaining close relationships between the UKHO and ports has always been hugely important to support both safety of life at sea and the UK’s international seaborne trade…” The PLA is responsible for 95 miles of the River Thames, including the surveying of over 400 square miles of riverbed to support safe and efficient passage. This MoU signing follows a successful collaboration between the UKHO and PLA to conduct the first real-world sea trial of gridded bathymetry data using the S-102 standard.
Close Collaboration
John Dillon-Leetch, Port Hydrographer at PLA, added: “Having a documented MoU between the PLA and the UKHO in addition to our bilateral port agreement is a significant achievement and commitment by both organizations…” Peel Ports Group is responsible for seven ports and terminals across the UK – from Clydeport in Scotland to London Medway in the Southeast – and the handling of 70 million tonnes of cargo each year. The new MoU between UKHO and Peel Ports Group will help to formalize existing avenues of collaboration, paving the way for closer data and knowledge exchange. Gary Doyle, Group Harbour Master at Peel Ports Group, commented: “I am absolutely delighted that we have signed this MoU with the UK Hydrographic Office. It recognises the investment we as a company have made in hydrographic excellence and our shareholders’ willingness to embrace innovation…”
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Source: Shippingmanagementinternational
