PD Ports, owner and operator of Teesport and Statutory Harbour Authority for the River Tees, is embarking on a new partnership with commercial drone firm Heliguy, to further boost efficiencies and resilience across Teesport.
The partnership will see the procurement of five drones, designed to optimise operations and reduce risks, as well as tailored remote-pilot training for 17 people across the port group.
The equipment will be utilised across a variety of departments, including Harbour Police and engineering, to deliver multiple benefits to the business and the wider river community. The drones will be used for tasks such as emergency response, surveillance, surveying as well as asset and infrastructure management.
Neil Dalus, PD Ports’ Group civil engineering manager, said: “There are multiple reasons why we made the decision to partner with Heliguy. They offer the best available hardware, complimented by tailored training that can be adapted to suit our people and their individual roles.
“By utilising drone technology we can reduce the risks associated with working from height and gather better quality data to make the whole port complex more efficient. It will also enable us to further increase our security across the river, giving the Harbour Police tools to offer faster responses whilst obtaining a better, targeted view of any incidents.”
Some eight Harbour Police constables have passed their General Visual Line of Sight (GVC) training with Heliguy and are now able to fly the drones safely, with the rest of the team due to commence their training later this month.
Matthew Cairns, part of the enterprise sales team at Heliguy, said: “Port authorities represent a fantastic example of businesses which are perfectly positioned to benefit from in-house drone technology. This technology will now find its place within various departments and disciplines across the PD Ports Group and we’re excited to be assisting the team in developing that capability from the ground up.”
The investment is part of PD Port’s wider efforts to establish the River Tees as the UK’s most successful port region by 2050.
