This initiative seeks to promote innovation and development in the Brazilian port and maritime sector
Wilson Sons, the largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator in Brazil, acquired a minority equity participation at Docktech, an Israeli startup. The deal also contemplates a commercial exclusivity agreement to install Docktech’s technology throughout Brazilian ports. This new investment is part of Wilson Sons’ strategy to promote the innovation and the development of port and maritime infrastructure.
With the digital twins technology developed by Docktech and, through the data collected by its fleet of 80 tugboats, Wilson Sons will be able to understand the pattern and the silting behavior of Brazilian ports, predicting how certain factors could affect navigation conditions and security.
“The worldwide maritime infrastructure still does not offer tools capable of accurately determining the real depth of the access channels to the ports and the mooring berths. With the Docktech solution, it is possible to make this measurement more precisely and, thus, avoid underutilizing ship’s cargo capacity and wasting dredging resources”, explains Márcio Castro, executive director of the tugboats business unit from Wilson Sons.
The technology is already running in the ports of Santos (SP) and Rio Grande (RS). “In both locations, we have already obtained encouraging results. The plan is to implement the solution in the coming weeks in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Açu (RJ) and Vitória (ES) ports. Subsequently, we will expand to all places where Wilson Sons operates”, emphasizes Castro.
The system works as follows: Wilson Sons tugboats collect and process bathymetric data (depth measurement) of the ports where they are operating and, using the Docktech algorithm, monitor, in real time, the depth of the mooring berths and waterways access. With this data, it is possible to predict changes by recognizing patterns, ensuring greater safety for navigation.
This is Wilson Sons’ second recent investment in a startup. In mid-2020, the Company also acquired a minority share in AIDrivers, a startup specialized in the development of autonomous mobility systems for port equipment.
Before making these investments, Wilson Sons identified more than 400 high potential startups in the port and maritime segment in several countries. “This milestone is another step for the Company to become a reference in providing solutions for the optimization of port and maritime infrastructure. In addition, other startups are still on the Company’s radar”, highlights Eduardo Valença, commercial manager of the Wilson Sons tugboats division.
About Wilson Sons
Wilson Sons is the largest integrated port and maritime logistics operator in the Brazilian market and offers supply chain solutions, with over 180 years of experience. The Company’s tugboats business unit operates in 25 locations, covering practically the entire length of the Brazilian coast, with 80 tugboats, the largest fleet in the country.
The tugboats division has a Tugboat Operations Center (COR), which monitors vessels 24 hours a day, ensuring greater safety and efficiency of operations. It also has a Maritime Improvement Center, composed of its own maneuver simulator, capable of predicting different operational scenarios and used to systematically train its staff of maritime professionals, managers, and support teams, in addition to contributing to projects of industry stakeholders.
About Docktech
The startup Docktech was created in Israel with the mission of mapping the patterns that occur under water inside and outside ports, using data generated by ships and tugs. In 2017, the company won first place in the World Port Hackathon, a competition that also earned it the “Smart Port” award.
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