As Maritime Safety Week gets underway, Falmouth Harbour is fully harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to revolutionise safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability across its operations.
It follows last year’s successful Harbour-AI pilot project which used Falmouth Harbour’s existing CCTV infrastructure for AI-powered, 24/7 monitoring capable of identifying potential hazards to people, shipping, or sensitive marine habitats – and preventing accidents before they occur.
Falmouth Harbour CEO Miles Carden explains: “Whereas CCTV simply records everything the camera sees, the AI addition learns to spot and alert us to anything wrong or dangerous going on – logged and time-lined so we have immediate access to any potential hazards or infringements.
“That could be a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) speeding between moorings over the 6 knot inner harbour limit, or a motorboat crossing into the Gylly Beach buoyed swimming zone which could obviously be extremely dangerous to swimmers and other non-powered craft like paddle-boarders.
“It could alert us to a vessel that’s broken its moorings, or that’s at risk of spilling fuel in the harbour before any disaster actually happens. It can even alert us if a speed boat operator isn’t using the kill-cord which should cut an engine if anything happens to the skipper, or if children aren’t wearing life-jackets – anything where people or the environment are unnecessarily being put at risk.”
The Harbour AI project – government-funded through Innovate UK and led by industry leaders RoboK – is now being rolled-out across the UK with Falmouth Harbour in the vanguard.
The FH team is fully trained in its applications including hands-on experience in vessel monitoring, detection of unusual movements and environmental risk assessment – all ensuring the processes are GDPR compliant to protect privacy.
“As a Harbour Authority we have absolutely no wish to be heavy-handed,” says Miles Carden, “but there are clearly very good reasons why maritime laws exist – primarily for people’s safely and welfare – and if necessary in serious cases we will prosecute offenders. Our AI CCTV will provide clear evidence if that should be the case.”
Harbour AI is just the latest initiative putting Falmouth Harbour with its wide community of partners fully in line with the Department of Transport’s Maritime Safety campaign to promote safety standards, share best practices and raise awareness of risks across the UK’s ports, marinas, and coastal environments.
The Falmouth Harbour Users Group (HUG), formed 18 months ago, has brought commercial and leisure water users together as a conduit for information and best, safest practice between Falmouth Harbour and all its diverse stakeholders.
Falmouth HUG members filter ideas, concerns and information both ways to ensure the representation of user groups as wide-ranging as sailors, swimmers and paddleboarders, fishers and local councils, marine businesses, the RNLI, HM Coastguard, environmental organisations and neighbouring harbour authorities.
Falmouth HUG chairman Dave Owens says, “Our aim is to make sure that everyone is represented, informed and involved in everything that affects how we all use the harbour safely and enjoyably, whilst respecting our outstanding environment and different users.
“We’re working closely with the Harbour team and the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners as well as with the groups we represent – making sure everyone is kept abreast of what’s going on – whether it be Harbour bye-laws designed to keep water users safe or concerns about which the Harbour authorities may not be aware.
“It might be something as simple as making sure all water users know there are speed limits in the Inner Harbour, or supporting local organisations to run events in a safer way, or find better ways to protect the environments and habitats around the Harbour.”
