Marine Traffic & Harbour Safety

In Bulgaria, the Harbour Safety – Varna Port Pilot aims to improve ship navigation safety during unfavorable weather conditions. The Technical University of Varna (TUV) will develop a Digital Twin of Varna Bay, Varna Lake, and the navigation channels that connect them, which will be integrated with the other Iliad Digital Twins following the System-of-Systems approach. The Varna Port Pilot will be developed jointly by the TUV and the end-users at Varna Port and the partner Traffic Contol Tower – Varna, Bulgarian Port Infrastructure Company, which is the principal of Varna Port.

The enhanced TUV’s Digital Twin environment will integrate:

• Weather models with higher temporal and location-specific resolutions will be created based on weather data collected in collaboration with partners BPIC, NIMH, and TalTech (wind, waves, fog, temperature, water current).
• Advanced augmented reality and AI-based models and additional functionality in support of Ship Pilots, Ship Captains, and Traffic Controllers allow for real-time risk assessment and blind navigation in low visibility conditions.
• Web services and mobile apps that are based on the Citizen Science approach.

Photo by Chris King

The pilot will demonstrate the benefits of Iliad DTO advancements to reduce the time when the Varna Port and shipping channels to Varna Lake remain closed due to unfavourable weather conditions.