The third phase of the SPINE project, which is funded by MarRI-UK through the Smart Maritime Land Operations Call, has begun. SPINE 3 will examine how UK ports can prepare for the safe and effective arrival of uncrewed electric vessels, with a focus on energy readiness, remote communications, digital authorisation and operational oversight. 

This is the third and final phase of the SPINE programme which will build on the progress made in both SPINE 1 and SPINE 2 which explored emerging ship-to-port interface concepts and their application aboard a conceptual unmanned, electrified short-sea vessel, respectively.

SPINE 3 brings the various proejct phases together by delivering a practical toolkit and scalable deployment models to assess real-world port readiness and implementation. 

The SPINE programme has made good progress toward enabling uncrewed electrified vessel integration through dynamic connectivity and digital port interface solutions. However, small to medium-sized ports still face critical challenges in two areas:

1) Supporting the introduction of uncrewed vessel operations, and

2) Deploying low-carbon recharging infrastructure. These constraints are amplified by grid limitations, high costs of electricity, high capital costs, and fragmented digital maturity across UK port infrastructure.

SPINE 3 aims to address these concerns.

The SPINE 3 partners are MSE International (Lead), Swanbarton, Houlder, Marico Marine and unfunded regional port partners including, Portsmouth International Port and Cowes Harbour Commissioners. 

The MarRI UK, Smart Maritime Land Operations Call, was launched in November 2022 as part of an initiative supported by the Department for Transport (DfT), aiming to fund projects that enable the automation of operations in the land/water interface, supporting both infrastructure and operations.

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