A technology company that helps port operators safely moor ships has opened a Sunderland head office and training centre, with plans to bring overseas learners to the city.
BollardScan, the trading name of Dutch firm Mooring BV, uses digital technology to monitor the condition of mooring bollards that need to withstand large forces when ships are secured in ports. The business services some of the world’s largest ports and employs a team of 50 analysts and testers spanning six continents.
Now it has chosen space at Washington Business Centre as a hybrid head office and training facility that is set to draw in trainees from as far afield as South America and Australia. BollardScan’s vibration-based form of non-destructive testing is used to assess mooring bollards before they can be insured for a period of up to three years, or identified as needing maintenance or condemned as unfit.
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Willem van Hoorn, a director of BollardScan who co-founded the firm with Marc Cleophas, said: “Marc and I set up BollardScan to improve the way in which we test and monitor the integrity of mooring bollards but even we couldn’t have envisaged the impact it would have. When you look back, mooring bollards have been a critical part of the maritime ecosystem for centuries, but the way in which we have assessed the integrity of bollard structures and evaluated the condition of mountings over time has largely gone unchanged – until now.
“Over the past seven years, our vibration-based testing approach has been utilised on ports on six continents, from Abu Dhabi to the US, and with a number of new projects in the pipeline, the growing demand for our services from customers in all four corners of the globe has given us high hopes for the years ahead.”
He added: “One of the key challenges we have as we grow is finding people with the skills required to conduct and analyse our tests, which is why we decided to try a different approach. By launching our own simulation space, we can fly people in from around the world to learn how to conduct tests and use the technology in groups – instead of having our operators fly out to multiple territories.
“We have also signed a deal with Port of Blyth which will see our students conduct testing in a real scenario which is fantastic, because we know that, as soon as they’ve graduated, they have already got real-world experience of using the software. We’ve already got people flying in from Brazil, and South Africa, Australia and the USA as part of our first cohort starting in September and we’re absolutely delighted to be able to show them around the North East and to be continuing to invest in the region.”
Coun Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Bollardscan is a real innovator in its field and is a fantastic North East success story. Since setting up in the city seven years ago, it has revolutionised how one of the world’s most traditional industries operates and established itself as a real exporting champion.
“We’re delighted they are continuing to invest in the city and look forward to seeing them continue to go from strength-to-strength as they continue to innovate and grow.”
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