Wilson Sons, a port and maritime logistics company in Brazil, implemented a new operating system developed by Argonáutica in its Tugboat Operation Centre (COR), set up 12 years ago in Santos (São Paulo). Focusing on operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability, the new operating system, called ArTeMIS (Argonáutica’s Traffic Management Information System), has just started to conduct real-time monitoring of the company's fleet of 81 tugboats — Brazil’s largest and most modern fleet — along the Brazilian coast.
The new solution is part of Wilson Sons' strategy of investing in the development of digital solutions in close connection with startups in the maritime and port business, as well as to encourage the adoption of new technologies to increase the efficiency and productivity of the country's infrastructure.
“Conceived by Argonáutica, ArTeMIS is a highly relevant digital product with great potential for penetration in Brazil’s port industry. It is already connected to more than 25 AIS antennas set up along the coast while integrating maritime and meteo-oceanographic traffic data, through which our COR will monitor all maneuvers carried out by tugboats at multiple ports across Brazil", explains the director of Digital Transformation at Wilson Sons Eduardo Valença, who further adds: “This system has been developed not only to manage Wilson Sons’ fleet but also to support many other companies in this industry”.
ArTeMIS was born to improve navigation safety while saving fuel and mitigating the risk of accidents by using areas that are more suitable for shipping operations. With the new solution, the tugboat captain will have access to pre-set alarms in emergency situations. Also, integration with external data sources provides, for example, monitoring of hyperlocal meteorological conditions, such as tide, current, and wind, and an overview of how these variables affect towage operations, productivity, and safety.
“ArTeMIS represents a significant improvement to the management of Wilson Sons' tugboat fleet. The company, a pioneer in controlling vessel speed, now use this new tool to monitor other operating parameters, optimizing, for example, tugboat operations, positioning, and utilization. Among other advantages, we can reduce fuel consumption, generate positive effects on the environment and add sustainability to port operations in the country”, emphasises the director of Towage Operations at Wilson Sons, Rodrigo Bastos.
“ArTeMIS is an innovative product that draws upon Argonautica's expertise in the development of highly complex digital products for shipping and port operations, combined with Wilson Sons' experience and knowledge in the management and operation of its vast fleet of tugboats”, points out Guilherme Rosetti, co-founder of Argonáutica, who adds: “ArTeMIS has emerged with the aim of enhancing and scaling up Argonáutica’s digital products, including ReDRAFT and MeDuSa, making sure that our clients enjoy many features in a single system”.
As Wilson Sons believes that technology and startups can leverage productivity and the development of maritime and port infrastructure, it acquired, at the end of last year, a minority stake in Argonáutica, a Brazilian startup.
Argonáutica is the startup that developed ReDRAFT, which calculates dynamic under-keel clearance based on the characteristics of the vessels and waterways, considering the environmental conditions during each maneuver, and MeDuSa, which optimizes berthing and quay operations for greater ship mooring predictability and safety, especially in ship-to-ship operations. ArTeMIS is one more digital product that the startup has developed in favor of more modern, more sustainable, and safer traffic management.
Based in São Paulo and with more than 180 projects implemented, Argonáutica was founded by four naval engineering PhDs from the University of São Paulo (USP): Guilherme Feitosa Rosetti, Felipe Ruggeri, Rafael de Andrade Watai, and Rodrigo Sauri Lavieri. In addition to new solutions for port operations, such as ReDraft, in operation at the ports of Santos (São Paulo), Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Suape (Pernambuco), Port of Açu (Rio de Janeiro) and Portocel (Espírito Santo), the company is also in the oil & gas industry.
