#67 Niels Kalshoven, Port of Rotterdam: Drone Port Operations

#67 Niels Kalshoven, Port of Rotterdam: Drone Port Operations

Welcome back to The Vertical Space and our discussion with Niels Kalshoven, Head of Drone Innovation Program at Port of Rotterdam and Co-founder Drone Port Rotterdam. This is one of the few discussions where we're speaking with someone without an aviation, OEM, or advanced air mobility background, but with experience where drones will be used - in this case at a maritime port, the Port of Rotterdam.

Building upon previous discussions with Andrew Hately, Niels delves into current and future drone applications in the Port of Rotterdam, highlighting U-Space implementation, scale of operations, and the role of ports in providing drone services. This is an interesting business model and it'll be interesting to see what type of service eventually scales at port operations. Will the ports allow their customers to operate drones independently with some type of centralized command and control, or will ports provide some type of centralized service? 

It's great to hear how trailblazers are establishing drone operations, how they justify their efforts and spend, and how they see the real value in return from the operations of the future.

05:25 The Evolution of Drone Operations in the Port of Rotterdam
08:02 Integrating Drones into Port Operations
10:22 Deciding How to Bring Aboard Drones at the Port
13:14 The Practical Benefits and Use Cases of Drones in Port Management
17:43 U-Space at the Port
20:34 Expanding Use Cases: Delivery, Inspections, and eVTOLs
29:34 Understanding Air and Ground Risk
35:29 Centralized vs. Decentralized Drone Management
36:33 Business Models and Charging for Drone Operations
37:56 Customer Feedback and Future Business Opportunities
41:04 Building the Drone Ecosystem and International Collaboration
42:57 Frustrations With Current Drone Offerings
56:55 Future of Drone Operations and Advice for Innovators

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