Navigating new waters: How real-time current monitoring can transform port operations

Port of Aberdeen, Scotland's largest berthage port – previously known as Aberdeen Harbour, was established in 1136 by King David I of Scotland. It is the oldest existing business in Britain, with a history spanning almost 900 years.

Construction of the port’s South Harbour started in 2017 after years of planning. Completed in August 2023, the £420 million expanded port was the largest marine infrastructure project in Trust Port history. It offers 2,800 metres of deep-water berths to a maximum depth of 14.8 metres (MWHS).

The harbour extension is aimed at attracting vessels and project activity – such as cruise ships and offshore renewable energy (ORE) operations – which would have previously gone to European ports capable of handling their requirements. This increased activity will support local jobs, attract local supply chain spend and investment.

A key feature of South Harbour is its ability to berth large ships. To ensure safe passage for these vessels, it’s important to have accurate and detailed data within the harbour. With its long history, Port of Aberdeen has this information for the North Harbour and is continuing to build a comprehensive understanding of the water movements within South Harbour. This data can then be used to enhance navigational safety and operability within the port.

Sonardyne’s Origin^® 600 Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) enables users to monitor waves, currents and turbulence. Its built-in acoustic modem enables remote access while it’s deployed. This allows battery and storage checks, the opportunity to inspect and upload data, reconfigure schedules and run quality control, all whilst the ADCP is on the seabed. Enabling users to make time-critical decisions with near real-time data delivery.

Realising the potential for gathering valuable, high quality data to support their operations, Port of Aberdeen approached Sonardyne’s Aberdeen office to hire an Origin 600 for an initial six month period.

“We’re delighted that Port of Aberdeen chose to hire an Origin 600 to monitor the water movement within South Harbour. The knowledge they will gain from the data is vital to help them provide the best possible service for their customers and operators within the port. We look forward to working with them on this project and beyond.” Thomas Blair, Operations Manager, Sonardyne, Aberdeen.

Origin 600 can be programmed prior to deployment or in-situ via its acoustic modem.

The Origin 600 was deployed, using Sonardyne RT 6 1000 and 3000 release transponders, in the port district on 20^th March 2025. Its onboard data processing via implementation of Edge ‘apps’ enable it to deliver information on the wave environment, together with the speed and direction of water column currents, and the timing of tides – fundamentally slack tides. All the data is processed and stored on the unit until Port of Aberdeen are ready to harvest it. This can be done without retrieving the ADCP via its onboard acoustic modem.

In June 2025 the unit was temporarily retrieved to recharge the battery and will be redeployed for a further three months in an alternative, suitable location.

“Origin 600’s ability to monitor and report on the behaviour of currents throughout the water column whilst remaining on the seabed makes it an ideal choice for projects where actionable information is critical for operational safety, just as we have seen with Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour. What’s more, Origin 600’s real-time reporting capability can be used to support and inform dredging activities, opening up a further avenue where this instrument can help Port of Aberdeen. I’m truly excited to see the full extent of the outputs from this project and how the Origin ADCP data will be applied moving forward.” Michelle Barnett, Business Development Manager – Ocean Science, Sonardyne.

As more current and tidal data is gathered, Port of Aberdeen will be able to use it to enhance operability within the port.

“Port of Aberdeen relies on accurate, reliable data to drive informed decision-making. Having a company with this technology right on our doorstep is a significant advantage – not only in helping us achieve our own objectives, but also in supporting our customers, stakeholders, and port users in delivering their work scopes and projects efficiently and effectively.” Benji Morrison, Harbour Master, Port of Aberdeen

Origin 600 being deployed in Port of Aberdeen South Harbour

If you have a similar project or challenge, talk to us about how Origin ADCPs or other Sonardyne technology can help.

Related Case Study

Monitoring Marine Robotics Seabed Structure Environmental surveys AUV USV Sensor tracking Site survey and characterisation Subsea structure installation Uncrewed Surface Vehicles Coastal science Energy Renewables Ocean science