Port of Halifax Trials Dynamic Under Keel Clearance System to Guide Large Vessels
The Halifax Port Authority is partnering with Australian company OMC International to trial a data-driven Dynamic Under Keel Clearance system in Halifax Harbour, aiming to improve safety and efficiency for large container ships amid declining port traffic.
The Halifax Port Authority has partnered with Australian maritime engineering company OMC International to trial the Dynamic Under Keel Clearance (DUKC) system in Halifax Harbour. The initiative uses centralized, data-driven approaches to strengthen under-keel clearance decisions for large vessels navigating the port.
Halifax remains Canada’s only east coast port capable of handling vessels carrying up to 18,000 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units). The port authority, led by director of marine operations and harbour master Adam Parsons, has set a long-term goal of handling 1.6 million TEUs of cargo annually by 2070.
The trial integrates real-time environmental and meteorological/oceanographic (metocean) information from MarineLabs, founded and led by CEO Scott Beatty. Additional data sources include tide gauge information from the Canadian Coast Guard, pilot dispatch scheduling from the Atlantic Pilotage Authority, and operational feedback from the Halifax Harbour Pilots Corp. Meg Batchelor serves as North American project engineering manager at OMC International.
The technology is being introduced as container traffic through Halifax has declined. Prior to the downturn, more than half a million containers passed through the port annually. During the first nine months of 2026, more than 311,000 TEUs moved through Halifax’s two container terminals, Atlantic Hub and Fairview Cove, representing a 19.1 per cent decline from the previous year. The Halifax Port Authority reported 675,948 tonnes of cargo handled in the third quarter ending Sept. 30, 2026, down 24.2 per cent from the same period in 2025.
The DUKC trial is supported by PIER (Port Innovation, Engagement and Research), Canada’s first living lab dedicated to transportation, supply chain, and logistics industries, established by the Halifax Port Authority. The system is intended to deliver improved safety and efficiency for large vessel movements, better utilization of existing channel capacity, enhanced situational awareness for marine operators, and support for the preparation of larger vessels and evolving global trade demands.