UK marina group MDL Marinas has partnered with marine digitalisation firm Falco and its marina management software provider Havenstar to trial smart marina technology at its popular Hamble Point Marina at the mouth of the River Hamble.

Connecting the marina office, staff and boaters digitally, the smart marina wireless technology works by detecting occupancy in real time with the use of motion sensors installed at each berth.

The technology allows marina teams to have instant data on boat movements, providing more accurate numbers in terms of spaces available for visiting yachts at any given time.

This second-phase rollout comes following a successful pilot programme at its Queen Anne’s Battery marina in Plymouth in 2023.

Real-time berth monitoring

As part of its digital transformation, MDL Marinas has partnered with Falco and Havenstar with a view to adopting the smart marina technology across its network of marinas.

“After trialling the project at our Queen Anne’s Battery marina, we found the real-time data on the number of available berths, without having to physically check, enabled marina staff to spend more time on the pontoons meeting and greeting customers, improving the quality of the marina experience for berth holders and customers alike,” says Tim Mayer, MDL’s sales and marketing director.

“By giving us better visibility of occupancy, the smart marina technology offers the perfect solution for customers to secure visitor berths, increasing peace of mind and offering better customer service all round,” continues Mayer.

As part of the installation, key metrics can also be collated, offering opportunities to increase availability and customer service, as well as forming a larger deployment model with real-time group-wide occupancy across its 18 sites.

Berth holders and visitors can already book visitor berthing at MDL marinas using the bespoke online booking system. Using the new digital interface, berth holders are also rewarded with Otium points through MDL’s loyalty programme.

“After the success of Queen Anne’s Battery, we’re excited to be enacting the second phase of this unique smart marina system, with a view to using the technology across our entire marina network in the future, offering our customers a totally connected marina experience,” adds Mayer.

MDL will be implementing a total of 84 sensors across the marina and 14 sensors onto the events pontoon at Hamble Point Marina.

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