460 cameras and 22 radar units ensure safer shipping at the Port of Antwerp

A digital radar and camera network has been launched in the Port of Antwerp. It comprises 460 cameras and 22 radar units that scan the entire port area. The new network has eliminated blind spots that existed with the system that had been used up until now.

Erwin Verstraelen, who is responsible for digitalisation and innovation at the port told VRT News that "Just as aircraft are guided when they take off and land, we guide ships. Due to the increasing number of ships, both seafaring and inland waterway vessels, we had to make the existing camera and radar network denser." 

The new radar units and cameras include, for example, smart cameras that can recognise ships thanks to artificial intelligence. The radar in the observation towers can be moved as new quays open to accommodate vessels. Together with the recently launched drone network cameras and radar are increasingly playing an important role at the port.

"The images and data are viewed live by those in charge of guiding shipping at our control centre in Zandvliet. The images are also stored, so they can be viewed again, for example after an incident.”

Although the primary purpose of the cameras is not to fight crime at the port, they can help with that too, Mr Verstraelen told VRT News.

"We have already carried out an exercise to see if anything can be deduced from old data. For example, there are so-called anomalous vessel movements. When a ship is sailing from A to B and suddenly stops somewhere. This is something that requires attention. We can then look at that. We also consult with our partners that are involved with security at the port about how we can make that data available to them."

The Antwerp port area covers more than 120 square kilometres. That's more than half the entire territory of the city of Antwerp. Some 300,000 shipping movements take place in the port every year.