Watch: Port of Antwerp launches radar and camera network

Antwerp Port area covers more than 120 km2 with 11,000 hectares of waterways and quays. More than 300,000 shipping movements take place in the port every year. In order to continuously monitor the entire area, as well as all shipping movements, Port of Antwerp-Bruges has expanded and digitised it’s camera and radar infrastructure.

Thanks to the successful cooperation with our concessionaires, we have been able to install radars and cameras in many new locations. There isn’t a single centimetre of the terrain that escapes this extensive network.

… said Rob Smeets, Chief Operations Officer Port of Antwerp-Bruges

The 460 cameras and 22 radars are directly connected to the Antwerp Coordination Centre and provide operational services such as Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) and the Harbour Master’s Office with a comprehensive view of the port.

This network is essential for the further rollout of a digital nervous system across the physical port to support a safer and more secure port. Integrating this data into the digital twin brings us closer to the goal of having a finger on the pulse of what is happening in the vast port area permanently and everywhere

… said Erwin Verstraelen, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer Port of Antwerp-Bruges

This allows them to closely monitor shipping and incidents and to manage waterways and moorings more efficiently and safely according to the highest IALA (International Association of Lighthouse Authorities) standards. The images are then viewed and analysed by colleagues with police powers and can also be shared with security services and other authorities.

This extensive state-of-the-art radar and camera network is a first in the port world. It’s also coming online less than three months after the launch of our unique drone network

… stated Annick De Ridder, Vice-Mayor of the City of Antwerp and President of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges