In 2016 the City of Antwerp took over management of the waters on the Eilandje – Antwerp’s oldest port area – from the Antwerp Port Authority. The area around Bonapartedok, Willemdok, Kempisch Dock, Kattendijkdok, Houtdok and Asiadok therefore form an urban area and thus fall under the authority of the City of Antwerp for berth management, safety and the policing.
This historic port has evolved into a modern attraction for passenger ships and offers berths for house boats and pleasure craft in the center of Antwerp.
This new responsibility forced the city to invest in radio equipment for maritime communication for the city’s port service, supplemented with maritime radios for operational personnel.
Quality and reliability were the most crucial aspects, so they selected Omnitronics partner Sonal to implement the project in 2016. Sonal chose Omnitronics IPR400 Gateways and RediTALK Dispatch to complement desired base stations and mobile radios.
Customer Profile
City of Antwerp Port
Application
Radio Communications Across 3 Maritime Channels
Products Used
– RediTALK-Flex Dispatch Consoles
– IPR400 RoIP Gateways
Business Benefits
A Seamless Transition
Simple to Deploy
Compatible with Multiple Radio Types
Simple to Operate
Minimal Operator Training
The Challenge
Upgrade Required
In 2020, 4 years after the initial install, the City of Antwerp is looking to upgrade PCs used for port dispatch.
Their RediTALK dispatch system is also at end of life and no longer supported. They were again looking for a dispatch solution that works without a central server and seamlessly integrates with existing infrastrusture, including Radio over IP gateways.
In addition, they were looking for a solution that is compatible with the Windows 10 operating system and that allows them to include an AIS Receiver to display ship positioning on a large screen.
Product Focus
RediTALK-Flex
Interoperability
Easy to Use
Flexibility
Duress & Emergency
Geofencing
Radio Linking / Patching
Telephony
Location Services
The Solution
Future-Proof
Based on Sonal’s recommendation, the City decided that integrating Omnitronics IPR400 S2 Radio over IP gateways to Radio Activity Kairos KA-160 repeaters would be the ideal solution to manage communications across the their maritime channels.
An antenna combining system is used to connect multiple maritime channels and the AIS receiver onto one antenna. Three RediTALK-Flex Dispatch stations, one for the main operator and one for a second operator, manage the city’s port radio communications.
A spare RediTALK-Flex licence is available as backup in case a situation arises where a dispatcher needs to work away from the control room on a remote laptop or tablet.
For the unlikely event that the city should need support, 24/7/365 omnicare Support and Maintenance is available.
Case Study
City of Antwerp Port Upgrades Dispatch
From Cruise Ship Communications to House Boat Safety
Testimonial
Hear From Our Customer
“Extremely flexible serverless system, the perfect solution for controlling and local recording of maritime channels”
Marc Vermeulen, Technical Support & Project Manager Radio Communications at Sonal
Conclusion
Safety & Productivity
With this upgrade, the City Port of Antwerp’s radio communications are future ready for many years to come. This includes emergency situations, where they have the ability to connect to Astrid radios on the national Tetra network for emergency services.
They also have made provisions allowing one of their operators manage radio communications remotely, i.e. from home, using RediTALK-Flex Dispatch.
The Set-Up
Network Diagram
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