Page 15: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2019)

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INSIGHTS: DIGITALIZXATION be in the form of something far more sinister, such neous connections, means that information can as terrorist groups. For example, seaport competi- be shared back and forth in a fully mobile, highly tors may deploy drones to disrupt operations, or resilient web of communications. Furthermore, even spy and gain intelligence about its business the BreadCrumbs can maintain these connections, logistics. However, terrorism can potentially tar- even while in motion, and autonomously make ad- get a speci? c port, which would catastrophically ditional connections to other nodes as they come affect the valuable exporting and porting process into range.

of the business. Furthermore, this could possibly By adapting to obstacles in the network, Rajant’s impair and destabilize a nation’s economy. If sea- dynamic technology can deliver robust, mobile- port operators don’t embrace digitalization, they enabled connectivity ports need to capitalize on are at risk of being left with legacy infrastructure, the opportunities of IIoT fully.

which will only hinder their growth and prevent How Rajant helped connect DP World Antwerp them from scaling their operations in the future. In partnership with BT, Rajant helped deliver a

However, each port is different, meaning each wireless backbone solution for DP World Antwerp one has its own vast and varying complex needs, in Belgium, for its Antwerp Gateway. As one of the which makes the challenge of delivering and im- busiest container terminals in Europe, it handles plementing multiple communication networks a two-and-a-half million containers every year. With problematic task. That’s where Rajant’s Kinetic 900 staff, 3000 trucks, and 950 ships operating at

Mesh technology can offer a solution. the port, it required an intelligent, rock-solid IoT infrastructure to support its growing operations.

Liberating operations Ensuring end-to-end reliable and secure wireless

Seaports handle millions of containers every connectivity across DP World Antwerp would be day, meaning guaranteed, secure, and reliable con- no easy feat due to the vast environmental inter- nectivity is a necessity. Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh de- ference across the port. Thanks to its proven track livers the robust connectivity which port operators record in serving industrial environments, Rajant’s demand to take full advantage of IIoT. By deploy- wireless Mesh technology was chosen by BT to ing Rajant’s ruggedized multi-radio BreadCrumb help meet DP World Antwerp’s complex demands. nodes equipped with InstaMesh networking soft- Rajant’s “Make-Make-Make-Never-Break” meth- ware onto autonomous equipment, operators can od of forming connections ensured DP World had communicate and control their assets, whether a solution to its interference challenges. they are stationary or on the move. Rajant’s BreadCrumb nodes were able to create

With ports operating across a vast area, it can an intricate, and robust set of frequencies which be challenging to monitor all their assets at once. could send and retrieve signals, while continuous-

Still, with Rajant’s comprehensive tracking abil- ly shifting to provide the best route for the signal. ity of containers, vehicles, and staff, it can pro- Therefore, if a certain path became unavailable, vide port operators with the unparalleled real-time or an object is obstructing the path, the nodes can tracking capabilities to function as effectively as identify an alternative route to redirect the data. possible. Rajant’s technology allows a business to This means that the network can dynamically hold multiple connections at any time and the abil- adapt connections to moving vehicles such as con- ity to scan the environment to decipher the fastest tainers or large ships, meaning that DP World An- route from source to destination and maximize ef- twerp never falls behind.

? ciency. Additionally, DP World will be able to analyze

The fourth industrial revolution is helping to cre- and optimize processes such as the movement ate seamless, autonomous production processes of vehicles across the site – providing operators across a host of sectors and in particular, allow- across the port with an end-to-end view of its op- ing ports to have increased security measures in erations to enable timely analysis and improved place, whether that be via cameras on the ground decision making. or UGVs or drones in the sky. Security is funda- mental to ensure a seaport can operate effortlessly, Digitalization the key to unlocking without any disruptions. If not, it has the potential the vast potential to cause a lull in ef? ciency levels for port opera- It is clear as the port industry continues to move tors. Furthermore, Rajant’s Kinetic Mesh network further into the 21st century, that demands will not offers robust security capabilities, ensuring that stutter but only increase exponentially in the fu- port operators can protect their critical data. The ture. With the increased pressures that port opera- network has extreme ruggedness and is proven to tors face day-to-day, it becomes not only a case of support AES-CCMP and TKIP encryption with keeping up with the demand but also of survival. con? gurable per-hop, per-packet authentication. The proliferation of the IoT has provided ports

Ports are historically demanding environments, with a stellar opportunity to thrive and utilize with stacks of containers acting as barriers and technology to digitally transform their ports and interfering with the communication signals. How- day-to-day operations – providing them with the ever, Rajant’s BreadCrumbs, and their ability to tools to enhance their performance and monetize communicate peer-to-peer, via multiple simulta- on new revenue-generating opportunities. www.marinelink.com 15

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