The Port of Zeebrugge has joined the International Port Community Systems Association (IPCSA), an international association of sea and air port community operators, sea and air port authorities and single window operators.
“The International Port Community System Association has always focused on the sharing of knowledge and expertise between members,” Richard Morton, secretary general of IPCSA commented.
At the same time, the Belgian port stated that it is also willing to share its expertise, including its Smart Port, Green Port and Safety Port projects.
“We want to keep up to date on developments in other ports and offer the expertise of Zeebrugge to work on an international system that can benefit all port users,” said Peter Merlevede ICT (information and communications technology) manager at the port of Zeebrugge.
Zeebrugge believes that digitalisation is an important step in retaining the port’s competitiveness, according to Peter Merlevede.
“In anticipation of Brexit for instance, the Port of Zeebrugge has developed RX/Seaport, a data-sharing platform which offers a digital connection between all links in the logistics chain. The system is ready for use when Brexit occurs, but the applications of the system can be used in many other situations,” he explained.
Last year (2019), the Port of Zeebrugge invested in a private 5G network for the port area and, together with Citymesh and Nokia, is now able to supply a working 5G network that will provide wireless connectivity to more than 100 endpoints across the entire port operations.
“Thanks to the successful deployment of this network, Port of Zeebrugge will be able to track, analyse and manage connected devices across multiple port-based applications in real time,” commented Merlevede.
